Australia -- Sydney

Sydney has to be the most beautiful city in the world. From the Blue Mountains on the west to the Pacific Ocean on the east, its jutting coastline of high cliffs, a natural harbor, and innumerable bays and inlets provide incredible views of the marriage between land and sea. The sandy beaches and dozens of national and regional parks and recreation areas also give the city an open, airy, outdoor culture accessible to all. Then, of course, there is the iconic view of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge on the blue, blue waterfront full of commercial and private watercraft. 

This is a city of unbelievably magnificence. How is it possible that people can live in such a beautiful place? The answer appears to be that the city decides what it wants to be and how it will manage those things that can fulfill its desire. Sydney does it in spades as a world class multicultural city and the economic hub of the South Pacific. 

Sydney is Australia's largest city with over 5 million people living on a natural harbor that separates it into north and south with a connecting bridge. This city bustles with a young population (median age of 37), modern high-rises, busy streets, and thousands of small shops, restaurants, and cafés. It is a cosmopolitan city that has attracted people from all over the world for more than 200 years and today comprises an immigrant population of 43%.  

Although our group did not stay long enough in Sydney to get to know it more intimately, we did see some highlights that illustrate the city's importance and its move toward a new and exciting future despite the geographical fact that it is so far away from the rest of the world. 

 

Sydney Opera House

My favorite place in Sydney was the Opera House. Modern architecture is not my favorite style, but this building, I adored because I think it captures the essence of Sydney in both design and purpose. Here's a little history.

In 1947, the resident conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Goossens, persuaded the New South Wales government that it needed a musical facility for its symphony orchestra and opera and chamber music groups so that the city could become a world cultural capital. The government approved the project in 1954 and convened an advisory group, the Opera House Committee, to choose a site, which turned out to be Bennelong Point, a promontory on the south side of the harbor, the place where the Gadigal, the Aboriginal custodians of Tubowgule, lived. The point was named after Bennelong, one of the Aboriginals who served as a liaison between Australia’s first British settlers and the local population.

During the following year, the Committee set up an international competition for the best design. Architects from 30 countries submitted their proposals and in 1956, Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect who specialized in concrete structures, won with a dramatic design showing a complex of two main halls side by side facing out to the harbor on a podium. Each hall was topped with a row of sail-shaped interlocking panels that served as both roof and wall made of precast concrete. 

This beautiful marvel of modern expressionist architecture required engineering ingenuity, which was supplied by Arup, an international structural engineering firm. A series of large precast concrete "shells" form the distinctive "sails" of the building. Each one is composed of sections of a sphere that formed the roofs set on a monumental podium. To find out how, click here. The building covers 4.4 acres of land and is 600 feet long and 394 feet wide at its widest point. It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk as much as 82 feet below sea level. 

Unfortunately, the project became controversial and delayed its completion. Construction began in 1959 and involved 10,000 construction workers. It was expected to take four years but took 14 years. The original estimate for the building was projected at $7 million and ended up costing $102 million due to cost overruns and structural engineering difficulties in executing the innovative design. At one point, the public lost interest in and support of the project. Utzon resigned in 1966 and never saw the completed project. Nevertheless, construction continued until it was completed in September 1973 under the supervision of the structural engineering firm Ove Arup and Partners and three Sydney architects—Peter Hall, David Littlemore, and Lionel Todd.

The project created a unique community spirit and collaboration among the architects, engineers, and construction workers--apparently unusual on most projects. To illustrate one aspect of this spirit, Paul Robeson, a famous opera singer and long-time advocate for the working class, celebrated the workers at the opera house in 1960 when he climbed its scaffolding and sang "Ol' Man River" and "Joe Hill". Here is a clip of his performance.

 

 There is an obvious Danish feel to the building with white birch wood used in the paneling and auditorium seats, wooden archways, and furniture in the lobbies. There is also an intimacy present between the audience and the stage.

 

 

 

 

The tiles covering the roof and "sails" of the building are ceramic with properties that make them shine even more brilliantly in the sunlight. More than 1 million roof tiles cover approximately 174,375 square feet of roof. The tiles were made in Sweden and thousands of pieces are in reserve as replacement tiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a minor connection to the Opera House through my Uncle Marcel who went to Australia in the 1960s to manage construction and placement of the pink granite panels that were installed on the floors and walls throughout the building. It was exciting to see his work, and I definitely felt his presence there. It's not often that people are able to leave a physical legacy for the world, but he did it in stone in this magnificent building that is known throughout the world. 

One interesting design feature with these panels is on the outdoor balconies. There is a small gap between each of them so that water drips down into a catchment system in order to avoid puddles of water on the floors. Such architectural detail makes the building even more marvelous. It is genius!

 

 

 

 

The ferry boat transports people between the southern to the northern parts of the harbor with the city's Opal Card, usable on all public transportation. The ferry boat provides a good look at the Sydney Opera House from another angle, which I tried to take as a selfie.

 

 

 

 

More than 10.9 million people visit the Opera House every year and 2,500 events and performances take place on 7 performance spaces. In 2007, the Sydney Opera House was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Sydney Harbor Bridge (1932), one of the world’s largest steel-arch types with a span of 1,650 feet connects Sydney on the south shore with its northern suburbs. It was actually over-engineered in its time with a highway, four railroad tracks, and two pedestrian walkways. However, the vision of the builders has benefited 21st century traffic and an extraordinary view of the harbor for citizens and visitors. You can climb the bridge and walk over it for a fee and on it for free.

                            

 

The Rocks

On the north shore of the harbor is The Rocks, Sydney's historical district where the Europeans first settled in 1788. It evolved from a rowdy, raucous settlement of convicts, soldiers, sailors and street gangs into a thriving, modern precinct. Today, The Rocks is a popular place to visit with a range of accommodations, attractions, funky bars and restaurants, and Australia’s oldest pubs.

St. Mary's Cathedral

 The Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney. The church was built 200 years ago and destroyed by fire in the late 1800s. The spires were added in 2000 in time to celebrate the Summer Olympic Games that were held in Sydney.

Cardinal George Pell served as the 8th Archbishop of Sydney 2001–2014. He had previously been the seventh Archbishop of Melbourne (1996–2001) and an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne (1987–1996). He was also an author, columnist and public speaker. From 1996, Pell maintained a high public profile on a wide range of issues, while retaining an adherence to Catholic orthodoxy. Unfortunately, his long career with the Church was marred when he was the most senior Catholic official to be convicted of child sex abuse in February 2019. This ruling was overturned in 2020. He died at 81 in Rome on January 10 while we were on tour in Australia. 

 

Hyde Park

Before the time of European settlement in 1788, local Aborigines hunted ducks in the swampy marshes that were to become Hyde Park. Until the 1820s, Hyde Park was also the site of an important Aboriginal ceremonial contest ground. The European settlers held horse races and cricket matches on these grounds. Since 1920, the area has played host to 580 big trees (figs, conifers, palms) and well-manicured lawns. It is famed for its magnificent fig tree lined avenues. The 40-acre urban park is located in the Central Business District.  

 

 Mrs. Macquarie's Chair

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair is a Sydney landmark on the south side of the Harbor. Convicts provided the free labor to carve it out of a sandstone rock ledge in 1810. Specially commissioned by Governor Macquarie for his wife, Elizabeth, who was known to love this area, it has one of the best vantage points to view the sights of Sydney Harbor. Word also has it that she used to sit on this rock ledge and dream about returning to England.

(left) Mary and Jim in a close-up on the chair.

 

 

 

 

Royal Australian Navy -- Fleet Base East

Since European settlement, Port Jackson with its vast and well protected natural harbor, has served as a major naval base for British and Australian maritime forces. The Royal Australian Navy built its main naval base in Sydney in 1911 so that it could coordinate its presence in both the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. The base operated there until the 1970s, but it now operates its Fleet Base East there. Its dry dock is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kings Cross

In its heyday Kings Cross, which is near the naval base, was known as a party town, red light district, and provider of "sly grog" (illegal alcohol). Twenty years ago it became a tourist destination for "backpackers" (teenagers and 20-something travelers). 

 On New Year's Eve 2013, there were many fights in the district that ended in injury and even death. The city tried to control the area with strict lock-down hours: after 1:30 a.m. no one could leave or enter the district. At 3 a.m. the last drinks had to be served. Although there were fewer people and less violence, the lock-down didn't fix the problem, so in March 2020, the city ended them. Many DJs had lost their income and many pubs had closed. And, to put salt into the wound, the casinos were not included in this harsh law.

Today, the area has changed again. It is a tourist center and it provides social housing, health care, and convenient public transport around the city. It also has a center with medically-supervised injection rooms for heroin users and public toilets with needle disposal containers. The point is to keep people from sharing needles and over-dosing. Although controversial, the policy, has resulted in a 50% decrease of needle-sharing and over-doses. 

 

Bondi Beach 

Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of a surrounding suburb in Sydney. It is located 4 miles east of the Sydney central business district.

Bondi," originally "Boondi" is an Aboriginal word meaning "surf" or "noise made by sea waves breaking on the beach". 

In the 20th century, immigrants from New Zealand and Eastern Europe settled in this area. Jewish immigration continued into the 21st century and helped to grow the multicultural suburb that was formerly working class and now is an upper/middle class enclave.

Another interesting thing about Bondi Beach is its quest to fight indecency in beach attire. Beginning in 1907, people organized to oppose imposed standards of dress. Again in 1935, the local government wrote public decency codes that tried to outlaw two-piece bathing suits and subsequently the bikini, which became popular after World War II. There were actually inspectors who measured the dimensions of women's suits. This effort was replaced in 1961 for a more relaxed code that required bathers to be "clad in a proper and adequate bathing costume". By the 1980s an anything-goes attitude opened the way for topless bathing suits, which are worn especially at the southern end of the beach.

Watson's Bay -- and Doyle's Fish and Chips

Fish and chips is a favorite in Sydney, so during our city bus tour, we stopped at Doyle's for a picnic lunch under some beautiful shade trees. Our guide told us that we couldn't have an Australian experience without fish and chips. We only had to guard our lunch boxes from the birds that were all too eager to swipe a tasty morsel even from our hand.

The Gap

 

 The Gap is a picturesque ocean cliff in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney that faces the Tasman Sea. It was the early explorers' entrance into what would be eventually be named Sydney Harbor. Later on it served as a lookout point for enemy ships.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the beautiful cliffs that grace The Gap are also infamous as the jumping point for people wanting to commit suicide. Barriers and cameras have been set up to watch for and hopefully  prevent such occurrences from happening. Before the advent of this technology, Don Ritchie, a retired insurance salesman and World War II Navy seaman who lived in one of the houses overlooking the cliffs, realized that he could save lives by just talking to these troubled people. He usually approached a person on the brink of jumping with a conversation opener: "How can I help you in some way?" He rescued at least 180 people from committing suicide over a 45-year period, although his family contends that the number is more likely 500. As a result, he received several awards including the Medal of the Order of Australia, Citizens of the Year 2010 (with his wife), and Local Hero Award in 2011. 

Nicknamed "The Angel of the Gap", Ritchie is also honored in a small park overlooking the cliffs with this memorial of his service to others. The inscription on the monument reads:  

"Always remember the power of the simple smile, a helping hand, a listening ear, and a kind word."   - Don Ritchie (9. 06. 1926 - 13 .05. 2012)

 

Spice Alley

Our first evening in Sydney put us in Spice Alley for dinner. It turned out to be a melange of food, people, sights, and sounds all in a crowded space. Several booths offered à la carte-style appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and drinks, however, it was an overload of extreme proportions that made choices difficult. Navigating around people to find food was akin to getting around a farmer's market on a Saturday morning. As difficult as all of this was to manage, it was an experience not to be missed. Hosts and hostesses were efficient, thorough, and helpful. Patrons were patient and tolerant of confusion. And the food was excellent. Our guide had arranged for us to sit at a private table in an upper room where we could enjoy our meal with conversation away from the din of the street. Click here for a video of Spice Alley on its website--at one of its calm moments.

Reconciliation, Multiculturalism, and Internationalism

With a city comprised of 43% immigrants and a 1% population of Aborigines, Sydney has had to deal with multicultural issues. The following are statements by the City of Sydney regarding its diverse communities. They illustrate the openness and progressive nature of Sydney.

We value First Nations people, and the Gadigal of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of Sydney. The vision for reconciliation is a city that values the living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, embraces the truthful reflection of the histories and experiences of First Nations peoples, and is dedicated to equity, opportunity and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In taking action, we strive to reflect the needs and aspirations of Sydney's First Nations communities and recognise their impact and contribution. We’ll listen to and elevate the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. By acknowledging our shared past, we lay the groundwork for a future which embraces all Australians based on mutual respect and shared responsibility for our land.

Sydney is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in NSW and Australia. Almost 50% of its residents were born overseas, and 36.7% of people speak a language other than English at home. Most commonly spoken languages include Mandarin, Thai, Cantonese, Indonesian and Spanish.

International students also make up a significant part of Sydney's communities and they contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of the City. As of September 2020, there were 145,000 international students in NSW and 53,000 outside Australia studying online through educational providers in NSW. Sydney is home to 80% of international students in NSW. 

LGBTQ

Sydney is a leader in LGBTQ openness.  One big event is Mardi Gras where these communities hold a huge demonstration on Oxford Street, the "beating heart of Sydney's gay nightclub scene", which is located in the city's historic district. Australia legalized gay marriage on December 7, 2017.

Research indicates that cities tolerant of gays reap the rewards of attracting talented people (straight and gay) who strengthen economic development in the community. Sydney is a city on the move!

 A Brief History of Sydney's Origins

Captain James Cook was the first white European to land in Australia. He later claimed the eastern coast for England. Famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia in particular, the explorer, navigator, and cartographer drew the first maps of Australia and New Zealand.

He left England on August 26, 1768, and headed west through Cape Horn and across the Pacific to Australia in search for Terra Australis, a hypothetical continent first posited in antiquity. It appeared on maps between the 15th and 18th centuries even though its existence was not based on any survey or direct observation, but rather on the idea that continental land in the Northern Hemisphere should be balanced by land in the Southern Hemisphere. (This theory of balancing land has been documented as early as the 5th century on maps by Macrobius, who uses the term Australis on his maps.)

Cook landed in Botany Bay on the HMS Endeavour in 1770. The site is near the Sydney International Airport and 8 miles south of the CBD. 

Although there is controversy over Cook's role as an enabler of British colonialism and the violence associated in his contacts with indigenous peoples, he left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge that influenced his successors well into the 20th century, Numerous memorials worldwide have been dedicated to him.

 Bennelong Point

Bennelong Point is the site of the Opera House, which was the first British settlement on January 26, 1788--a day that changed everything for the native people who lived on the continent. It is named after the first Aboriginal man who spoke English; he lived there in the 1790s. Bennelong was one of three men selected by the British who were kidnapped and taught English in order to foster communication with the Aborigines. Not a good start for these strange, white visitors nonetheless. One of the men died and the other escaped the clutches of his "teachers". The third, Bennelong, remained and lived on the point. He eventually was invited to go to England with Captain Arthur Phillips. 

The Brits who arrived on the ship were illiterate and astonished at the sight of dark people. However, they noted the people's hunting skills as well as all the strange plants and trees. It was difficult for these Europeans to survive because they were totally out of their element, but when a second ship arrived filled with familiar supplies, they found it a little easier to cope.

Bennelong Point was originally called Cattle Point. The British brought dairy cows with them and kept them there. Unfortunately, at low tide the cows all walked away. On the second ship, the settlers brought more cows, and they were properly penned. 

Australia became a penal colony for England starting in 1788 since they were no longer able to send them to the American colonies. The convicts were guilty of petty crimes and pretty much built Sydney as free labor, including the old sandstone train station on Pitt Street (part of the Central Business District). They also built the old industrial area and named many of the streets with British names. After they paid for their crimes, most stayed in Australia and became business owners and prominent citizens.

Penal transportation to Australia peaked in the 1830s and dropped off significantly in the following decade, as protests against the convict system intensified throughout the colonies. In 1868, England ceased sending convicts. About 162,000 convicts from England and Ireland had been transported to Australia. Approximately one out of seven convicts were women, while political prisoners comprised many of the best-known convicts.  

Sydney has a rich and colorful past, an exciting and vibrant present, and a hopeful and visionary future as it tries to confront the demands of the 21st century: its past  exploitation of the Aboriginal people, cultural diversity, immigration, climate change, and economic inflation. It is obvious that Sydney is a city on the move, and it would be a good place to live. 

 

 Resources

https://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/city-centre/attractions/mrs-macquaries-chair-sydney

https://www.navy.gov.au/establishments/fleet-base-east

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convicts_in_Australia

https://www.britannica.com/place/Port-Jackson

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/our-story/sydney-opera-house-facts.html

https://www.britannica.com/place/Sydney-New-South-Wales/People

https://architectuul.com/architecture/sydney-opera-house

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sydney-Opera-House

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/our-story/the-spherical-solution.html 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Ritchie

https://int.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/the-rocks 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondi_Beach

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sydney-Harbour-Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_Sydney

https://www.weekendnotes.com/kings-cross-in-the-1960s/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_Cross,_New_South_Wales

https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/people-communities/diversity-inclusion