Gerard Mercator was born in Flanders ( now part of Belgium ) in 1512. It is unlikely that he ever travelled more than 100 kms from where he was born. Despite this, he devised a projection which resulted in maps of the then known world. The book of maps he produced was named ‘An Atlas ‘. He gave us the word. His map projection was still in use 400 years later! We spend so much time travelling to other places that we forget there is much to see and learn in our own surroundings. There is interest…
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As you travel down from Brooklyn to the rivers mouth at Cowan Water you will see ahead a high ridge of land. This is the Lambert Penninsula. Behind it to the east is a tied island, Barrenjoey. Both are N.ational Parks and provide stunning views of land and water. They are yet another example of Sydney’s gems. The lower Hawkesbury has nearly all pristine land and bush on either side. Again , a rare…
Brooklyn is on Sydney’s northern edge, but is totally different to the rest of the city.It is a small isolated settlement on the Hawkesbury River. Arriving by train is like stepping back 100 years. The Hawkesbury itself is somewhat ignored by Sydney residents, but it was described by a British traveller in 1873 as having scenery superior to that of the Rhine!! Brooklyn was featured on the original…
An historic goods railway corridor becomes a link between the Parramatta and Cooks River. If I had to choose only two words to describe The Greenway, then they would be “accessible” and “history”. It is only a bit under 6kms long and is beside the light rail, so any level of capacity can be accommodated. There are also some playgrounds along the way. You can walk the lot, walk there and back, or…
James Bloodworth, like James Smith, was an early arrival in Sydney Town. The similarity ends there, however, as Smith's time was not successful, but Bloodworth was a stunning success. In many ways, he was critical to the survival of the infant settlement. Born on 7-3-1759, he was convicted in October 1785 of the dreadful crime of stealing a game cock and two hens! He left England on the “…
At 47 years of age , James Smith paid his fare for a passage to Botany Bay with the First Fleet. The arrangement was made with Captain Sever of the Lady Penrhyn. The Captain did not consult with Captain Arthur Philip about the arrangement. Philip found out about Smith when the Fleet were all together in Cape Town. He was furious as it was outside the instructions he had been given. In the end…
Abused, Ignored and avoided were apt descriptions of the Cooks River over the years from 1788 to the mid 1970’s. It started as a Arcadian Wonderland, but industrial, chemical and plastic pollution, together with urbanisation, almost destroyed it. But the river won through and now has a delightful pathway following it for most of its course. A delightful spot to amble!
A passing mention of an engineer, Moriarty, on an historical plaque by the Moruya River, leads to some enquiries. These, oddly enough, result in learning that the sandstone circular dam that created Lake Parramatta, is of some distinction. It was the first arch dam built in Australia and was the 12th engineered dam built in the world since Roman times! The bonus was finding a delightful spot to…
It is apt that Martin Place, like the man after whom it is named, progressed from humble beginnings to pre-eminence. Such was the life of James Martin, who arrived in Sydney at the age of one with his Irish parents. Over the next 65 years, he rose to be Premier of NSW on three occasions and finally to be the Chief Justice of NSW. The motto he adopted gives an insight into his personality: "AUT…
On the 22nd of September,1918 the first direct radio message from England was received in Australia. Surprisingly, it was sent from a Transmitting Station in the NW of Wales to a radio station in a suburban house in Wahroonga , a suburb of Sydney. The message was to the people of Australia from the Prime Minister, W M Hughes.He spoke of his recent visit to the Western Front in France. Hughes,…
Despite the fabulous name , this is not about a Spike Milligan or Barry Humphreys character. There really was an Eccleston Frederick Du Faur. He left a wonderful legacy to his adopted city of Sydney. In his quiet methodical way he made his dreams come true and left Sydney a better place than found it. As if being one of the founders of the Art Gallery of NSW was not enough, he was the driving…
