Canberra History Web

Frederic Slater provided food for thought in 1913 with a new meaning of Canberra. He suggested that it was from the Kamilaroi dialect, and that Queen Lucy spoke that dialect...MORE. Queen Lucy, a full blooded Ngunawal woman lived in the Gundaroo area and we would be surprised if she spoke the Kamilaroi dialect as this clan lived further to the north, not next to Ngunawal land. The Kamilaroi land is north of Wirajuri but it is possible that language did travel via the Wirajuri south.

Have you walked in Stirling Park and wondered what was there? Have you found any remnants of European crockery, nails, tin, etc.?  The Park is an historical area, camped on by Aborigines, farmed by early settlers, and again camped upon by hundreds of Canberra's European construction workers. For a European timeline, some walking maps, images and sketch maps Go to ... and More....

Did you know that Captain Edmund Harrison Cliffe was granted land in Canberra? His land included Coppins Crossing, and continued west along the southern side of the Molonglo River, concluding almost at the Murrumbidgee River, at Uriarra. Who was he and where did he come from? He was as influential as Robert Campbell of Duntroon, but what happened to him? and why don't we know much about him? READ MORE...

This is the sad story of an unemployed man, Bertram Edward Porter, who was left with his 11-month-old son after his wife, Vera Jofferette Jacob, deserted him for another man, Edward Ford. Rejected by its mother, the baby was adored by its father who, despite his unhappy marriage, wanted reconciliation, as he could not cope as a single parent. She refused so Bert decided to end it all, for himself and his son, and his tragic circumstances led to Canberra's first murder committal since its proclamation as the Federal Capital Territory. Read MORE

On 11 May 1927, tragedy struck the opening of the provisional Parliament House, Canberra. Horrified spectators looked on as the Scout Experimenter aeroplane flown by Flying Officer EWEN, a New Zealander by birth, crashed to the ground.  More...  Link also from 'District's People' page, under 'EWEN'.

Read  about the Mystery of Bellona, the Goddess of War - and Canberra's first statue, who was promptly dubbed 'Boudicea' by the locals and occasionally found wearing 'women's apparel'! More...  Link also from 'Articles-Essays etc.' page.

Please note that we do not undertake family history research as we (as do many institutions) prefer people to do their own. We also, literally, don't have the time for it!!

We do recommend the following - Links are available from our Links page:

National Library of Australia: http://www.nla.gov.au/

The Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra: http://www.hagsoc.org.au/main/index.php

- this library is a storehouse for both Australian and Overseas material, including monumental inscriptions, journals exchanged with overseas & Australian societies, directories, local histories etc etc - and heaps of books written on particular families.

Email: hagsoc@hagsoc.org.au for research service [Fees: initial problem assessment: $11 to be forwarded with query; research: $33.00 per hour with a minimum fee of $16.50. The initial fee may be deducted in some circumstances]. Fees quoted are for non-members - if you join up, you get heaps of help from qualified researchers, not to mention free use of the library. Thoroughly recommended.

Canberra & District Historical Society: http://www.canberrahistory.org.au/

NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages: http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/search.htm

State Records of New South Wales - Online Indexes: http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online/

Archives Office of Tasmania: http://www.archives.tas.gov.au/

Public Record Office of Victoria: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/