Three heads are better than ...

Standing on Middle Head. To the left is North Head. To the right is South Head. Straight ahead is the Pacific Ocean.

Sydney Sandstone - Seawalls

Approximately half of the natural foreshore of our harbour has been replaced by seawalls of one type or another. This seawall is directly in front of "The Star" casino in Pyrmont. Since 1788, Pyrmont has gone from bush, to cow "pasture", to rock quarries, to a blighted industrial landscape accompanied by a plethora of wharves and shipping facilities. This wharf has at least three layers: sandstone on the bottom, then concrete blocks, all topped with a couple of rounds of bricks. The fact that it is vertical causes its own problems with wash, and bio-diversity. To the best that I can determine, the lower level of sandstone was constructed after 1876, after the Sydney Council Health Committee toured the streets, and condemned a range of sub-standard housing which was continually being inundated by tidal flushes.

This is the seawall in Pyrmont Bay, which is part of Darling Harbour, which, in turn, is part of Port Jackson. Port Jackson includes North Harbour, Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, the Lane Cove River, and the Parramatta River. It has a perimeter which is 317 kms in length.

Sydney from on high (4)

This is looking north-east from the Sydney Tower observation deck. The obvious landmark is the harbour bridge, completed in 1932. At this point the water beneath the bridge changes name. On the eastern side (the right, in this image), the water is called Sydney Harbour or more officially, Port Jackson. On the western side (the left in this image), the water is called the Parramatta River. It is all a massive drowned valley. The high-rise buildings on the other side of the water are North Sydney, and the little bay in front of the high-risers, is Lavender Bay. From the bridge, one can make out the Warringah Expressway as it streams traffic away from the CBD and up to the "north shore" (curving left), or across to the northern beaches (curving right). It is pretty much houses as far as the eye can see. Sydney, Australia.