Seeking Sydney is a podcast that travels to the landscapes and landmarks of Sydney, adding the people and their stories. I will publish one episode every month for ten months. Episode 4 is now available in your podcast subscription, in Apple podcasts or Spotify!

This episode starts on the light rail near Central and travels down George Street, using a selection of early maps to describe how the city grew, and how the colonists colonised Sydney’s land. Then John Richardson, a Sydney architect, takes up the story and gives this episode its name.

At the light rail’s terminus near Circular Quay, I try to imagine the Tank Stream, the water source that attracted the colonists to Sydney Cove in 1788.

Then we’re at the Opera House, looking at its transformative role in reconciling mid 20^th century Sydneysiders with their harbour.

I speak to Matthew Doyle about his roles in productions of I am Eora and Patygerang. You can hear his performance in Ross Edwards’ Dawn Mantra here (scroll down to it) given from the sails of the Opera House on the first of January 2000, as part of the ABC Millenium broadcast to welcome in the new century.

Matthew also talks about his work with Bangarra Dance Theatre, advising them on the language that Patygerang would have used. Some of her language was written down by one of the first white settlers, Lieutenant William Dawes, and his journals were used by Professor Jakelin Troy to write The Sydney Language. This is a book well worth having on your bookshelf, but if you want to find out more about Aboriginal languages there are many resources, including Rediscovering Indigenous Languages and the Barani website – a treasure in itself – which has a tab devoted to language. While we’re speaking about language, if you want to learn more about Sydney harbour’s original names, the Australian Museum has a handy chart.

For a complete change of pace you can view the performance of What is the city but the people? that was part of the Opera House’s 50^th anniversary celebrations. This performance, as Felicity Castagna explains in the podcast, is an iteration of an idea originally conceived by UK artist Jeremy Deller in 2009 and developed by director Richard Gregory.

Having arrived at the harbour I speak to historian Grace Karskens about the relationships that developed between Aboriginal people and the colonists, centred on the harbour. In the interview she refers to name exchange, where Aboriginal people would take a white person’s name. She has sent me some additional information about this.

I’ve just been writing about name exchange again – the people exchanging names were one another’s damelian. Aboriginal people did this within their own society, and they tried to do it with the white people too, to try to draw them in and make allies of them.

Historian Naomi Parry Duncan tells of another set of relationships that developed on the harbour between Aboriginal people and members of Nicolas Baudin’s expedition in 1802. Their visit was extended when they needed to careen one of their boats and their artist, Nicholas-Martin Petit, did a series of portraits of the people he met. Naomi also refers to name exchange in describing these portraits.

So there’s all these incredible portraits of people like Gnung-a Gnung-a, who was known as Collins, and a boy called Toulgra, who was known as Bulldog, and then a man called Musquito, who the French called Y-erran-gou-la-ga. They were all done by Nicholas-Martin Petit … I think he was one of the most sensitive observers of Aboriginal people.

This episode finishes with two overlapping descriptions of the harbour’s formation. Deborah Lennis retells the Sow and Pigs Reef origin story with acknowledgement to Frances Bodkin and Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews. Their telling of it can be read here. And if you want to read more scientific evidence of the value of these stories, there are articles such as this one or this one.

Interviewees for episode 4: my thanks to you all

John Richardson, Sydney architect

Matthew Doyle, Aboriginal Performing Artist. Find Matthew on Linked In and @wuruniri

Felicity Castagna, on Instagram under @Felicity Castagna 

Grace Karskens, Emeritus Professor of Australian History at the University of New South Wales. Her books include The Rocks: Life in Early Sydney (1997), The Colony: A History of Early Sydney (2009) and People of the River: Lost Worlds of Early Australia (2020). 

Naomi Parry Duncan, professional historian on Bluesky under @drnaomi 

Deborah Lennis, Cultural Advisor Inner West Council

Acknowledgements

Bronwyn Mehan: Spineless Wonders

Martin Gallagher: Echidna Audio: sound design

Peter Barley: special voices

Zoe Hercus: publicity

Bettina Kaiser: artwork

The description of the master brickmaker’s role in 1790 is from 1788, by Watkin Tench. Reprinted in Two Classic Tales of Australian Exploration, Tim Flannery (ed.), Text Publishing, 2002, p152.

The description of flattening Brickfield Hill is from Maclehose, J. Picture of Sydney and Strangers’ Guide in New South Wales for 1839. John Ferguson, Sydney in association with The Royal Australian Historical Society, facsimile edition 1977, p69-70.

The book of maps I reference is Ashton, P & Waterson, D. Sydney takes shape: a history in maps. Hema Maps, 2000.

Information about windmills comes from Fox, L. Old Sydney Windmills. Published by Len Fox, 1978.

Information on PPPs comes from https://infrastructure.org.au/public-private-partnerships-by-jurisdiction-year/

The quote from Watkin Tench is from Captain Watkin Tench, Sydney’s First Four Years. First published 1788. Reprint by Angus & Robertson, 1961, p38-9.

Information about midget submarines is from Jervis, J. The History of Woollahra. Municipal Council of Woollahra, 1960 p144 and the description of Kings Cross in 1942 from Memories: Kings Cross 1936-1946, Kings Cross Community Aid and Information Service, 1981, p108.

The description of the story of Patygerang comes from Bangarra’s 2014 annual report.

The 1988 description of the Opera House as ‘evoking a feeling of reconciliation of the city and harbour’ is from Webber, GP (ed). 1988. The design of Sydney. The Law Book Co Ltd, p1.

Marjorie Barnard’s description of Sydney Harbour is from The Sydney Book. Written by Marjorie Barnard, drawings by Sydney Ure Smith. Ure Smith, 1947, p11.

The Harbour Bridge’s architect, John Job Crew Bradfield, was quoted in a caption at Bridging Sydney, an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney December 2006-April 2007.

Information on Nicholas Baudin’s voyage is from The Baudin Expedition in Port Jackson, 1802: cultural encounters and enlightenment politics, by Margaret Sankey and Correspondence relating to the sojourn in Port Jackson of the Baudin expedition.

The quote about the spearing of Governor Philip is from Inga Clendinnen, Dancing with Strangers, Text Publishing, 2003, p110.

Descriptions of the geology of Sydney harbour are from Griffith Taylor, Sydneyside Scenery. Angus & Robertson, 1958, p23 and Val Attenbrow, Sydney’s Aboriginal Past. UNSW Press, 2010, p38, p20, p56.