Thom Blake Historian
Yes, a historian. But probably not quite what you think - working away in dusty old archives, a semi-recluse. It's not quite like that at all. What do historians do? Yes research and write history. But more than that.
This website has modest ambitions - a means of sharing some of the results of my research and projects. During the course of my work I have travelled extensively throughout Queensland - it is also about sharing some of the interesting, unusual and fascinating places I have visited. and
Find out what I can do - and examples of my work including historical research, heritage surveys, conservation management plans, heritage impact reports, assessments of significance of heritage places, heritage interpretation, curating museum exhibitions, archaeological projects.
The projects I have worked on have varied greatly over a decade. They have ranged from a heritage study of the Peel Island Lazaret, to histories of local communities and organisations to curating museum exhibitions.
My work has taken me to many parts of Queensland and I have often found unusual or fascinating places - windmills, World War II fortifications, unusual bridges, seaside houses, fences with a difference, homesteads. Have a look at some examples.
Toolbox for historians - hardware and software useful for the historian. Historians have access to a wide range of tools and resources to assist in research. This includes practical pieces of hardware such as a document scanner that reduces the never ending pile of paper.
Some useful calculators for historians and archaeologists. The historical value calculator was developed to provide a means of calculating the relative value of money in Australia from 1850 to present. There are other calculators that do this but not back to 1850.
There are plenty of calculators that convert single imperial units to metric. But what is missing is a tool to convert, for example x acres, y roods and z perches to the metric equivalent. Similarly length and weight.
Image gallery of projects and places of interest. The gallery includes homesteads (both intact and ruins, houses (modest and grand, botanic gardens, World War II fortifications. Several galleries are of overseas trips to China, Macau and Turkey.
Website about online resources specifically on Queensland history. Some are well known, but there are plenty of obscure sites with interesting material on Queensland.
A database, maps, and statistics of religious places in Queensland - both existing and demolished. An ongoing project with more than 5600 entries and 6100 images. The database includes all faiths/religions.
Books authored or co-authored and published.
This Pise house was erected in 1892 at Bedourie in far-west Queensland. It is a rare and uncommon example of a building built of rammed earth.
The ruins of Carcoory homestead are located 80 kilometres north of Birdsville in the far southwest of Queensland. The house was built in the mid 1880s and abandoned in 1902 during the great Federation drought. Carcoory run part of Sir Sydney Kidman's pastoral empire.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in the centre of Berlin was completed in 2005. It was built amidst much controversy and still today the questions are asked as to its appropriateness and effectiveness. Yet located in the very heart of Berling it cannot be avoided or go unnoticed. The starkness and extent of the concrete blocks is truly evocative.