ALEXANDRE JULIEN DUCHENE was not even four years into a fourteen year sentence in Van Diemen’s Land in 1840 when Major D’Arcy Wentworth, the Police Magistrate at Launceston, described him as ‘a man of most exemplary conduct’. Edward Hammond Hargraves, was less than two years into enjoying his claim to have started the Australian gold … Continue reading Duchene / Hargraves
Exodus and Panic
Exodus and Panic: Melbourne's reaction to the Bathurst gold discoveries of May 1851 This article was shortlisted for the "Best Peer Reviewed History Article" in the 2015 Victorian Community History Awards. Originally published as: Douglas Wilkie, 'Exodus and Panic: Melbourne's reaction to the Bathurst gold discoveries of May 1851', Victorian Historical Journal, vol. 85, no. … Continue reading Exodus and Panic
Ten Thousand Fathoms Deep
Eighteen fifty-one was the year in which Port Phillip was separated from New South Wales and became Victoria. It was also the year in which the great Victorian gold rushes started. Many historians, and even a greater number of non-historians, believe these two events occurred within weeks of each other simply by coincidence. However, the … Continue reading Ten Thousand Fathoms Deep
Eugene Rossiet Lennon: Professeur Extraordinaire
The Life and Loves of Eugene Rossiet Lennon, Professeur Extraordinaire. What they said about Eugene Rossiet Lennon: He displayed "manly and intrepid conduct" in saving children, "at the imminent peril and risk of his own life" - Hobart Town Daily Mercury, 1858. They wanted to sack me in order to obtain "the more brilliant services … Continue reading Eugene Rossiet Lennon: Professeur Extraordinaire
The Memory of Dreams
The events of history are often masked by the myths, legends, and various revisions that the writers of history want us to read. So, too, are places that we visit. If we are not careful we will see, or be shown, only what the publicists, the marketing people, want us to see. They present us … Continue reading The Memory of Dreams
From Venus to Venice
History is not simply to be read about. It is something to be experienced. Wherever we go, and whatever we see, we can choose to experience the outcomes of history, or we can choose to be blind to the history that surrounds us. This is the story of a journey - a journey into history. … Continue reading From Venus to Venice
The Deconstruction of a Convict Past
Joseph Forrester, a silversmith, was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1828 after being caught stealing diamonds from a West End London jeweller. Charles Brentani was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1834 after being caught stealing silver from a Sheffield clergyman. Brentani was was assigned to various employers and eventually set up his own … Continue reading The Deconstruction of a Convict Past
