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Tales from the Grave
Uncovering family history from down under
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Babies buried in the Bush
Remembering the littles one buried in the bush.

Samantha Elley
2 days ago2 min read


Murdered after a swim
Sometimes when we find a story about an interesting person, they have no final resting place. Their last known location is not known and...

Samantha Elley
Jun 232 min read


Factory of horrors a death trap
There are three graves in Rookwood Cemetery and two in Melbourne that all have something in common. The bodies that rest in them are...

Samantha Elley
Jun 33 min read


115 year old missing painting 'Found'
It had always been a mystery where the missing painting had gone.

Samantha Elley
May 132 min read


Developing career after shipwreck
Shipwrecked in India to photography in Australia

Samantha Elley
May 62 min read


Horses and children didn't always mix
Sending a child to run errands while controlling a large horse wouldn't have been an issue in earlier days in regional areas. Many...

Samantha Elley
Apr 221 min read


45-year-old cold case still hoping to be solved
Maria James was a mum of two boys and owned a second hand book store on High Street, Thornbury in Victoria. It was also her residence...

Samantha Elley
Apr 83 min read


Jane Doe gains identity after 60 years
Fifty eight years ago a woman's body was found in Tiburon, California by a hunter. For the next six decades she would be known as the...

Samantha Elley
Mar 262 min read


River crossing was his last action
There is nothing sadder than coming across a headstone that denotes the last burial place of a young person. This was the case for...

Samantha Elley
Mar 122 min read


Little orphan engulfed in flames
At 11 years of age, Annie Murphy had already been dealt a cruel blow in life, finding herself living at St Aidan's Orphanage in the...

Samantha Elley
Feb 262 min read


Baking business brings in the dough
He left tens of thousands of pounds, after years of baking.

Samantha Elley
Feb 102 min read


Convict's wife runs inn on Bathurst road
It wasn't just convicts that were sent to the NSW penal colony.

Samantha Elley
Jan 272 min read


First gardener buried in oldest grave
If you wanted to find one of the oldest European graves in Australia, it would surely belong to Henry Edward Dodd.

Samantha Elley
Jan 132 min read


What ladder did they walk under?
Many of us have issues we have to deal with in life, but next time you are struggling, spare a thought for George Henry Tunsted and his fami

Samantha Elley
Dec 30, 20243 min read


POW son released a month after Denis dies
When Denis Ahern breathed his last and passed to the other side, he left not knowing where his son, William Vincent Ahern was. His last...

Samantha Elley
Dec 16, 20242 min read


Too much tragedy for one family
To lose one member of the family in an horrific accident is more than most people can bear.

Samantha Elley
Nov 25, 20242 min read


He didn't mean to kill her
Sylvia Holmes' body was found in the front bedroom of her tiny cottage, Cremorne Street, Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne on the evening of...

Samantha Elley
Nov 18, 20242 min read


95-year-old author publishes first historical fiction novel
When Graham Smith started writing ‘Red Earth Red Blood’, he was only a youngster in his 70s. Now at 95 years young, the Tuckurimba...

Samantha Elley
Nov 9, 20242 min read


Military cross award revealed through lonely headstone
Hugh Russel received a Military Cross for his bravery in the Great War

Samantha Elley
Nov 4, 20243 min read


Celebrating 100th birthday with a smoke and a drink
Living past 100 years was a rare feat in days gone by and even rarer for men.

Samantha Elley
Oct 14, 20242 min read
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