Traces

This magazine is for people passionate about Australia and New Zealand's genealogy, history and heritage. Whether you want to explore convict history, find your Anzac, identify photographs or trace your family tree, our trusted expert advice will help you discover your past.

Welcome to the second edition of Traces !

Letters to the editor • What you thought of Traces Volume 1

Heritage news

2018 Australian Heritage Festival

What’s new online? • This year’s newest updates and additions to historical collections available online.

ADELAIDE ARCADE • In this edition, we take a look at how a familiar streetscape has changed over almost 130 years. Read on to discover Adelaide Arcade’s past and present.

Ask an expert • Our experts are here to answer your queries. In this edition, Shauna Hicks assists with uncovering the history of New South Wales’s mental health facilities.

THE HARMERS HAVEN MURDERS • Hidden away on Victoria’s south-east coast, Harmers Haven is a little-known settlement five kilometres south of Wonthaggi. Now a tranquil seaside escape, Harmers Haven was once the site of two murders and a heart-wrenching story that highlights the atrocities of Australia's Frontier Wars.

Jimmy Possum: the enigmatic artisan • The ‘Jimmy Possum’ chair epitomises the Australian character, just as the Windsor and Shaker chairs speak of their British and American roots. Chairmaker Mike Epworth shares the story of this quintessentially Australian furniture and the mysterious man behind the design.

Remembering Broome’s Indigenous pearl shell divers • Today, even a short stay in Broome will reveal the significance of pearling to the town, with pearl farms and vessels a common sight. There is, however, a darker side to this chapter in Australian history, in which Indigenous people were often kidnapped and forced to dive great depths for pearls that were then sent all across the world. To learn more about the region's Indigenous divers, Pamela Smithers sat down with Bart Pigram, Maya Shioji and Sarah Yu, who all have personal ties to Broome's deep-sea pearling history.

Message in a bottle: history through bottled notes • As a message-in-a-bottle hunter, I see Australia as a paradise of walkable coastline. I gaze longingly at it on maps from my home in the United States. If you catch me twitching my legs in my sleep like a dog during a nap, chances are I am dreaming of beachcombing all 22,000 miles of Australia’s mainland coast. And, as it happens, there are a few messages in bottles that are required reading for Australian history buffs – including the oldest message in a bottle ever found.

Going back to school • Historical school records are a treasure-trove for genealogists, as they are often the only documented evidence of the lives of ‘hidden’ members of society – children.

Top tips from other school archivists

CONVICT TATTOOS • For the modern-day historian, tattoos can provide an insight into the beliefs, interests, attitudes and identities of Australian convicts, as well as the popular culture of the time.

Reading old handwriting • Reading old handwriting is both an art and a science. Although it can seem daunting at first, it is possible to decipher what’s written in most old documents. Here are some tips and tricks that will certainly help!

I only know that you are 'somewhere’ • A family’s search for news from France

World War I Research Tips

A place for remembrance • Albany has a significant and unique connection to the Anzac story, and it has a special place in the remembrance of World War I that is recognised the world over.

Victoria’s war graves • The Springvale War Cemetery and Springvale Botanical Cemetery are the final resting places of hundreds of men and women who died during...