© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Land transport

Read more about the article Intercity memories and the lure of the railway

Intercity memories and the lure of the railway

A vintage brochure extolling the virtues of the express service. I never knew it like this. I recently received, as a reward for services to ageing, my coveted Gold Seniors Opal card. Armed with this precious token it may be that soon I will be riding the rails - on the cheap - to the four corners of NSW. In anticipation of this delightful possibility I've taken a ride down memory lane and present also some musical tributes to the fabled Newcastle to Sydney rail service. I was 18 or 19, and studying in Canberra. Many…

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Read more about the article A gallery of motorcycle photos
Mount Hudson, past Rose Brook, Hunter Valley, NSW. Photo by Doug Brown.

A gallery of motorcycle photos

Rummaging among collections and albums of old photographs and negatives I very often find images of motorcycles. And from talking to old-timers I gather that motorbikes were seen for many years as a relatively inexpensive means of transport. When coupled with a sidecar they were cheaper than a small car - both to buy and to run. That's not to say they didn't have an aura of glamour about them. Here's a selection of some vintage motorcycle photos, gathered from a variety of sources. It's got pedals, but it's also got a motor. Does that make…

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Read more about the article Conductresses on the buses – and back off again

Conductresses on the buses – and back off again

IN late 1942, Australia was committed to total war in the Pacific. Its economy was practically 100 per cent geared to war production and "manpower" was a critical problem. A country with a relatively small population, it was isolated from accustomed imports, had large numbers of men fighting or in enemy captivity overseas and was struggling to boost industrial production. More and more men were drawn from their pre-war occupations and put into uniform, leaving big gaps in the industries from which they had been taken. The government turned to Australia's women for part of the…

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