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 cut […]
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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