Photos of soldier settlements

The Returned Soldiers' Settlement Act, 1916, allowed for the settlement of returned soldiers on Crown and Closer Settlement Lands in New South Wales.

This volume (NRS-8095) documents returned soldiers clearing land, building houses, and engaging in farming activities on soldier settlements established after World War I. The photos also include their families and the cottages where they lived.

The primary arrangement of this series appears to be under the individual soldier settlement. While the photographs are captioned, they do not appear to be dated.

A selection from the collection

Soldier settlement

Nurse weighing baby at Bourke Street Baby Clinic, 1914

Photos of nurses at Sydney baby clinics

These photos are believed to have been taken in 1914, with the opening of the first baby clinics

Soldier (Closer) Settlement - Returned Soldiers Transfer files 1907-1951

Transfer of land ownership originally obtained under the Closer Settlement and Returned Soldiers schemes.

Soldier (Closer) Settlement transfer registers 1919-1925

The index related to the transfer of land ownership originally obtained under the Closer Settlement and Returned Soldiers schemes

Soldier (Closer) settlement promotion files index 1913-1958

This index will be of interest to those researching the transfer of land ownership originally obtained under the Closer Settlement and Returned Soldiers schemes. It records: name of applicant and vendor, name of estate, land district and Closer Settlement Promotion number.

Photo collections

Photos from Urban Affairs and Planning

This collection includes both colour and B&W photographs taken between 1945 and 1999, depicting Sydney, its surrounding areas, and regional NSW

Muswellbrook Power Station Carl Street Apprentices For 1982 Annual Report

Electricity Commission

These photos record the power generation and transmission assets of the organisation and document the working conditions and social events of its employees

'Lady Hopetoun' docked at Commissioners Steps in front of the Sydney Harbour Trust building

Maritime Services Board

A sample of the 4000+ digitised glass plate negatives from the Maritime Services Board

Naval cadets from N.S.S. 'Sobraon' receiving swimming instruction

Government Printing Office Glass Negatives

From the late 19th century into the 20th century, photography played a significant role at the Government Printing Office, leading to a rich and varied collection of images depicting life in New South Wales

Onlookers stand behind barriers watching the streets being cleaned with fire hoses. Policemen stand on the road in front of the crowds

Purging pestilence – plague!

The Bubonic Plague hit Sydney in January 1900. Spreading from the waterfront, the rats carried the plague throughout the city. Within eight months 303 cases were reported and 103 people were dead

A Sundowner, Riverina District, c.1908

Lantern slides shown at the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition

Part of this collection of lantern slides was shown at the Franco-British Exhibition in London, 1908. Many of the slides are of typical country scenes such as saw mills, dairy farms, mining, and timber felling and hauling

Sydney Harbour Bridge construction. Preparing iron bark track timbers, 4 Oct 1931

Sydney Harbour Bridge

This photo series captures the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, from turning the first sod to completion, including the official opening and its initial use by the public

Bourke Court House, no date

Public buildings in NSW

This album, dating from c1880 to c1940, was created by the Government Architect's office and includes a diverse array of important public and institutional structures

A beach scene at Wattamolla, Royal National Park, no date.

Royal National Park

Many of the photos in this series depict recreational activities around Audley, showcasing people boating, playing sports, bushwalking, picnicking, and taking part in ceremonies

Group of boys feeding calves at Scheyville Training Farm, c1926

Scheyville Training Farm

Scheyville was a training farm for young men selected from the Sydney area and those arriving under various British immigration schemes