Anyone who is keen on Newcastle’s history owes a great debt of gratitude to Ralph Snowball.

End of Dyke, Newcastle, NSW, 19 July 1900

Thousands of his glass negatives have been preserved and digitised by the University of Newcastle Archives and Cultural Collections and browsing through them on Flickr is bound to lead to hours disappearing down this fantastic historical rabbit-hole.

Photo: Ralph Snowball collection held by the University of Newcastle