Blue Mountains Historical Society in Wentworth Falls, New South Wales | History Museum

Blue Mountains Historical Society

Locality: Wentworth Falls, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 4757 3824

Address: 99-101 Blaxland Road 2782 Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia

Website: http://bluemountainshistory.com

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25.01.2022 Our planned exhibition at Tarella Cottage Museum has been slightly delayed... so you have a brief opportunity to see our Camera Collection displayed instead!. This Sunday. All welcome.

23.01.2022 Inside Tarella Cottage Museum, the restoration of rooms, by Wayne Hanley and Curator Linsi Braith, proceeds. The side foyer and Kitchen are finished, the staircase is almost finished and the Military Room has been emptied and prepped for painting. Moving Major McLaughlin’s WW1 trunk has provided opportunity for a photo of a small strip of original Linoleum once used in the cottage. What were the colours and what are our chances of finding out more about this 1890s floor covering?

23.01.2022 Katoombas PARAGON. - Saturday the 31st of AUGUST. An INVITATION to share your treasured stories of The Paragon Caf, Katoomba, during the renowned Simos era. To coincide with the launch of History Week in August, the Friends of The Paragon are hosting an afternoon of storytelling and reminiscing about The Paragon Caf in the Simos era, 1916-1999. Friends of The Paragon Inc invite you to be involved in this convivial afternoon, sharing treasured memories or mementos of visits... or connections with The Paragon, Katoomba, or simply come along to enjoy the storytelling. WHEN: Saturday 31 August 2019, 2.00-4.00pm WHERE: Blue Mountains Historical Society,99 Blaxland Rd, Wentworth Falls. COST: $10 includes afternoon tea BOOKINGS: To be part of the audience, email at [email protected] for details. Pre-payment by bank deposit preferred. Sharing stories, big or small, inspire us to value and protect special places. The Paragon Caf means a lot to so many across generations! If you are unable to attend the event but would love to put your memories down in writing, stories can be told by others, if time permits. But certainly your memories will form part of historic records about The Paragon Caf, Katoomba for future generations. If you have any memorabilia no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, please let us know. We would love to hear from you! Email: [email protected] See more

23.01.2022 An announcement by The National Trust (NSW), many sites closed:

23.01.2022 The Gardiners Inn

23.01.2022 Sir Henry Parkes in the Mountains

23.01.2022 ADVICE: We are closed for the foreseeable future. The Blue Mountains Historical Society wishes to advise both members and community visitors that, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and current official policies attempting to contain the spread of the disease, the Society will cease all activity for the foreseeable future. This includes the regular monthly Public Talks, all planned excursions and the research days, which are usually open to both Society members and co...mmunity visitors each Tuesday and Thursday at the Hobbys Reach History Centre at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls. In addition, the Annual General Meeting of the Historical Society, due to be held on Saturday 4 April 2020, will also be postponed until a more appropriate time. The Society hopes to return to normal activities as soon as circumstances permit and will provide appropriate advice to members and the community at that time. Meanwhile, the Society trusts that all members and community users of the Societys resources will remain well. We look forward to seeing you again at Wentworth Falls as soon as possible. See more

23.01.2022 Hope you enjoy reading this.

21.01.2022 TARELLA OPEN DAY. On Sunday 25 August, 2019, the Blue Mountains Historical Societys 19th century cottage museum, Tarella, at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls, opens for viewing at 10.00 am, closing at 3.00 pm, with last entry 2.45 pm. In the Sun Room Gallery the exhibition exploring the halcyon days when guest houses were an essential part of life in the Mountains will have its last appearance. Come along and peek into a bedroom from those days before the exhibition closes.... The Florence Evelyn Moore Collection is on display in various rooms throughout the cottage. Do not miss any of these items. Devonshire teas and soup are available in the Research Centre Kitchen for a small charge. Picnic in our spacious grounds hot water freely available from our Kitchen in the Research Centre. The books in our Buff local history series are for sale, as is our Tarella postcard. Entry charges to Tarella are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children. Entry to the exhibition is free with entry to Tarella. Please note that we can only accept cash; we have no card facilities. Affiliated with Royal Australian Historical Society National Trust of Australia (NSW) See more

21.01.2022 The Research Centre at Blue Mountains Historical Society is open for business on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10.00 am - 2.00 pm. It is always best to call us and make an appointment for assistance with your inquiries and research. New members are very welcome. Covid-19 regulations apply to all persons on the premises and we thank our members and visitors for assisting in everyones well being.

21.01.2022 Love Katoomba? You might like to join the conversations on: https://www.facebook.com/weneedtotalkaboutkatoomba/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARBK_GFbAy-yfp6tqZki_zhs3fTaOemoB_6coi2buOO0IVFSOzAqwGrg0PysM_e5CJ3rOHH-pIZyXRKZ

21.01.2022 We are the proud custodians of Professor Ian Jack’s Blue Mountains-related papers. They arrived on Tuesday.

21.01.2022 TARELLA OPEN DAY SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2019. On Sunday 29 September, 2019, the Blue Mountains Historical Societys 19th century cottage museum, Tarella, at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls, opens for viewing at 10.00 am, closing at 3.00 pm, with last entry 2.45 pm. Explore all rooms of the cottage:- downstairs, upstairs, and the Old Kitchen out the back. Each contains a wealth of history about the McLaughlin Family and the Blue Mountains. In the Sun Room Gallery the exhibitio...n exploring the halcyon days when guest houses were an essential part of life in the Mountains will have, like Dame Nellie Melba, another curtain-call, as it has been held over by popular demand. Keep an eye out for Florence Evelyn Moore Collection items, they can be found in various rooms throughout the cottage. Florence was Ada McLaughlins sister and, being Aunt Flo to John Harley, Ida, Geoffrey and Beryl McLaughlin, she was very close to them. Devonshire teas and soup are available in the Research Centre Kitchen for a small charge. Weather permitting, your invited to picnic in our spacious grounds hot water freely available from our Kitchen in the Research Centre. The books in our Buff local history series are for sale, as is our Tarella postcard. Entry charges to Tarella are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children. Entry to the exhibition is free with entry to Tarella. Please note that we can only accept cash; we have no card facilities. Affiliated with Royal Australian Historical Society National Trust of Australia (NSW)

21.01.2022 What is the history of this cap? This week, in Tarella Cottage Museum, we take a closer look at this small textile item which has been on display in a cabinet for many, many years. The label describes it simply as a ‘Smoking Cap’, but is it? Would it be more appropriate to label it as a Muslim prayer cap? Is the pattern Turkish? Provenance is that it simply belongs to Tarella, which means there is a slight possibility that, like other interesting small items, this cap may have arrived in a package of souvenirs posted home from Cairo or Malta by Major Geoffrey McLaughlin during World War 1. What will a new 2020 label state?

21.01.2022 Exciting new additions to our Library, now being accessioned: Blue Mountains Gazettes from around 1970 to about 2015. Thank you, Blue Mountains Gazette, we are happy to be the new custodians.

19.01.2022 Visiting the History centre for the launch of Bill Boldistons latest book, Katoomba yeah.

19.01.2022 Our October Meeting and Public Talk Saturday, 2 November 2019. Commencing at 10.30 am, the Blue Mountains Historical Society will conduct its regular monthly meeting and talk at the History Centre at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls. Dr Anne Coote will discuss The Adventures of Frederick Strange, Specimen Collector for John Gould a topic she has intriguingly sub-titled How to Succeed in the Business of Nature Without Actually Dying. During the nineteenth century good m...oney could be made by selling specimens of nature, both locally and overseas, but field-collecting in new territories was often hazardous. Savvy collectors quickly learned that cultivating good relations with the locals was their best strategy. In this talk Anne focuses on the life and work of a relatively obscure commercial field-collector in colonial Australia, and in particular, on his relationships with Aboriginal people. Dr. Anne Coote completed a PhD in Australian History in 2005 and is an Adjunct Associate Lecturer in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New England. Previously she taught history in country New South Wales, as well as in the Blue Mountains where she has lived for forty years. An important focus of Annes research has been the history of common habits of thought in colonial Australia, and she has published on such subjects as the development of notions of colonial nationhood in New South Wales, popular engagement with natural history, and ideas about the ownership of scientific expertise. She is currently completing a history of the Royal Society of New South Wales. Come along on Saturday 2 November to find out more about the remarkable Frederick Strange. Morning tea will be available from 10am. The meeting and talk, free for members, $5.00 for non-members, will commence at 10.30am.

18.01.2022 Katoomba Kiosk is a rare surviving example of a Federation era kiosk, one of only four that remain from the early twentieth century in the Blue Mountains.

18.01.2022 Click go the cameras!! Not a digital amongst them. Open Day, Sunday 27, our exhibition features the collection of pre-digital cameras held at Tarella. And we have a couple of examples of the work of early photographers So come along on Sunday. Opens 10. Last entry 3.45.

18.01.2022 When was this a popular cottage linoleum in the Blue Mountains of NSW?

18.01.2022 Our next TARELLA OPEN DAY is Sunday the 25th of August and we hope you will visit. Meanwhile heres a very important question that we seek an answer for: Is this the same person- the confidant man and his younger self? we Look forward to your response.

17.01.2022 OUR NEW WEBSITE. Did you know that Blue Mountains Historical Society has a new, user friendly website? It’s got lots of menu tabs and pages to explore. You can keep up to date with Presidents News, Library News, Resources, plus create your own account and purchase publications from the online BMHS Shop. It also has a Forum where you can join or start discussions about your favourite history topics. Last night, in Latest News, the Tarella linoleum pattern was revealed by Linsi... Braith. Please explore our new website: https://bluemountainshistory.com/

15.01.2022 Advice from 102 years ago. England, 1918:

15.01.2022 The Military Room in Tarella was emptied, the cabinet glass shelves were removed, the small linoleum strip was protected. Then it received the Wayne and Linsi treatment:

13.01.2022 Our August Meeting and Public Talk Saturday, 3 August 2019 Commencing at 10.30 am, the Blue Mountains Historical Society will conduct its regular monthly meeting and public talk at the History Centre at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls.... Babette Smith will discuss The Making of the Australian Working Class. Although many historians believe that educated (mainly middle class) Irish rebels, English Chartists, Scottish martyrs etc formed the basis of the Australian working class, Babette will argue that the reaction of ordinary prisoners to the convict system was the crucial factor in its making. Babette Smith, a Blackheath resident for 13 years until 2016, is well-known in the area as she was a founding member of the Blackheath History Forum. Her first book, a Cargo of Women turned our understanding of women convicts on its head. In 2008, Australias Birthstain explained how shame about our penal history distorted Australians understanding of the past. Her latest book, The Luck of the Irish, focuses the wreck of the convict ship Hive on the south coast of New South Wales in 1835. It was carrying 250 Irish prisoners, all of whom survived. Tracing their history in the penal workforce, alert to discrimination and prejudice that disadvantaged them, Babette uncovered a story of unexpected tolerance and achievement which helped the Irish adopt Australia as their home. Morning tea will be available from 10am. The meeting and talk, free for members, $5.00 for non-members, will commence at 10.30am.

13.01.2022 This Saturday - Dr Peter Hobbins: "Shots in the dark: Alarming episodes in curing snakebite and preventing disease". The Blue Mountains Historical Societys Annual McLaughlin Address will be presented by Dr Peter Hobbins on Saturday 7 March 2020 at 10.30 am in the Wentworth Falls School of Arts building on the Great Western Highway, Wentworth Falls. Dr Peter Hobbins is a historian of science, technology and medicine. His research has ranged from snakebite to smallpox, and sai...ling ships to aircraft accidents. Written with archaeologists Ursula Frederick and Annie Clarke, his book "Stories from the Sandstone: Quarantine Inscriptions from Australias Immigrant Past" won a 2017 NSW Premiers History Prize. An affiliate in the Department of History at the University of Sydney, Peter has recently commenced work as a heritage consultant at Artefact Heritage Services. How can we save ourselves from sickness? And how do we know that our preventive measures and remedies actually work? In the 2020 McLaughlin Address, historian Dr Peter Hobbins will share some alarming tales of medical treatments from the past. He asks why doctors injected a notorious poison to cure snakebite, and why hundreds of thousands of Australians accepted an unproven Spanish flu vaccine in 1919. The focus of Peters talk is on explaining how these approaches made sense in their own time, and why ideas of medical proof have changed over time, even into the present. Come along to the McLaughlin Address and explore these issues. Entry is free for members, $5.00 for non-members. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available from 10.00 a.m. for a gold coin donation. See more

13.01.2022 Woodford Academy will be closed till the end of June.

13.01.2022 Remembrance Day 2020.

12.01.2022 Rare 1930's Katoomba souvenir book reprinted. The Children's Alphabet Book of Katoomba, Queen City of The Hills This small book has a letter of the alphabet on each page, followed by a clever verse and then an advertisement for a Katoomba business. K Stands for Knowledge,... At Katoomba you'll find Mountains of Mystery To expand the young mind. M Stands for Mountains Rising up to the sky; Near Heaven, at Katoomba For a good girl or boy. The businesses named on the bottom of the pages include: Beale's, Beszant's, Collyer's, Harold Loyyd, Avard Bros, Dave Brown &Son, Bennett's, Paris Cafe, Lamont's, The Niagara, The Paragon, J.Cullen's, Fred Juergen's, Soper Bros and more! This publication is a quality facsimile of the original, very rare book we hold at Blue Mountains Historical Society. It is on card stock, measures 100mm X 170mm and the colours are true. This book is now available for purchase at Blue Mountains Historical Society on Tuesdays and Friday from 10am to 2pm. Cost: $15 each. We can of course post the book to you: Book $15 each & postage is $10. Please telephone or email with any enquiry: 02 4757 3824 [email protected] Payment may be made by Electronic Funds Transfer to: BMHS Inc.; Westpac Leura; BSB 032 826; A/c no. 170205; Ref= Your surname.

11.01.2022 When Tarella reopens you’ll notice it’s a lot brighter throughout! Here is a glimpse of the upstairs work.

11.01.2022 One of our buff series. Interested? Contact the Society.

10.01.2022 Tarella closed on January 26th....

09.01.2022 Dr Peter Hobbins was guest speaker at our Annual McLaughlin Address on the 7th of March. Extract: Much of Hobbins research is based on the extensive documentation collected by a 1920 royal commission in NSW appointed to investigate the efficiency of the states anti-influenza medical regime. In previous decades rising fears of contagions arriving from Asia led to pressure building among the various colonies to introduce uniform quarantine laws, Hobbins says, to the point where it was a significant influence on the Federation movement.

08.01.2022 We regret to pass on this very sad news. We have lost Mr. Ian Jack. It is with great sadness that the Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations Inc (BMACHO) Management Committee, write to inform of the death, in his sleep, of our President, Professor Ian Jack. Ian will be remembered for his tireless work for heritage, not only in the Blue Mountains, but in the Hawkesbury, Lithgow and many other areas of NSW, where there was heritage to be found. Ian was a...n enthusiastic researcher and luckily for NSW, he took pleasure in recording his research, along with images. He was a quiet, thoughtful, gentleman who enjoyed a good laugh. He will be sorely missed. We would like to dedicate Robbie Burns poem A Mans a Man for AThat in memory of Ian, who has lived in Australia since the early 1960s, but who was born in Ayreshire, Scotland: Is there for honest Poverty That hings his head, an a that; The coward slave-we pass him by, We dare be poor for a that! For a that, an a that. Our toils obscure an a that, The rank is but the guineas stamp, The Mans the gowd for a that. What though on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin grey, an a that; Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine; A Mans a Man for a that: For a that, and a that, Their tinsel show, an a that; The honest man, tho eer sae poor, Is king o men for a that. Ye see yon birkie, cad a lord, Wha struts, an stares, an a that; Tho hundreds worship at his word, Hes but a coof for a that: For a that, an a that, His ribband, star, an a that: The man o independent mind He looks an laughs at a that. A prince can mak a belted knight, A marquis, duke, an a that; But an honest mans abon his might, Gude faith, he maunna fa that! For a that, an a that, Their dignities an a that; The pith o sense, an pride o worth, Are higher rank than a that. Then let us pray that come it may, (As come it will for a that,) That Sense and Worth, oer a the earth, Shall bear the gree, an a that. For a that, an a that, Its coming yet for a that, That Man to Man, the world oer, Shall brothers be for a that.

08.01.2022 The Paragon Restaurant in Katoomba is to be restored. In this unusual time of Covid19, it is welcome good news that Blue Mountains City Council has rubber stamped the owners development application and this historic premises will open again to visitors from near and far.

07.01.2022 We have good news and bad news today. The good news is the re-opening of the Research Centre. The bad news is that Tarella Cottage Museum REMAINS CLOSED until the necessary restoration work has been completed. As well, Saturday talks are not yet re-commencing, until further Covid 19 restrictions are lifted. ... To enlarge on the good news: Hobbys Reach Research Centre will reopen for research purposes on Tuesday 23rd June. Opening days and hours will be the same as always - Tuesdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm. There are strict protocols in place in keeping with the CovidSafe management plan lodged with NSW Health. Upon arrival, you will need to sign-in as usual but will now need to include your phone and email details. The name of the duty officer for the day will also be in the book and he or she can answer any queries you may have about the restrictions in place. The committee looks forward to welcoming members back to the research centre. However. if you feel unwell, or are suffering from even the very mildest of cold or flu-like symptoms, please do not attend.

07.01.2022 Meeting and Public Talk - Saturday, 5 October 2019. Commencing at 10.30 am, the Blue Mountains Historical Society will conduct its regular monthly meeting and talk at the History Centre at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls. Lorraine Stacey and Joan Steele will present their research on Nursing Sister Norah Kathleen Fletcher - a highly decorated WWI nurse. Norah Kathleen Fletcher is the daughter of John Walter Fletcher, the father of soccer in Australia and founder of Katoomba... College. However, it is Norahs career which will be the basis of Saturdays talk. Born in 1880, dying in 1977, she was highly decorated for her service World War 1. Currently Joan Steele and Lorraine Stacey are researchers at Blue Mountains Historical Society, answering calls for assistance from both members of the society and the public and teasing out the backgrounds, movements and family connections of many Blue Mountains Identities. Joan arrived in Australia in 1986 from the USA and has been working on genealogy research for the past forty years. With over thirty years working in film and television, Lorraine developed a passion for documentaries and historical representation.Come along on Saturday 5 October to find out more about the remarkable Norah Fletcher. Morning tea will be available from 10am. The meeting and talk, free for members, $5.00 for non-members, will commence at 10.30am.

06.01.2022 We are the proud custodians of Professor Ian Jacks Blue Mountains-related papers. They arrived on Tuesday.

05.01.2022 Our next TARELLA OPEN DAY is SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2019 - This is our last Open Day for 2019. Tarella is a step back in time to when things were less complicated from the 1880s onwards. As well as general living museum exhibits, we tell the story of the McLaughlin family who owned the cottage; the treasures of the Florence Evelyn Moore Collection are also displayed. Devonshire teas and soup are available in the Research Centre Kitchen for a small charge. Weather permitting, pl...ease picnic in our spacious grounds hot water freely available from our Kitchen in the Research Centre. The books in our Buff local history series are for sale, as is our Tarella postcard. Entry charges to Tarella are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children. Please note that we can only accept cash; we have no card facilities. Find us at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls, opens for viewing at 10.00 am, closing at 3.00 pm, with last entry 2.45 pm. The images with this post are pages of one of our very rare small books. A delightful childrens alphabet book with every letter followed by a brief poem about loving Katoomba. We are affiliated with Royal Australian Historical Society National Trust of Australia (NSW) See more

05.01.2022 Wishing you a safe and happy Christmas.

05.01.2022 BOOK LAUNCH here at BMHS. Keith Painters latest book: Fifty Blue Mountains Openings -Tracks, Lookouts, Monumentsand a few surprises. Saturday, 9 November 2019

05.01.2022 Meeting and Public Talk- Saturday, 1 February 2020. On Saturday 1 February 2020, commencing at 10.30 am, the Blue Mountains Historical Society will conduct the first of its regular monthly meetings and public talks for 2020 at the History Centre at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls. Dr Stephen Gapps, our inaugural speaker for 2020, will present: An Advantageous Retreating Ground - The Blue Mountains and Resistance Warfare in the Sydney region 1788-1817 and the Bathurst Wa...r 1822-1824. He is currently working on a new book, The Bathurst War The first Wiradjuri war of resistance 1822-1824. His talk will introduce his listeners to his research, the connection between conflict in Sydney and Bathurst, and the role of the mountains in this. Dr Gapps has a long-standing interest in public history and the history of early colonial Sydney. He has taught Public History at the University of Technology, Sydney, and worked extensively as consultant historian in heritage, museums, film and television and history events and performances. In 2011 he won the NSW Premiers History Prize for Regional and Community history with his book Cabrogal to Fairfield A history of a multicultural community. Since then Stephen has held a position as a curator at the Australian National Maritime Museum, developing several exhibitions and currently working on a new permanent gallery display at the museum that explores deep time, environmental and Indigenous histories. In 2017 Stephen was awarded the NSW State Library Merewether Fellowship during which he conducted research for his 2018 publication with New South Press, The Sydney Wars Conflict in the early colony 1788-1817. In 2019 Stephen became the President of the History Council of New South Wales and a Conjoint Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle. Morning tea will be available from 10am. The meeting and talk, free for members, $5.00 for non-members, will commence at 10.30am.

04.01.2022 Our September Meeting and PUBLIC TALK, Saturday, 7th, 2019. Commencing at 10.30 am, the Blue Mountains Historical Society will conduct its regular monthly meeting and History Week talk at the History Centre at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls. The theme of History Week 2019 is Memory & Landscapes. Liz Bensons topic is History of a Blue Mountains Local -The significance of the Wollemi Pine to Blue Mountains natural history. Combining the concepts of both Memory and Landscape..., Liz will explore our relationship with the landscape as she explains the significance of this ancient plant and the spotlight its discovery shone onto the history of ancient Australia. Liz Benson worked for the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust for twenty years as Education Officer, her time there coinciding with the discovery of the Wollemi Pine. Her insights into this ancient plant will be revealing. In addition to Lizs talk, the Wollemi Pine will be further highlighted by Jim Low, the noted Australian folk singer, songwriter and published author who plays guitar and sings. Jim will be singing his Wollemi Pine song, Days of the Dinosaur. Morning tea will be available from 10am. The meeting and talk, free for members, $5.00 for non-members, will commence at 10.30am. See more

04.01.2022 Our Tarella Cottage Open Day occurs on the last Sunday of each month (excluding December).

03.01.2022 THE ANNUAL McLAUGHLIN ADDRESS - 2020 10.30am, Saturday 7th March. Wentworth Falls School of Arts. The Blue Mountains Historical Societys Annual McLaughlin Address will be presented by Dr PETER HOBBINS on March 7th at 10.30 am in the Wentworth Falls School of Arts building - Wentworth Falls. (Cnr Matcham Ave. & Great Western Hwy.)... Dr Peter Hobbins is a historian of science, technology and medicine. His research has ranged from snakebite to smallpox, and sailing ships to aircraft accidents. Written with archaeologists Ursula Frederick and Annie Clarke, his book Stories from the Sandstone: Quarantine Inscriptions from Australias Immigrant Past won a 2017 NSW Premiers History Prize. An affiliate in the Department of History at the University of Sydney, Peter has recently commenced work as a heritage consultant at Artefact Heritage Services. How can we save ourselves from sickness? And how do we know that our preventive measures and remedies actually work? In the 2020 McLaughlin Address, historian Dr Peter Hobbins will share some alarming tales of medical treatments from the past. He asks why doctors injected a notorious poison to cure snakebite, and why hundreds of thousands of Australians accepted an unproven Spanish flu vaccine in 1919. The focus of Peters talk is on explaining how these approaches made sense in their own time, and why ideas of medical proof have changed over time, even into the present. Come along to the McLaughlin Address and explore these issues. Entry is free for members, $5.00 for non-members. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available from 10.00 a.m. for a gold coin donation.

03.01.2022 Have you ever wondered about Mark Foy? Who was he? Why did he build the Hydro? Copies of Dr Jim Smith’s latest book, The Life and Loves of Mark Foy, are on sale at the Pavilion in the Hydro, from the National Parks and Wildlife Information Centre at Blackheath, Blackheath Newsagency and Bendigo Bank Agency, Megalong Books in Leura or from Jim himself via Den Fenella Press, 65 Fletcher Street, Wentworth Falls, 2782. Cost: $35.00.

02.01.2022 On Saturday, 9 November 2019, 10am, here at Blue Mountains History Centre, JOHN LOW will launch a great new book. John Low, noted Mountains historian, will launch Keith Painters latest book, Fifty Blue Mountains Openings --Tracks, Lookouts, Monuments and a few surprises. Keith Painter has lived in the Blue Mountains and Bathurst for almost fifty years. He is the author and publisher of the Pocket Pal Blue Mountains Bush Walking guides, which have introduced many people to... the tracks developed for day walkers throughout the mountains. Keith has also written a number of books focusing on local history, including The Chert Bubble and Padley of the Pedestal. This new book, Fifty Blue Mountains Openings --Tracks, Lookouts, Monuments and a few surprises examines 50 significant Blue Mountains events and ceremonies and includes over 280 illustrations. It describes the people who took part, the documented records as well as current views of the events. Some historic photos in the book have never been published before. (Image: Keith Painter) All interested people are invited to the launch of this fascinating new book about the Blue Mountains. If able to attend, please advise Keith on [email protected] or phone 02 6337 3395 by Friday 8 November 2019. Blue Mountains History Centre is at 99 Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls. See more

02.01.2022 Jimi Karagiannis, more detail for you

02.01.2022 We are very sad to say that Tarella has been damaged by recent heavy rain over Wentworth Falls, and as much as we hate to do it, we must close Tarella Cottage for this second month of 2020. In January the cause was nearby bush fires... in February the cause is too much rain! We hope to be open on March 29th for you. Heres a great post from the Royal Australian Historical Society for your interest, it links to videos about Salvage and Recovery after precious things have been water damaged. Just like in Tarella!