The Rocks is a suburb of Sydney settled within weeks of the arrival of The First Fleet. It was named from the high sandstone escarpment that ran along the 'spine' of the western shore of Sydney Cove. Building was tough and rough, and therefore, the suburb was populated by the convicts, thieves and whores who were part of our first settlement. The soldiers and administrators lived along the eastern and southern shore of the cove.
In the late 1920s the geography of The Rocks was decimated (north-south) by bull-dozing required to swathe the approach to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In the mid 1950s The Rocks was once again sliced (east-west this time) by the construction of the Cahill Expressway extending the railway to the east of the city, and increasing the flow of vehicular traffic onto the bridge.
These murals are on stanchions of the Cahill Expressway as it crosses Harrington Street. They show scenes of The Rocks in its hey-day, prior to the general widening of roads and attempted gentrification of the area at the very beginning of the 20th century.
22 comments:
A really interesting mural. And what a lot of history!
Thanks for the photo treat.
Looking forward to my stay in Sydney in March.
Fascinating, Julie. Many of us in "the other colonies" are intrigued by Australia's unique beginnings.
K
Your shots turned out well. I've tried photographing these without much success.
They are tough, indeed, Jim. It is so dark, and so narrow, and there are always always cars! but I am chuffed, and a bit of post-tweaking never goes astray!
wow I'd never see a mural to match that; great photo opportunties
The murals are a charming way to pay homage to a past that exists no more...and your photos pay homage to the murals!!
I like those - haven't seen them.
I love this part of Sydney, especially wandering around the back lanes. Have you ever done the Rocks Walking Tour? It was fun and with lots of information. Great pics.
Ann: They are engrossing. It took me over an hour to move 150m. There are information panels and the original photograph the mural is based upon.
AL: Yes, I did The Rocks Walking Tour during Harmony Week a couple of years ago. Every so often, I retrace my steps and discover even more.
Excellent photos of excellent murals. Keep on clicking.
Yes, very well taken and they are real works of art.
I have not seen these murals - worth a look one day.
Seeing your photos really makes me want to come back to Sydney for another look at everything!
Thanks for a glimpse of your world...I doubt I will ever make it to Australia, but I get to see some of it through the photos. Awesome post today! Happy Monday!
Those are great murals, beautiful made and an interesting story.
The Rocks Walking Tour sounds like it would have been interesting Julie. Great captures. Amazing that you have been able to get such great photos across the freeway.
My fave is that last view, but how wonderful to have a little history and some surrounding images.
It's pleasing to know that after all the slicing and dicing of the landscape over the years, the mural preserves some of its history. And you're photography is helping to preserve the mural. Thank you for your contribution to Monday Mural.
A fabulous way to keep history alive!
Great post Julie, with some excellent photos!
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