Sydney Cove
Returning to Australia and not residing in my home state, I felt like a tourist
in my own country. Being Australian does not mean I know all about Australia; take for example the area known as Sydney Cove in New South Wales.
What did Captain Cook see? A green forested backwater. Imagine his shock if he was able to see today’s images of the Australian shoreline with its 21st century skyline. The First Fleet chose Sydney Cove for the colony’s birthplace, thus began an exciting saga in a foreign land.
The convicts were sent ashore onto the rocks to build crude structures for shelter; this area “the Rocks” is now described as “Sydney’s outdoor museum” with the biggest concentration of historic buildings in Sydney.
Sandstone buildings echo history with the oldest dwelling , Cadman’s Cottage is dated at 1816. Today, restaurants, art galleries, museums, terrace houses and pubs dot “the Rocks”. Legends, ghost stories even an archaeological dig add to the mystique. The Hero of Waterloo Hotel has a tunnel where drunken sailors were kidnapped to nearby wharves, giving a new meaning to “last drinks”.
During storms water gushed down the uneven narrow cobble stone lane known as “Suez Canal”. Gang controlled Villains with murderous intentions waited in dark hidey-holes for the drunken or unsuspecting passer by; even water rats are part of “the Rocks” history due to an outbreak of bubonic plague.
Next-door to the “the Rocks” is the Harbour Bridge colloquially referred to as the Coat Hanger because of its striking arch-based design. Design of the day called for an all steel structure fabricated in England, shipped to Sydney then riveted together like a Meccano set. The bridge has its own chequered history: when the Premier of NSW was about to open the bridge in 1932, a man in military uniform rode forward on horseback and slashed the ribbon with a sword, declaring the bridge to be open "in the name of His Majesty the King and the decent and respectable citizens of New South Wales". He was promptly arrested. The ribbon was hurriedly retied and Lang performed the official opening ceremony. For its 75th anniversary, 250,000 people walked over the bridge. For the adventurous you can climb the arches and enjoy views far and wide; not for the faint hearted!!
Sydney Cove was chosen for settlement because it had ‘the finest spring of water’. When the supply was threatened convicts were ordered to dig holding tanks in the hope of maintaining a water supply. This proved to be unsustainable and the Tank Stream was progressively covered and is now a storm water channel lost among a maze of tall buildings. A remarkable thought when you walk up Tank Stream Lane and think about a trickle lost to progress, out of sight and out of mind.
“Concrete frame and precast concrete ribbed roof” is not quite the description you expect for the Opera House. One of the world’s most recognizable buildings and an Australian icon, it has been nominated in the election to determine the New Seven Wonders of the World. Performances grand and intimate in theatres and concert halls ricochet in the sails. Light, like musical melodies resonates throughout the startling wondrous shapes. Morning, noon and dusk’s hues are like the arc of a rainbow falling on the tiles, their dappled palette shimmering in the aqua of Sydney Harbour.
No longer quiet, Sydney harbour bustles with container ships, oil tankers, cruise liners, ferry boats and pleasure crafts of many designs and nationalities, all jostling for position and timetables, embarkation and destination for their treasures and passengers. Architectures new and old are neighbours, residential and government sharing the same splendid foreshore. History is etched by brass discs in the footpath showing the original shoreline from 1788 and mirrored in glass filled skyscrapers reflecting the Governor’s residence and motifs from the past. Australia’s original inhabitants, Aboriginals share their “Dreamtime” stories with tourists at the Quay, all part of the rich tapestry of life in Sydney Cove.
I joined a group of foreign tourists for a harbour cruise and like them marvelled at the wonders of this location which shares the title of “Most Beautiful Harbours of the World” with Rio de Janeiro, Capetown, San Francisco and Vancouver. Delighting in the Bridge, Opera House and “the Rocks”, contemplating on all the history and adventures past and present in the small space called Sydney Cove, I felt privileged to be an Australian.
in my own country. Being Australian does not mean I know all about Australia; take for example the area known as Sydney Cove in New South Wales.
What did Captain Cook see? A green forested backwater. Imagine his shock if he was able to see today’s images of the Australian shoreline with its 21st century skyline. The First Fleet chose Sydney Cove for the colony’s birthplace, thus began an exciting saga in a foreign land.
The convicts were sent ashore onto the rocks to build crude structures for shelter; this area “the Rocks” is now described as “Sydney’s outdoor museum” with the biggest concentration of historic buildings in Sydney.
Sandstone buildings echo history with the oldest dwelling , Cadman’s Cottage is dated at 1816. Today, restaurants, art galleries, museums, terrace houses and pubs dot “the Rocks”. Legends, ghost stories even an archaeological dig add to the mystique. The Hero of Waterloo Hotel has a tunnel where drunken sailors were kidnapped to nearby wharves, giving a new meaning to “last drinks”.
During storms water gushed down the uneven narrow cobble stone lane known as “Suez Canal”. Gang controlled Villains with murderous intentions waited in dark hidey-holes for the drunken or unsuspecting passer by; even water rats are part of “the Rocks” history due to an outbreak of bubonic plague.
Next-door to the “the Rocks” is the Harbour Bridge colloquially referred to as the Coat Hanger because of its striking arch-based design. Design of the day called for an all steel structure fabricated in England, shipped to Sydney then riveted together like a Meccano set. The bridge has its own chequered history: when the Premier of NSW was about to open the bridge in 1932, a man in military uniform rode forward on horseback and slashed the ribbon with a sword, declaring the bridge to be open "in the name of His Majesty the King and the decent and respectable citizens of New South Wales". He was promptly arrested. The ribbon was hurriedly retied and Lang performed the official opening ceremony. For its 75th anniversary, 250,000 people walked over the bridge. For the adventurous you can climb the arches and enjoy views far and wide; not for the faint hearted!!
Sydney Cove was chosen for settlement because it had ‘the finest spring of water’. When the supply was threatened convicts were ordered to dig holding tanks in the hope of maintaining a water supply. This proved to be unsustainable and the Tank Stream was progressively covered and is now a storm water channel lost among a maze of tall buildings. A remarkable thought when you walk up Tank Stream Lane and think about a trickle lost to progress, out of sight and out of mind.
“Concrete frame and precast concrete ribbed roof” is not quite the description you expect for the Opera House. One of the world’s most recognizable buildings and an Australian icon, it has been nominated in the election to determine the New Seven Wonders of the World. Performances grand and intimate in theatres and concert halls ricochet in the sails. Light, like musical melodies resonates throughout the startling wondrous shapes. Morning, noon and dusk’s hues are like the arc of a rainbow falling on the tiles, their dappled palette shimmering in the aqua of Sydney Harbour.
No longer quiet, Sydney harbour bustles with container ships, oil tankers, cruise liners, ferry boats and pleasure crafts of many designs and nationalities, all jostling for position and timetables, embarkation and destination for their treasures and passengers. Architectures new and old are neighbours, residential and government sharing the same splendid foreshore. History is etched by brass discs in the footpath showing the original shoreline from 1788 and mirrored in glass filled skyscrapers reflecting the Governor’s residence and motifs from the past. Australia’s original inhabitants, Aboriginals share their “Dreamtime” stories with tourists at the Quay, all part of the rich tapestry of life in Sydney Cove.
I joined a group of foreign tourists for a harbour cruise and like them marvelled at the wonders of this location which shares the title of “Most Beautiful Harbours of the World” with Rio de Janeiro, Capetown, San Francisco and Vancouver. Delighting in the Bridge, Opera House and “the Rocks”, contemplating on all the history and adventures past and present in the small space called Sydney Cove, I felt privileged to be an Australian.
Labels: travel
posted by PC and JT at 4:03 pm
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