Day 54: Arriving In Sydney

This morning, we were fortunate to arrive in Sydney Harbour midway through a bright and sunny day. We spotted the cliffs of Manly from quite a distance away and stood on deck as we passed the Hornby Lighthouse, Bradleys Head, and Fort Dennison. We had a fabulous view of the Opera House on the port side and then passed under the Harbour Bridge on our way to White Bay. As sail-ins go, it was quite impressive.

So, as usual, we need a bit of history before we get to our activities. Sydney was named after Lord Sydney, the British Home Secretary, when Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet arrived in January 1788. Phillip described Sydney as "having the most perfect harbour in the world" in which "a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security." The First Fleet comprised 1,000 people, of whom 736 were convicts. The impetus for these activities was the loss of the American colonies, and Britain needed somewhere else to send their criminals!

Well before Captain Phillip founded Sydney as a British penal colony, or even 18 years earlier when James Cook charted the coast and landed at Botany Bay, the Aboriginal Australians lived here. For over 50,000 years, the Gadigal, Darug, Dharawal, and Eora clans inhabited the area. Before the Brits arrived, about 6,000 Aboriginal people lived in the Warrane (their name) area. The initial settlement struggled to grow or hunt enough food (trade and shipbuilding were banned to keep the convicts in place) and were saved when the Second Fleet arrived in 1790 and the Third Fleet in 1791. They provided more resources as well as more convicts.

A series of governors played leading roles in further developing the town and the harbor. Lachlan Macquarie (his name is everywhere!) was instrumental in creating a bank, a currency, a hospital, and much of the infrastructure. After the 1830s, the population increased dramatically from 900 free settlers to 29,000 in 1840 and 387,000 by 1891. It's now, as of 2023, about 5.3 million!

What did we do? We jumped in an Uber and traveled to the Rocks, one of the oldest parts of Sydney, dating back to 1788. From its creation, it had a bit of a reputation as a slum and was the arriving convicts side of town, frequented by prostitutes and sailors. Now, of course, it's tourist central and the site of some fine bars, shopping, and dining. We met my business partner Tom and his Mum Vicky. Had a few brews at the Fortune of War pub and then some amazing food at Le Foote - an upmarket restaurant. 

Tomorrow, Allison and I will explore Sydney in our own way. She is going shopping to pick up some clothes and shoes for our new Africa diversion. I'll be climbing the Sydney Bridge.