towns

The shoe shop on the very left - Musson's - belonged to my Great Grandfather. Some of the family can be seen in the upper window.

This would most likely have been around March 1918 when the Germans launched Operation Micheal it took our army by surprise, although not the canny French up around Arras, who thought it had been too quite it was a rout, the German army brought in fresh new troops, aircraft and munitions and equipment and destroyed everything in their path

Having no luck finding this in google maps streetview - anybody? See also - antiqueprintmaproom.com/product/clarke-street-tambaroora-...

beachcomber australia Beyer's cottage on right in Clarke St - flic.kr/p/pfji68 If this image is looking South then Northey's Store would be somewhere on the left but it wasn't built until 1873. flic.kr/p/2gLCfv9 Otherwise the two storey brick building over on the right of the photo could be Hosies Store under construction, but that would put it on the wrong side, although the upper windows do seem to match, it is also 1873. flic.kr/p/caaiPC Clarke St slopes South downhill from the Royal Hotel. flic.kr/p/7cuygG

Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies Thanks for all that information; I have only ever been to Hill End via Mr Merlin and Google streetview which works well for me, except I cannot read the little plaques with old photographs on them. I think this view is about here (looking SW from near Beyer's Cottage, due to the lie of the land, the shadows, and the hill/ridge behind - goo.gl/maps/NzjYpeUd9Yii6koa8 The two-storey building under construction had a hipped roof and two chimneys, seen in the slightly later illustration (linked in my first comment above). This illustration appeared in the 'Illustrated Australian News' in July 1872, so this A&APC photo must be months earlier. I don't think the two-storey building is still there. Someone will know everything! Ref. - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60447535?searchTerm=Cl... Also (very slightly earlier) - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63618667?searchTerm=Cl... (includes an interesting contemporary description)

beachcomber australia Thanks for the further details and links, now I'm thinking the photo could taken just in front of Beyer's cottage looking north showing Hosies Store in the correct position with the six narrow french door openings on the upper floor and the hipped roof and chimneys, compere with the flickr link in my earlier post - www.google.com/maps/@-33.0338438,149.4150674,3a,75y,60.76... And a close look above shows what may be Short St off to the right. I've an idea that Hosies was extended at a later date producing the distinctive bend in the side wall and the extra chimneys at the rear - flic.kr/p/caaiPC The street levels have probably changed a fair bit too since then. I am a co-admin of the Hill End & District group on flickr (link on this page) and have been visiting and photographing the town since the 1980s, there is always something new to discover there and in the magnificent Holtermann plates. I have also spent some time in Haefliger's Cottage - www.hillendart.com.au/about/haefligers-cottage

Thanks for the comments - do you both think the call of looking North rather than South is a good one? If so I will see about getting the caption updated.