Paraguay was the destination to an Australian diaspora that began 120 years ago. New Australia and Cosme were socialist utopian colonies established in Paraguay in 1893 and 1894 by a group of Australians migrants led by William Lane. Continue reading
Objects Through Time: agriculture
This hand axe was found in 1931 by Louis Leakey in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, and is dated to about 1.2 million years ago. Continue reading
The collection consists of personal ephemera brought to Australia by Italian Women chain migrating to Australia between 1920 and the 1970s. Continue reading
Discover the history behind the City of Sydney’s headstone, in memory of Eliz Steel who died in 1795. It was uncovered at Sydney Town Hall during excavations. Continue reading
The 1831 convict brinks are historically significant because Horsley House is the only Australian colonial house that can be directly related to Anglo-Indian architecture. Continue reading
This collection of implements have historical and technological significance as they demonstrate the skills of ‘making do’ – improvising and modifying tools to make the heavy work of cultivating bananas easier. Continue reading
The butter churn and pat have historic and technological significance as they demonstrate the labour intensive nature of early dairying and butter making and the impact that technological developments such as the cream separator and butter churn and improvements in rail and road transport had on the industry. Continue reading
This cane stripper has historical and technological significance in that it demonstrates the the hard manual labour involved in planting, cutting and loading sugar cane before mechanisation of the sugar industry, first of planting and loading sugar cane and later of harvesting the crop.
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The cape has historical significance as evidence of the experience of women in middle class families in the nineteenth century and of colonial millinery and clothing retail practices. Continue reading
The bell is historically significant as evidence of the changing agricultural practices in the Liverpool area after 1850. Continue reading
The cane knife is historically significant as evidence of the manual labour of the many South Sea Islanders, Indians and migrants from Europe who were the backbone of the sugar industry in northern NSW. Continue reading
The wood staved pipe has historical value as evidence of the development of water supply technologies and the introduction of essential infrastructure to Sydney suburbs. Continue reading
Discover a collection of late nineteenth century personal effects and shop stock owned by the Wong’s – an Anglo-Chinese family from Bolong, Australia. Continue reading
The harrow is part of a series of regional collection of objects integral to the story of the Chinese on the goldfields, agriculture and the establishment of regional Chinese communities. Continue reading
The carrot washer has high social significance to the Italian community of the Griffith area as a significant piece of industrial heritage of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area Continue reading
This collection of knitting machines and tools is of historic significance as a family craft of the Griffith area handed down from mother to daughter, that may be traced back to a sixteenth century tradition in Northern Italy. Continue reading
Discover the collection of tools, shingles and convict made bricks and nails from the early township of Liverpool NSW. Continue reading
Discover the sandstone sculptured wheat sheaf from Macquarie Fields House near Liverpool that was built by Samuel Terry in 1838. Continue reading
The German wagon in the Jindera collection is of historical significance as an unaltered original example of this style of wagon introduced to Australia by German settlers. Continue reading
Discover the collection of tools and equipment associated with the Estonian poultry farmers at Thirlmere. Continue reading
Discover the Convict Cap dated 1850, two years before convict transportation ended on the east coast of Australia. Continue reading
Discover the long sleeved woollen convict jacket made of ‘Parramatta cloth’, c.1855. Continue reading
Discover the grape press from Griffith that was used by the local community to extract juice from grapes to make wine c.1950s. Continue reading
Discover the Grappa making still from Griffith that was used by the local community to distil spirits from discarded grape skins c.1950s. Continue reading
Discover the brass button from the work clothes of a convict assigned to the Australian Agricultural Company at Newcastle in the 1830s. Continue reading
Discover the portrait miniature of Eber Bunker c.1810 founder of the New South Wales colonial whaling and livestock industries and builder of Collingwood House at Liverpool. Continue reading
Discover the bullock bell known as the Wagga Pot. The bell is one of many made in the 1870s by German migrant August Menneke at his Wagga blacksmith shop for bullock drivers in the Riverina area. Continue reading
The set of cow horn funnels is significant for its association with the settlement of the Lockhart/Milbrulong area of the Riverina by German farming families. Continue reading
The jinker is historically significant as a tangible link to the early timber clearing and milling activities undertaken by German migrant communities in the Currawarna/Berry Jerry area of the Riverina.
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Discover the gate that was erected by Adolph Pfrunder on his property Baden at Grong Grong near Germantown, NSW in c.1904. Continue reading