Thursday, September 17, 2026

History Highlights

Kingston on Norfolk Island: The Beautiful Fortress of a Feared Penal Colony

Far out in the South Pacific, midway between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, a small green island rises from the sea. On its southern shore, where gentle bays meet

Fort Taiaroa: The Vanishing Gun That Still Guards Otago Harbour

At the very tip of the Otago Peninsula, where the land narrows to a windswept headland above the entrance to Otago Harbour, sits one of the most remarkable survivals in

Fort Largs: The Fortress Whose Guns Outranged Its Rival

A little to the north of Semaphore, on the coast of the Lefevre Peninsula where the suburb of Taperoo meets the sea, stands a fortress that once represented the cutting

Fort Glanville: Australia’s Most Complete Colonial Fortress

On the sandhills of the Lefevre Peninsula, where the seaside suburb of Semaphore looks out across the Gulf St Vincent toward the open sea, stands the most complete colonial fortress

Ruapekapeka Pā: The Māori Fortress of Earth That Defied an Empire

Deep in the green hills of Northland, a short drive from the Bay of Islands, lies a grassy hilltop crossed by low ridges and hollows that most passersby would never