Australian History Research

03/06/2026

A service to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the attack on Sydney Harbour will be held on Friday 5 June 2026 at the Defence of Sydney Monument, North Head, Manly.

01/06/2026

Our next publication will be in Aug 2026. The publication Norfolk Island Marine Settlers Atlantic 1791 features each of the 29 First Fleet discharged marines who travelled to Norfolk Island per Atlantic November 1791 as marine settlers. The publication outlines the terms offered to them such as 60 acre grants, rations, tools, and livestock, and recounts their arrival and early conditions on the island. It also explains that the settlement system soon ran into serious problems, including overlapping land boundaries, shortages of essential supplies, and disputes over grants. As a result, many of the marine settlers abandoned their pending land grants, whilst others remained on the island and concludes with a dated list of their final departure from Norfolk Island. The marine settlers’ individual profiles also include the details of the next generation. Subscribe to our newsletter for announcement of when publication becomes available to order https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/enewsletter/

28/05/2026

22/05/2026

Booklet: The early years of Norfolk Island Penal settlement from 1825 - 1828 https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/penal-settlement-norfolk-island-the-early-years-1825-1828/

19/05/2026

Descendants of John ROBERTS NSW Corps, Britannia 1791 and Sarah WISE, convict, Indispensible, 1796 have book the March 2027 Norfolk Island History Lovers Tour https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/history-lovers-visit-to-norfolk-island/

17/05/2026

Book of the Month - Norfolk Island Landholders 1794 - 1807: primary records relating to all land ownership, grants and leases from 1794 to 1807 for Norfolk Island’s colonial settlement. May 2026 Book of the Month: all orders will also receive an electronic copy of Norfolk Island’s Land Allotments Dec 1791: Norfolk Island land lots were undersized, boundaries were out of place and some lots were even crossing each other. Norfolk Island, Commandant Philip Gidley King proposed replotting the fronts of the settlers lots along each side and the Phillipsburgh and Queensborough roads, leaving the proper government lots, which could be then could be occupied by settlers or convict settlers’ leases in the future. Includes a copy of the earliest lot map of lands on Norfolk Island from Dec 1791.. https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/norfolk-island-landholders-1794-1807/

17/05/2026

On this Day 17 May: Elizabeth Trimby died 17 May 179? Her restored headstone at Norfolk island Cemetery states THURBY age 30 years, died 1793, research has shown this to be possible to be 1797 or later. Elizabeth was recorded as 18 years old in 1788/89, and if the age on her headstone is correct as age 30 years, the gives Elizabeth’s death year as possible 1798 - 1799. Elizabeth SIENE, SANEY, Convict Lady Juliana 1790. Our Shadows of the Past on the Norfolk Island History Lovers Tour March 2027 includes a visit to the Norfolk Island Cemetery https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/history-lovers-visit-to-norfolk-island/

15/05/2026

Final step of publishing a book is the donating of legal copies to various libraries. Dropping off legal copy of Beneath the pines : Norfolk Island marriages : November 1791 / Cathy Dunn to the National Library in Canberra later this month. The archival research and clear referencing makes Beneath the Pines Norfolk Island a valuable to both historians and family history researchers. https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/beneath-the-pines-norfolk-island-marriages-november-1791/

14/05/2026

Just published our May newsletter edition 2 includes a special feature on Facebook as a History Research Tool https://web.emsnd.net/22c81502-8dd4-11ef-b152-ab7dd0f33f6e/email/bc4f97c8-4f4c-11f1-a97b-b9d0f172fe58.html

13/05/2026

Our latest publication Beneath the Pines Norfolk Island Marriages November 1791 has arrived from the printers. The early Norfolk Island marriage register for Rev. Richard Johnson’s November 1791 visit are missing or were never kept, leaving no official record of these events. Using scattered colonial evidence (journals, musters, victualling/off‑stores lists, later baptisms, and other administrative records), Beneath the Pines Norfolk Island Marriages November 1791 reconstructs which couples were married by Rev. Johnson on Norfolk Island. https://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/beneath-the-pines-norfolk-island-marriages-november-1791/