Used at the Lightning Ridge opal fields on Yuwaalaraay Country, this handmade mining trolley is testament to the back breaking work and inventive spirit the manual mining era is remembered for. Its wooden parts were made using local, termite-resistant white cypress pine, held together using butt and lap joints, nails and wire. The wheels were […]
Many objects from previous generations tightly conceal the identities and lives of the people who made and used them, but occasionally, they give away a few clues. We may never know who made or first wore this beautifully printed nineteenth century day dress from Newcastle. But a close look at its construction tells us the […]
Imagine her excitement as Narelle Kemp, a young girl from the mining town of West Wallsend carefully unwrapped this Vulcan Toy Model Featherweight sewing machine in the 1950s. It was a gift that brought her much enjoyment, and one that also had an important purpose. On this miniature version of the classic Singer sewing machine, […]
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