Annandale is a small inner city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. In 1901, the colony of New South Wales joined a federation of six states to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
Federation Annandale: A Short Walk is the second book in a series which explores today's Annandale, while delving into its past. This book concentrates on the Annandale of the first decade of the 20th Century, with a brief diversion to 1808. Annandale is part of land granted to George Johnston in the 1790s. On 26th January 1808, Johnston lead Australia's only military coup.
The book covers the opening of a state of manufacturing piano factory, introduction of electricity and incineration, sculptors, the Mayor and Mayoress of Annandale, who went on to become Sir and Lady Taylor, and Mary Mackillop's convent in Annandale.
Marghanita da Cruz has been gathering an anecdotal history of Annandale, at "Annandale on the Web" since 1998. In April 2012, Marghanita guided this short walk as part of the Annandale Heritage Festival.