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History

Stories of the history of people, and place around regional Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, the ACT, and the Northern Territory.

Picture of Harry Houdini's flight in Diggers Rest, Victoria.
Harry Houdini Flew a Flimsy Aircraft in Diggers Rest. But Was He Really the First to Fly in Australia?
Six years after the Wright Brothers made the world’s first controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered aircraft in the US, Harry Houdini—yes, that Houdini, the famous Hungarian-American escape artist and stunt performer—set a similarly impressive record in the small town of Diggers Rest, Victoria.  Diggers Rest is now considered an outer Melbourne suburb, at about…
An aerial view of the Beechworth Asylum, considered one of the most haunted places in Australia
Australia’s Most Haunted Regional Places
Dark tourism came to the fore in the mid-90s and has continued to gain momentum over the past two decades. People love nothing more than visiting the sight of some past historical horror and discovering the macabre details of what happened.  While Australia isn’t known as a haven for those interested in dark tourism, although…
gold-prospecting-victoria
Gold Prospecting in Victoria, Where to Strike it Rich
The allure of gold has captivated humanity for millennia. In Australia, the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 triggered a historic gold rush, forever shaping the state's social and economic landscape. Today, Victoria remains a popular destination for recreational gold prospecting, also known as fossicking. Recent years have seen a significant increase in gold…
Victorian Railways H220, the largest locomotive produced in Victoria.
The Tumultuous Life of ‘Heavy Harry’
In the annals of Australian railway history, there stands a formidable giant, a true testament to the ingenuity and ambition of the Victorian Railways – the H class steam locomotive, affectionately known as "Heavy Harry." Among its kin, H220 emerged as the largest non-articulated steam locomotive ever built in Australia and held the title of…
An image of the famous Sam Knott poster produced by CUB (Carlton United Breweries)
How Sam Knott Became an Australian Beer Icon
As motorists journey along the picturesque road from Melbourne to Warburton, they are greeted by a peculiar sight: a Father Christmas-like figure standing at the roadside, silently toasting passersby. The eye-catching wooden sculpture resides prominently in front of the renowned Sam Knott Hotel (aka Warburton Hotel), nestled in the charming town of Wesburn in Victoria's…
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