Thud. Generations of readers have known the sound of the newspaper that has chronicled their lives hitting the front lawns of Sydney homes. First published as a four-page weekly, the Sydney Herald aimed to sell 600 copies. Success soon demanded daily publication and a new name. Now 195 years on, the print and digital publications of The Sydney Morning Herald reach millions of readers. Over those years, the Herald stood watch as Sydney grew from a colonial settlement into a global city. We reported the discovery of gold in 1851, the openings of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House , and massive tunnel boring machines now tearing through the city’s sandstone to make ways for vehicles and trains. Cranes joining the two halves of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 1, 1930. Construction began in July 1923 and the bridge was officially opened in March, 1932. Photo: Fairfax Archives Hive of activity: a traffic jam on the bridge in 1946.…