The first Australian ascent of Mt Everest in 1984 is one of the great feats of mountaineering. Climbed by a small team semi-alpine style, with no bottled oxygen, via the Great (Norton) Couloir, it remains unrepeated 40 years later.
1954: The Flags Act 1953 becomes law, defining the official Australian flag.
The Gondwana supercontinent broke up millions of years ago. Now, researchers are piecing it back together again.
1956: Television introduced in time for Australia’s first Olympic Games in Melbourne.
23 August 1966: 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers and their families initiated strike action at Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory.
Nothing quite brought home the national shock of the tragedy of Cyclone Tracy in 1974 like this image. But what’s the full story behind it?
By definition, a final resting place is final, isn’t it? Well, not always, it seems.
Survival on the roof of mainland Australia was an unenviable but necessary challenge that tested the endurance skills of 19th-century weather forecasters.
During World War II, civilians in Australia deemed “enemy aliens” – mostly those of German, Italian and Japanese descent – were housed in internment camps. The largest of the camps was Loveday Internment Camp in South Australia’s Riverland region, about 6km south of Barmera.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first aerial circumnavigation of Australia. Aviator Michael Smith retraces the flight in his unique amphibious flying boat, Southern Sun, starting and finishing at RAAF Base Point Cook, on Melbourne’s Port Phillip, taking in 15,000km of vast, diverse and stunning coastline in between.