Recently I published this photo on Sydney Daily Photo, wondering what the little sandstone building is. Fellow Sydney blogger, Julie, took up the challenge and has been doing some sleuthing. See her post here. It was taken at Ives Steps Wharf at Dawes Point, just on the western side of the Harbour Bridge.
It may have formed part of a fort, built under Governor Macquarie's instructions to fend off prospective invading French or Russians (Napoleon remained interested in Sydney after his Man At Sea, La Perouse, was pipped at the post by Captain Cook.
Today I went for another poke around the area, and while there's isn't a plaque or signboard indicating what it is, I think Julie may be correct. The only thing I did find was these pieces of sandstone embedded in the pavement. Further up the hill, where I took the photos below from, there are cannons in the park, but much of it is fenced off as some sort of work is going on.
2 comments:
Bloody hell ... I poked around there for nigh on two hours this arvo and saw people who were part of a wedding party!
I am working up a post: no proof just an evidence-based guess!
For starters: the work that is going on ... This is the general cleaning of the SHB. There was an item about it in the SMH of Friday with people annoyed because it spoils the line of the bridge. That underbelly is right ugly, isn't it? The Yanks & The Frogs would never tolerate that at an historical site!!
Second: that photo of the sandstone in the bitument adds to the evidence that I am sifting through right now trying to make it mean something. I will try to get it up this evening: trying to get my ironing out of the way too ... and watch this cool little DVD called "The Station Agent".
I'm workin' ... I'm workin' ...
Okay ... have posted an hypothesis ... just reading through a book now to check my facts.
I am working up a post about Fort Philip and another post about the Dawes Battery.
On the post about the tower, Sal, try to put it all together yourself and argue AGAINST my hypothesis! Once we have discussed the pros and cons ... then I am happy to asl an expert. Probably someone from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
I also want to raise with Clover why this little structure has no plaque AND why it was so filthy. Her street people clean Redfern St every day. Yet they dont keep a high tourist area clean. AND AND AND why is the underneath of the SHB used as a dump by the RTA. It is totally disrepectful of our history. We dont have much and we treat it like shit!!
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