Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Garden Island to Farm Cove
Sydney's vast harbour, also named
Port Jackson after a Secretary in the
British Admiralty who promptly
changed his name, is a drowned
river valley which was transformed
over millions of years. Its intricate
coastal geography of headlands and
secluded bays can sometimes confound even life-
long residents. This waterway was the lifeblood of
the early colony, with the maritime industry a vital
source of wealth and supply. The legacies of alter-
nate recessions and booms can be viewed along the
shoreline: a representative story in a nation where an
estimated 70 per cent of the population cling to the
coastal cities, especially along the eastern seaboard.
Waterlily in the Royal
Botanic Gardens
The city skyline
is a result of random
development. The 1960s indiscrimin-
ate destruction of architectural history
was halted, and towers now stand
amid Victorian buildings.
Two harbour beacons
,
known as “wedding cakes”
because of their three
tiers, are solar powered
and equipped with a
fail-safe back-up. There
are around 350 buoys
and beacons now in
operation.
Garden Island
marks a 1940s con-
struction project
with 12 ha (30
acres) reclaimed
from the harbour.
The barracks
for
the naval garrison
date from 1888.
Sailing on the harbour
is a pastime not
exclusively reserved for the rich and elite. Of
the several hundred thousand pleasure boats
registered, some are available for hire while
others take out groups of inexperienced sailors.
Mrs Macquaries Chair
is a carved rock seat by
Mrs Macquaries Road
(see p106)
. In the early
days of the colony, this was the site of a fruit and
vegetable garden which was farmed until 1805.
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