Australia is the land of big things.
Wollongong Library came across a series of photos of people with large vegetables and thought that would be a great jumping-off point for an exhibition. They’re very funny photos. There are people looking very serious holding enormous onions and carrots and things, for agricultural shows.
There are more than 40,000 images on the library’s public catalogue, including lots of large things.
The exhibition also includes images of more serious side of the region’s history; images of large protests by coal miners, and another one against the Vietnam War, feature. So do images of large landslides, floods and bushfires and large things that are no more, like the Port Kembla smokestack, and newer ones like the Sea Cliff Bridge.
Biggest is best
Why do big black cannons sit pointing seaward on the lawn near Wollongong Lighthouse? Answer: Fear of attack by the Russians, whipped up in the 1850s by the outbreak of the Crimean War. In response, two 64-pound cannons were sent by military authorities to guard Wollongong port.
However, by the 1870s two cannons did not seem enough. With agitation for stronger defences growing, three more 68-pound cannons were shipped to join the existing guns on Flagstaff Hill.
Still not enough. By 1892-93 construction of the Smith's Hill Battery had commenced. It consisted of two 80-pound cannons, and a 1.5-inch Nordenfelt quick firing gun. Restored in 1988, this fort sits in Battery Park at Cliff Road, North Wollongong.
When World War Two broke out, the threat to the steel works was real and so the biggest guns of all were installed at Fort Drummond. Situated near the WIN television studios at Coniston, when tested they left a trail of shattered windows around the area. Never fired again the guns were removed in 1962 and the fort went on to become a mushroom farm.
An image of this gun forms part of Wollongong City Libraries' Living Large exhibition.
Living Large can be viewed in person at the Wollongong City Library until 23 August or online at Living Large – Wollongong City Libraries’ Illawarra Stories. For a bit of fun, try one of the online Living Large jigsaw puzzles.