NSW : APRIL 14 - 29
'AMAZING STORIES: Innovation & Invention'…

From Aboriginal ingenuity through living on the land, to examples of resourceful 'make do' in hard times, to the creative use of heritage places in the 21st century – the 2012 National Trust Heritage Festival celebrates inspiration and innovation through Australia's heritage, past present and future.

The boomerang, the stump jump plough, the rotary clothes hoist and Victa mower are all icons of Australian invention.

Australians were the first to fly across the Pacific, we created the black box flight recorder and bravely built the extraordinary Sydney Opera House, while lesser known examples of ingenuity include trousers with permanent creases, the 'Ute', the automatic totaliser, multi focal contact lens and the first feature length film in 1906!

Throughout Australia you will find local inventions and firsts, such as the first inland city of light, in Tamworth NSW, the first town in Australia to light its streets by electricity in 1888.

The first metal mine in Australia opened at Glen Osmond, South Australia in 1841; the Courthouse at Berrima NSW, was the site of the first trial by jury and a myriad of inventive, innovative and ingenious items and ideas can be found in museums, households and public organisations across the country.

You are invited to join in the 2012 National Trust Heritage Festival, 'Amazing Stories: Innovation and Invention', to be celebrated across Australia for the first time as a nationwide theme adopted by all National Trust offices. Through talks, tours, exhibitions and events the National Trust invites you to explore our heritage of innovation and invention and develop a better understanding of the ingenuity and resourcefulness that shaped Australia.