Jim’s Australiana Spot – 2UE - August 28, 2011

  MEMORIES & SHIPWRECKS of PORT JACKSON

Some Sydney Harbour History

No doubt the most beautiful harbour in the world, Port Jackson was first sighted in 1770 by James Cook who remarked nonchalantly , "... there appears to be a good anchorage" and named it after the Judge Advocate of the Fleet. He did not enter the heads. 18 years later Arthur Phillip rejected Botany Bay as a settlement and entered the harbour, where he had "the satisfaction of finding the finest harbour in the world". The full area of Sydney Harbour extends over 5500 hectares, the deepest being 47 metres (between Dawes Point and Blues Point). Few natural harbours in the world can rival Port Jackson in size, protection in all weather, depth, and ease of access and navigation. Still there have been many tragic shipwrecks.

The Tahiti

The 'double-ended' ferry is an Aussie invention and before the bridge was built in 1932 the ferry traffic around the harbour was very heavy. The most tragic of modern-day accidents occurred on 3 November 1927 when the 7,000 ton liner ‘Tahiti’ sliced through one of Sydney’s famous ferries, killing at least forty people.

The Tahiti	The Kuttabul

The Kuttabul

In wartime, Sydney Harbour provided excellent protection but three Japanese mini-subs managed to enter and one sank the steamer ‘Kuttabul’ with the loss of 19 young lives. Most losses in the harbour have been as a result of collisions or fire, although six vessels have been lost on Sow and Pigs, one of the few navigation hazards within the harbour. Around ninety vessels have been lost within the harbour.

The Pleasure Ferry Rodney

On February 13, 1938, the Police Band was performing on Sydney Harbour, on the Police Launch, "Cambrai" to farewell the visiting Warship, the U.S.S. "Louisville". Hundreds of ferries and other craft were on the Harbour, including the month-old pleasure ferry, "Rodney", crowded with 150 people, waving goodbye to American sailors.

As the "Louisville" passed Bradleys Head, the "Rodney" went across the wake and, as it did, the passengers of the "Rodney" moved from one side to the other. Normally, this would not have been a problem, except that the majority of the "Rodney's" passengers were on the top deck of the ferry. This sudden shift in weight, tilted the ferry dangerously to starboard. It poised for a few seconds, then it overturned completely.

The "Cambrai", on the other side of the "Louisville" was hailed by an US officer and arrived on the scene in seconds. Eleven Bandsmen dived in and rescued many stricken passengers, whilst others remained on board, resuscitating and calming survivors. In all, nineteen passengers drowned but without the work of the Police Bandsmen, the number would have been higher. Band members were later awarded a special certificate by the Royal life-saving Society for their part in the rescue.

'The Bonny Port of Sydney' /'Sydneyside'
Henry Lawson

The lovely Port of Sydney Lies laughing to the sky, The bonny Port of Sydney,Where the ships of nations lie. You shall never see such beauty,Though you sail the wide world o’er, As the sunny Port of Sydney, As we see it from the Shore. The shades of night are falling On many ports of call, But the harbour lights of Sydney Are the grandest of them all; Such a city set in jewels Has ne’er been seen before As the harbour lights of Sydney As we see them from the Shore. Brighter shines the Star of Rovers on a world that’s growing wide, But I think I’d give a kingdom for a glimpse of Sydney-Side. Run of rocky shelves at sunrise, with their base on ocean’s bed; Homes of Coogee, homes of Bondi, and the lighthouse on South Head. For in loneliness and hardship—and with just a touch of pride— Has my heart been taught to whisper, ‘You belong to Sydney-Side.’ Oh, there never dawned a morning, in the long and lonely days, But I thought I saw the ferries streaming out across the bays— And as fresh and fair in fancy did the picture rise again As the sunrise flushed the city from Woollahra to Balmain: And the sunny water frothing round the liners black and red, And the coastal schooners working by the loom of Bradley’s Head; And the whistles and the sirens that re-echo far and wide— All the life and light and beauty that belong to Sydney-Side. Round the sea-world shine the beacons of a thousand ports o’ call, But the harbour-lights of Sydney are the grandest of them all! I must sail for gloomy London, Where there are no harbour lights, Where no sun is seen in winter, And there are no starry nights; And the bonny port of Sydney — I may never see it more, But I’ll always dream about it As we view it from North Shore.

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