New Year's Eve at the Park

When I heard that 1.5 million people were making their way to Sydney Harbor starting early in the day to claim a spot in order to see the fireworks display in the evening, I opted to spend my day enjoying the Royal Botanic Garden and watch the fireworks on the tellie. I don't know, the thought of waiting in one spot all day and then being part of 1.5 million people pushing to get home after a 12 minute display just didn't sound like my kind of fun.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my day roaming the extensive grounds of the Royal Botanic Garden... to the point that I didn't want to go home! The location of this park reminded me a lot of Stanley Park, a preserved natural woodlands on a peninsula on Vancouver's harbor. With the Royal Botanic Garden boasting 30 ha (or 75 acres), with the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor bordering one side and the Central Business District on the other end of the park, seemed like the perfect place to see the major areas of Sydney from one vantage point.

On the way to the Gardens are some government buildings, like the Mint, State Library, Hospital and Government House.

Once you get into the park there is a statue dedicated to Capt Arthur Philip, the first governor of New South Wales in the late 18th century. I found this was one of many statues I would pass while experiencing the grounds.

I was amazed at the host of plant variety and incredible walkways leading visitors to the different areas of the Gardens.

The birds in the park knew how to put on a show for us and the views of the Harbor and Opera House weren't too shabby either =)

Nice to know I made it just in time (last day of 2016) to help celebrate the Royal Garden's 200th birthday. It was established in 1816 and, like the signs in the park read, "200 years and still growing!"

Only a few of the garden areas were closed during the day to prepare for the forecast crowds. It was interesting to see people streaming to the harbor early in the morning and ships of all sizes claiming a spot in the harbor to view the eventual fireworks spectacle.

So what did the fireworks look like that evening?  Click here to see the 12 minute version of the fireworks that I saw and heard from my hotel room.

Developing the Colony

I would estimate that more people know that Captain Cook, an English explorer, discovered the continent of Australia in 1770 than the number of people who know how the country was developed since those early days. For instance, did you know that Australia was originally an island of convicts, made up of those who were convicted of often petty-crimes from across the British Empire between the late 17-1800s?

Modern-day police protection did not exist in former-day England so they thought the answer was to execute hard-core criminals and banish others who had a propensity to disobey rules of society.

The Hyde Park Barracks was the landing place for male criminals and the central point of distribution throughout the region. This facility was also used to process female immigrants seeking work as domestic servants and those awaiting family reunion. One of the floors was also used as a female asylum from 1862 to 1886.

As detailed on a Hyde Park Barracks web site:

"The convicts who passed through the Barracks were transported for many different crimes, ranging from the most daring highway robbers and murderers to those born into extreme poverty, who committed petty crimes such as stealing food in order to stay alive. The vast majority of convicts were pickpockets, petty thieves, robbers and tricksters, but there were also political protesters and conspirators, machine breakers, notorious runaways, Greek pirates, rebellious Jamaican slaves, forgers, deserter soldiers, bank robbers, and murderers."

England needed a place to remove criminals from society because America, where they were sending criminals previously, was moving toward independence.

When Cook discovered Australia, their problem was solved. While England and Ireland made up 90% of the forced migrants, there were still 10% who came from other countries in the British Empire such as South Africa, Canada and Malaysia. In the end there were roughly 164,000 convicts who landed on the shores of Australia and it is said that 20% of modern-day Australians are descended from these transported convicts!

In essence, it was the labor of those serving time in Australia that built this colony. Convicts were either assigned to work for private employers or held at the Barracks if they had skills the colonial government needed. Many went out each day to work on government roads, docks, quarries or other building projects, while others came from around the colony to stand trial at what is known as the Barracks Bench.

Today's visitors to the Hyde Park Barracks are able to walk through the original building revealing rooms, staircases, fireplaces etc from early 1800s while original markings on walls continue to tell stories of what went on during the early years.

The museum did a great job not only displaying artifacts used in the Barracks (such as uniforms, meals and instruction manual) but also provided personal accounts of those who served here (like Lucy Hicks who processed arrivals) together with written accounts from inmates. It was sobering to look at the roster of inmates and the details of their crime. For instance, punishment for those who stole an animal was 'only' 7 years where it could be a life sentence for stealing cloth!

The Barracks was designed to hold up to 600 men but sometimes housed over 1300! Different floors held convicts of different stripes, with varying life stories and misdemeanors. Living conditions were obviously not the greatest with up to 70 men and boys sleeping in a single room. Supervision was tight with guards constantly watching (sometimes through peep holes) and regimenting convicts into the daily routine.

The top floor of the museum gave us a good idea of what it would have been like to be captive in this place when we encountered life-size silhouette images by a row of windows. I had to do a double-take to make sure these were not actual people standing by the windows to view life on the outside.

It is said that a good percentage of those who completed their time and released into society decided to stay in Australia because the country resembled that of their home country. Turns out that many of those released encouraged friends and family from their home country to join them even though passage to Australia was expensive.

People discovered, however, that the government would pay for passage when they were convicted of a crime and sentenced to this continent! As was the thought process, "Why not do a minor crime and get free passage to Australia?"

Eventually the numbers of those staying in the Barracks dwindled and, according to our guide, "the purpose of the barracks was fulfilled" by the time it closed in 1848.

Sydney's Hyde Park

Just outside my hotel in Sydney is an open area called Hyde Park. Apparently this acreage was reserved by Gov Phillip in 1792 for the then town of Sydney and named after the Hyde Park in London England.

I love learning the history of an area, no doubt in part to my education in Urban & Regional Design oh so many years ago. In my brief research, I learned this park was originally used for public sport and remained without grass or trees until 1854 when the Hyde Park Improvement Committee was established. The cricket ground was moved to another area of town and the park was formalized with paths and plants. Here's a picture taken of the park around the year 1900.

Hard to imagine this current groomed grassy and park-bench area was used once for gathering firewood and grazing animals. With the building of Sydney College (1832), nearby Lyons Terrace (1841) and the Australian Museum (1849-51), the southern end of Hyde Park attracted significant and imposing buildings which eventually increased its importance to become the planned open space it is today.

Civic monuments were also gradually added to the park which helped define its purpose. The first monument was the obelisk in 1857 facing Bathurst Street which actually doubles as a vent for an underground sewer.

Another statue erected in 1879, celebrates Captain James Cook who founded the east coast of Australia in 1770 and claimed it for Britain.

It was 1926 before reconstruction of the park formally began after the digging for subway lines -- specifically Museum and St James stops by my hotel. As the park began to take shape, another two major monuments were erected. At the northern end of the park, the Archibald Fountain was completed in 1932 intended to commemorate the association between Australia and France in World War I with a bronze Apollo surrounded by other mythical figures.

The Anzac Memorial with reflecting pool was then added in 1934 commemorating Australian soldiers who fought in World War I. This memorial also helps Australians remember the landing at Anzac Cover, or otherwise known as the landing at Gallipoli in the early 1900s. The Turks, together with other Central forces, gained victory over the Australian and Allied forces but not after 8700 Australians died in the attempt. An incredibly sad reminder of the travesties of war however you look at the results of the conflict.

Today visitors enjoy the near 600 mature trees and lawn areas that spread across this 40 acre park; a wonderful place by my hotel to relax and enjoy an escape from the city streets.