History

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…

4 days agoByPhoebe Hartley

From Desert Tracks to Steel Rails: The History of The Ghan

Travelling Australia by train is a remarkable way to explore the country in comfort and style, with The Ghan one of the nation’s, if not the world’s, great train journeys. Celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, The Ghan is a national treasure with a rich locomotive history that every Australian should experience once in their…

2 September 2024ByTobias Handke

History South Australia

The Town That Saved South Australia From Bankruptcy

Head northeast out of Adelaide on the Thiele Highway towards the famed Barossa Valley region and you’ll find yourself passing through the unassuming town of Kapunda. Best known for being the site of one of South Australia’s most recognisable Big Things, the Big Miner, Kapunda is like any number of small country towns in the…

13 August 2024ByTobias Handke

History

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…

18 June 2024ByTobias Handke

Food & Drink History

The Origins of South Australia’s Chicken Salt

Vegemite is regarded as Australia’s greatest ever condiment, which is a fair shout. But for South Aussies, it’s hard to go past chicken salt. A savoury seasoning concocted in a backyard shed in the 1970s, chicken salt has become a staple of not only chicken shops but households across the nation. It’s even gone global,…

27 May 2024ByTobias Handke

Food & Drink History New South Wales

Milkshakes, Memories, and More: Bell’s Milk Bar in Pictures

On Thursday mornings the Indian Pacific train stops at the outback town of Broken Hill and travellers are invited on a tour; starting with scones, tea and coffee, milkshakes and spiders at Bell’s Milk Bar. A few local actors even dress up in fifties garb and perform a skit for the fascinated travellers, dancing to…

23 April 2024ByEm Jensen

History 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…

6 April 2024ByBen Tyers

History

How Australia Invented the World’s Favourite Apple

It might be surprising to learn that the green thing in your kid’s lunchbox is one of the most successful agricultural exports in Australian history. Yep, we’re talking about the humble Granny Smith apple, also known as “Can I please have an LCM bar instead, mum?” Granny Smith apples—a unique cultivar hybrid of ordinary Malus…

5 April 2024ByJames Shackell

History South Australia

A Guide to South Australia’s National Motor Museum

Head an hour out of Adelaide into the Adelaide Hills and you’ll find yourself at one of South Australia’s most impressive museums. The National Motor Museum in the town of Birdwood is part of a stone flour mill built in 1852 that now includes several buildings housing a collection of more than 300 classic, vintage…

26 March 2024ByTobias Handke

History

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…

3 December 2023ByJohn Taylor

History Nature Victoria

Guildford’s Majestic River Red Gum Crowned 2023 Victorian Tree of the Year

In a prestigious nod to natural beauty and historical significance, a towering River Red Gum tree, affectionately known as "The Big Tree," has claimed the title of 2023 Victorian Tree of the Year. The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) bestowed this honour upon the ancient Eucalyptus camaldulensis, which has graced the Midland Highway near Guildford…

31 October 2023ByBen Tyers

History

How Flightless Birds Beat the Australian Army

The remote Australian outback in the 1930s was a harsh and unforgiving landscape, but nothing could have prepared the military personnel for the bizarre and comical conflict that would come to be known as the Great Emu War. It all started when a group of emus, large flightless birds native to Australia, descended upon a…

11 October 2023ByThe Roustabout

History Victoria

Bizarre Scenes As Yarra Ranges Council Spends $400K On Removing an Historic Mountain Grey Gum

Here at The Local Rag, we are very big fans of trees. We love everything about them. But it seems the residents of Warburton, and the Yarra Ranges Council haven't been a fan of trees of late—specifically a 150-year-old mountain grey gum tree called 'Warburton Tree' situated on the Warburton Highway in the town it's…

9 August 2023ByBen Tyers

History Victoria

Everything You Need To Know About Murtoa’s ‘Stick Shed’

The Murtoa Stick Shed is a legendary architectural icon in the Wimmera region of Victoria. The shed was built by local contractor Green Bros who started work in September 1941, amazingly the shed was ready to accept grain deliveries in January 1942.

6 July 2023ByBen Tyers

History

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…

21 June 2023ByThe Roustabout

Subscribe to The Chinwag and get tips on the best restaurants, bars, travel ideas, and history from around Australia.