Linda Vugrek writes: “I send through photos for your collection, found in my workplace [Mants Glass] archive. Not too sure if they were gifted to use in our 100 years celebrations (40 yrs ago), however, thought you’d like to share.” Click on the individual images for full view. Would you like to make a small…
The South Coast Times reported on Monday 11 June 1951: Henson’s Bus Service, Corrimal, has been attending to the majority of the transport needs of that centre for over 20 years. Today a modern fleet of buses service the area from a large depot situated in the heart of the town. Principal of the company…
THE PICTURESQUE COASTAL ROAD TO ILLAWARRA THE BLUFF AT COALCLIFF, LOOKING NORTH. The coastal route from Sydney to the South Coast is much used by motorists, and in several places the road runs close to the edge of the ocean. The coastal road serves the towns between Sydney and Thirroul, but many travellers to…
WHEN we first came to the coast in 1921, William (Billy) Murphy had the only bus run from Austinmer to Wollongong. The bus was a Model-T Ford, with seats around the sides and back. There were no windows, except the windscreen and a tiny one at the back. In wet weather, rolled-up blinds were…
RAILWAY FATALITY. Young Man’s Neck Broken INQUEST AT BULL! At the Court House at Bulli yesterday, the District Coroner, Mr. W. G. Payne, conducted an inquest relating to the death of Henry Lachlan Curteis, 20 years of age, who had resided with his mother at 127 Campbell-street, Woonona, deceased being run over by a train…
By MICK ROBERTS © PUBLIC transport to and from Wollongong by bus has been accessible to residents of Illawarra’s northern suburbs since early last century. Jumping on a bus for a bit of shopping in Wollongong, to pay a few bills, or for entertainment, has developed considerably from the rough and tumble years of the…
By MICK ROBERTS © WORD the recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II was visiting Bulli quickly spread around the coalmining communities of northern Illawarra in 1954. The coronation of a young and beautiful queen just the year before captured the imagination of the Australian public and thousands would gather for a glimpse of the new reigning…
By MICK ROBERTS © PUT simply Ivo Bunker was an engineering genius. From his workshop at the foot of Bulli Pass he made everything imaginable, from a kettle for his wife, to car parts, and even false teeth. Born in 1888, Cecil Caleb Bunker became the legendary Bulli service station proprietor whose antics have become…
By MICK ROBERTS © THE legendary story of how Samuel Clout drove ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Mail Coach’ across a flooded Bulli roadway has become part of local folklore. Samuel Clout was just 22 years of age when, despite atrocious weather and flooded roadways, he managed to deliver the mail from Campbelltown to Wollongong. Renowned for…
By MICK ROBERTS © THE eagerly awaited arrival of the iron horse to the Illawarra awoke the world to what is known today as Lawrence Hargrave Drive, and its scenic splendour. The coming of the railway from Sydney to Waterfall in 1886 altered the coastal bush track from a quiet local thoroughfare into a busy main…
By MICK ROBERTS © PUBLIC transport has moved forward in leaps and bounds since the late Lance Brown drove the Bulli railway bus in 1927. Lance was one of the region’s first bus drivers and was prompted to reveal some of his memories in 2003, after my story in the Northern Leader newspaper on Joy Curran’s…
Looking Back 