The Sydney Morning Herald logo
The Sydney Morning Herald logo

History

Advertisement
Fitzroy Town Hall is among Melbourne’s grand old relics, under-used since council amalgamations in the 1990s.

Dust, decay and a multimillion-dollar bill: The battle to save Melbourne’s forgotten town halls

Once-grand inner-Melbourne town halls have been marooned in history and largely left to rot for almost three decades, but there is hope that new life awaits them.

  • Cassandra Morgan

Latest

NSW Literary Awards winner Clare Wright.

The history book running out of room for awards stickers has won again

The NSW Literary Awards honoured a mix of established names and breakout voices on Monday night.

  • Melanie Kembrey
Dr. Michelle Stevenson (Head of History & Technology, Museums Victoria) and the Charles Nuttall painting “The Opening, Commonwealth Parliament” This weekend is the 125th anniversary of the opening of Australia’s Federal Parliament, which took place at the Royal Exhibition Building on May 9, 1901. A key focus is the massive four-metre canvas by artist Charles Nuttall, which depicts the first sitting.

Melbourne’s ‘palace’ throws open doors to mark 125 years of history

Home to Australia’s first parliament, an RAAF training facility and temporary hospital, the Royal Exhibition Building will celebrate its history this weekend.

  • Rachael Dexter
Denis Kosnar, who has framed Melburnians’ lives since he was a boy.

Since the 1960s, Denis has framed his customers’ treasures: snake skins, wedding dresses and golden underpants

For 61 years, Denis Kosnar has been the trusted custodian of Melbourne’s most treasured, bizarre and deeply personal artefacts.

  • Cassandra Morgan
Fred Whittaker, a 100-year-old WWII veteran, is featured in this year’s Archibald.

Meet Fred, the Sydney Harbour Bridge-loving, Trump-hating 100-year-old veteran

Fred Whitaker served in the Pacific in World War II. He loves IPA beer and the bridge. Just don’t ask him about the US president.

  • Anthony Segaert
The Herald had its own DC3 aircraft to fly papers to remote areas.

How the Herald became an instant hit in 1831 – and what that means for our journalists today

The world we report on is changing, but the essence of the Herald - integrity, credibility and constancy - will remain for years to come.

  • Jordan Baker
Advertisement
Peace, love and “flower power” was the mantra of the hippie generation: handing out daffodils to Kings Cross pedestrians in 1969.

Crime, gold discoveries and 35 odd socks: How the Herald has told the stories you want to read

Over 195 years, the Herald has chronicled Sydney’s transformation, sorting fact from fiction, breaking the news and shining a light into dark corners.

  • Damien Murphy
Peter FitzSimons, Kate McClymont.

Kate McClymont has been threatened, ridiculed and abused. But that’s not what brought her to tears

Our youngest to our longest-serving journalists reveal what it means to work at the Herald and some of their big, memorable moments.

Who is granny? The Herald failed to find out the real identify.of this witty columnist. Where are investigative reporters Nick McKenzie and Kate McClymont when you really need them?

Granny or grandpa: The person who knits together the purls of witdom

We tried to find out who Granny really is. And failed. Those who know will never reveal the secret. All we know discovered is that granny likes to knit and watch violent television with a cat on her lap. Clever Granny.

Photo special Harry Hollinsworth in the Fairfax Archives warehouse.

Out of 11 million photos, one news photo taken in the heart of Sydney is nagging Harry

To preserve 195 years of the Herald’s history, there’s a five-year mission under way in a nondescript warehouse somewhere in Sydney.

  • Julie Power