Tuesday 7 April 2009

The value of the heel pivot


Early one Saturday morning looking East from Darling Island to towering clouds behind the CBD, then a quick pivot to the west to the newly developed Pymont Park. Darling Island was "given" to Thomas Jones in 1795 who soon after was hung for murdering a missionary and the rocky outcrop fell into the hands of Lieutenant John MacArthur who with his wife Elizabeth were instrumental in the development of the Australian wool industry. After McArthur's death in 1834 the island was joined to the mainland and began its pivotal role in the history of wharves and shipping in Sydney. It is now gentrified.

11 comments:

Lowell said...

Glorious pictures. The clouds are magnificent!

Julie said...

They were tremendous to watch, Jacob. They were onshore (about 6kms from the coast) and continued to burble up and up and up ... and not a drop of rain eventuated. By 11am the clouds had dispersed.

brattcat said...

Astonishing, Julie. The cloud formations and skyline play tricks with the eye.

Ann said...

Very dramatic, wonderful light in both shots.

Jim said...

Great overcast shots of the skyline. Pyrmont Park shots are interesting too. It's all new to me.

stromsjo said...

Lots of drama in this kind of sky, that's for sure.

Joan Elizabeth said...

It's hard to believe they were taken on the same day, one shot looks so threatening and the other benign.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

excellent photos. I loved my time in Sydney and hope to go back. I am really glad you enjoyed the Crazy 88 butterfly! It truly was real and free in the wild.

Chuckeroon said...

The Merino sheep who make up the essential stock of the Aust. wool industry were, as you certainly know, bred and developed by George II in his "paddock" at Kew (which is now a rugby ground) beside Kew Gardens. The scruffy ditch between it and the road into Richmond is in fact the remains of the Ha-Ha that kept the sheep in.

So: it is indeed worth while "turning the heel" just now and then. (We're getting fine cloudscapes here, too. It's that "turn of the season" weather - oh, another turn of the heel, so to speak. Natter, natter ;-)

Julie said...

You sent me off to read about the Merino, 'Roon. According to Wiki, the history of the breed is a little different from what you sketch. That history credits Spain with creating the original breed which was heavily modified by subseqent flocks in both Germany and France as the 18th century progressed. When our First Fleet sheltered in Portugal in 1787, Joseph Banks purchased a few specimens for Australia and sent a few back to England to form the Kew flock for George III. From that reading, it would appear that all MacArthur did was jump on the bandwagon.

Thanks for that prompt. I enjoyed putting a few myth to rest ...

Unknown said...

These two shots are amazing! Great work, julie!