Next date: Friday, 18 September 2026 | 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM
Come along to hear Tim share the story behind the story…
Tim Sowden has always been drawn to a good story, especially about our local history and what keeps us connected. And the one he can’t stop chasing is buried under our own local streets in Thornleigh. Tim spent years digging into original records, old maps, and rare photographs to piece together the story of the almost-forgotten Thornleigh Zig Zag Railway: a freight line that operated for less than a decade in the late 1800s but played a vital role in building the Great Northern Railway linking Sydney and Newcastle.
The result is his book, Zig Zag Away: Thornleigh’s Little Railway With A Big Story, published by the Hornsby Shire Historical Society.
Tim is a former radio journalist on 2GB. A resident of Westleigh, Thornleigh and Pennant Hills over the years, he’s a storyteller drawn to the small, overlooked corners of local history - and the big stories they turn out to hold.
Hornsby Library, 28-44 George St, Hornsby, 2077, View Map
28-44 George St , Hornsby 2077
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