Lot Australian Gold
The history of Sydney Harbour stretches back 40,000 years or more. The area surrounding Port Jackson was home to many aboriginal tribes. Most evidence of early aboriginal settlement has been destroyed in the two hundred and twenty one years that Australia has been settled by Europeans but there are still hundreds of rock carvings in sandstone in several locations. If you want to have a look at some of these sites there are several aboriginal-themed Sydney Harbour cruises at your disposal. And they are staffed by Australian aboriginals.
One could argue that the first Sydney Harbour Cruise occurred on 20th January, 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip sailed three longboats from his flagship of the The First Fleet, Sirius, into the harbour from Botany Bay – which Captain James Cook had recommended as a safe anchorage for ships. The Endeavor had noted the entrance to Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) but for some reason had not entered. Quite an oversight on Cook’s behalf.
Captain John Hunter of the Sirius wrote:
“A large opening, or bay, about three leagues and a half to the northward of Cape Banks, was the first place we looked into: it had rather an unpromising appearance, on entering between the outer heads or capes that form its entrance, which are high, rugged, and perpendicular cliffs; but we had not gone far in, before we discovered a large branch extending to the southward; into this we went, and soon found ourselves perfectly land-locked, with a good depth of water.”
Those cliffs at the entrance to Sydney Harbour can still be seen today. The harbour could be a treacherous place for a sailing vessel to enter – especially with an off-shore westerly blowing. The old time sailing ships couldn’t beat to windward very efficiently – they tended to “crab” sideways a lot. The harbour entrance was even more dangerous when approached on a dark night. There was a lighthouse at South Head – Macquarie Light – its still there but it is some way from the heads.
There was a spectacular and sad wreck in 1857 when the sailing ship “Dunbar”, 81 days out of London, approached the entrance to Sydney Harbour from the south at night, in heavy rain and a strong gale. It is surmised that the ship’s captain, believing he had already passed South Head, turned the ship into the cliff-face. The ship was destroyed and all 121 passengers and crew were drowned except for one crewman who managed to climb part way up the cliff. The Dunbar had been built three years before, specifically for the Gold-Rush trade. It was one of the largest and fastest ships of its time. How tragic for the passengers and crew to have safely navigated half-way around the world and to be wrecked at the entrance to the port.
The site selected for the First Fleet’s anchorage at the head of the harbour had deep water close to the shore, was sheltered, and had a small stream flowing into it. Phillip named it Sydney Cove but it’s now known as Circular Quay and is a harbour ferry port. Superyachts also use it as an anchorage alongside a luxury hotel on the Western shore.
Nowadays you can take a variety of vessels for a Sydney harbour cruise – from small water taxis to a 125 foot superyacht. And you can get your charter boat to drop you off at Watson’s Bay to pay your respects to the early emigrants who drowned in the Dunbar wreck.
For more information on Sydney Harbour cruises please visit http://www.flagshipcruises.com.au
Malcolm Lambe is an Australian master mariner.
Josh Owens – Australian Cribs (OFFICIAL VIDEO)