Land transport – Photo Time Tunnel

A gallery of vintage Hunter Region trucks

Post author:Greg Ray
Post published: September 10, 2026
Post category:History Land transport
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I've been privileged to be invited to help scan some negatives from the collection of the Robinson family of Singleton, former owners of the Singleton Argus newspaper. The collection is typical of country newspaper photography, with lots of local plays, church events, sport and business promotions, with a few local specialities such as the Singleton Army Base. Among the collection was this fascinating little group of images of vintage trucks (actually they called them "motor lorries" in those days), probably dating from around the 1920s, showing some of the transport operators in the region at that…

Intercity memories and the lure of the railway

Post author:Greg Ray
Post published: February 19, 2024
Post category:- Personal writing Greg Ray's Writing History Land transport Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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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…

Mount Hudson, past Rose Brook, Hunter Valley, NSW. Photo by Doug Brown.

A gallery of motorcycle photos

Post author:Greg Ray
Post published: January 6, 2024
Post category:History Land transport Vintage Photographs and Photography
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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…