Wireless House Project

Late last century there were numerous projects to provide public Internet access, though libraries and community groups. These are perhaps an echo of the Wireless House in Foley Park, Glebe, Syndey. This is a small building donated by Grace Bros to the Glebe Council in 1934, where people gathered to listen to the "wireless" radio. Artist Nigel Helyer is working on a sonic installation and website, as part of an oral history project on the Wireless House Project.

Historic home Open in Sydney

The contents of "The Abbey", Johnston Street, Annandale, Sydney are being auctioned this weekend. This is the collection of Dr Geoffrey Davis, physician. The rambling house is crammed with bookcases, chests, display cabinets and desks, with their original contents in place.

There is an interesting collection of musical instruments, a Broadwood grand piano and harp. There are rooms full of wax cylinder recordings, early disk records and Edison players. There are views of the Sydney Harbour brodge and the Sydney CBD including Centre point tower from the upper floors of the house. There is a garret with comfortable chair at the back. Unfortunately the toweris not open for inspection, as it has 260 degree views of inner west Sydney.

The auction for the contents is 23 and 24 May 2009, from 11am each day. There are thousands of items for sale. The Abbey is at 272 Johnston Street, Annandale 2038. There is a fully illustrated catalogue. Some items:

	22	Taxidermy of a parrot in glass domed case
	28	Set of three early toy cars
	34	Pair of model Train locomotive engines
	41	Leather cased Siemens 16mm movie camera with accessories
	58	Cased magnifying glass
	167	C19th Sebastian Erard Patent Harp
	168	John Broadwood & Sons London walnut cased parlour Grand Piano
	648	HMV Gramophone with built in speaker in cabinet
	649	The Walking Machine Co
	650	Oak veneered music cabinet with two doors and a fitted interior
	651	Edison Amberola in oak case serial no
	652	R Klitz and Son Boxed music saloon gramophone
	653	Edison Amberola player serial 633979
	654	Old phonograph housing including contents (records)
	655	Pair of amplfying horns
	656	Three speaker boxes
	657	Edison Amberola player in oak casing serial number 487748
	658	Three reference books on Edison
	659	Large Phillips Radio Player
	660	German projector in case plus a Siemans early amplifier
	661	Phillips gramophone
	662	Decca Portable phonograph
	663	Edison Disc phonograph C19-SM173603 in fitted oak cabinet with fretwork decoration
	664	Collection of four signed photographs of Opera stars
	665	Shelf lot of tins containing gramophone needles
	666	AWA Bakelite Radiola
	759	Edison Amberola Phonograph SN 3710 in cabinet
	760	Edison dictaphone type B
	761	Three various phonograph related metal signs plus a tin
	762	Box of Amberols in a leather case
	763	Eight drawers of Amberols including ballad, opera, comedic, jazz etc chest of drawers included in the lot
	764	Three shelves of books on Gramophones, opera and the record guide
	765	Cascade Mark II Bond & Sons gramophone player with external horn
	1085	Book press
	1335	External electrical lantern - ex-harbour bridge

Manning Clark House

This uninspiring set of stairs leads to the study of Professor Manning Clark, where he wrote books, including "A History of Australia":

Manning Clark House (MCH), designed by Robyn Boyd in 1952, is the house where Manning and Dymphna Clark lived and worked from 1953 until their deaths in 1991 and 2000 respectively.

The house is typical of the post-war Melbourne regional style and Boyd's Peninsula house design, with its low-pitched gable roof, widely projecting eaves and large areas of timber framed glazing.

From: The House, Manning Clark House Inc., 2002

The house, is is the Canberra suburb of Forrest, within sight of Parliament House. It is now a cultural and scholarly centre. On Saturday it was hosting Little Bridge Wine who put on jazz and wine tasting in the grounds, as part of the WiNE, RoSES & aLL ThAT JaZZ FeSTiVal by local Canberra wineries.

At first I felt a little uncomfortable wandering around what looked like someones home, but unlike your average historic house, this is one you can rent a room in.