Mar 01 2009
A Mini-Holiday in Sydney - Circular Quay (Part 3)
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After crossing the road outside Starbucks, I walked through some trees and came upon a large round plaque commemorating the name change from Sydney Cove in 1808 to Circular Quay in 1988. It was amazing to think that the first fleet of settlers arrived somewhere near where I was standing in 1788.
On the edge of the plaque in the gold space is written an interesting quotation from Captain Arthur Phillip, the leader of the first fleet:
“We got into Port Jackson early in the afternoon and had the satisfaction of finding the finest harbour in the world, in which a 1,000 sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security.”
I could hear music with a lively beat so I went to investigate and saw two Aboriginal men in traditional dress with body painting - one was playing a didgeridoo and the other hitting together what looked like two pieces of flint. A third man (a non-Aboriginal Australian) was encouraging people to have their photos taken with the performers and to buy a CD of the music for A$10.
Copyright Notice: Please do not reproduce this image without permission
Two things came to mind while I was watching this performance. One was a blog post that I read recently, which reported that Mick Dodson, who has recently been voted Australian of the Year, stated that Australia Day alienates indigneous Australians as it commemorates the day on which the first fleet of British settlers arrived in Australia.
The other thing that came to mind was Captain Cook’s words about the native Eora people’s reaction to his crew when they first arrived in Australia: ‘All they seemed to want was for us to be gone.’
I turned back and walked along the western side of Circular Quay. I had never been on this side of the Quay before - I usually go to the ferry terminals in the centre of the Quay and to the eastern side of the Quay which leads to the Sydney Opera House.
I walked past the Museum of Contemporary Art and made a mental note to visit the museum another day. I didn’t take a photo but you can see a good photo here. I looked across the water to the Sydney Opera House and it was shimmering in the sunlight.
I thought that this was a good place to sit down, take out my packed lunch, and admire the view.
More interesting things in part 4!
