Sydney [antikvár]

Introduction Sydney, the capital city of NSW is the largest and oldest city in the Commonwealth of Australia. This lusty sprawling giant on the eastern seaboard covers an area of more than 12,000 sq kms. Sydney has many faces. It is a busy seaport, the commercial hub of NSW, the gateway to the vast interior of the Continent, a fun city for visitors and home to almost 3,000,000 people. A city of light and sunshine, Sydney, clustered around the foreshores of its magnificent Harbour, has been richly endowed with great natural beauty. The founder, Captain Arthur Phillip RN, Commander of the First Fleet, stepped ashore at Sydney Cove in January 1788 and was enchanted with the panorama of headlands, sandy beaches and indented bays. He envisaged a great future for Sydney and in this prediction he has been proved correct. Sydney's grim beginning as a penal colony has in no way impeded its progress. Any sense of inferiority, if any ever existed, has long since vanished into the mists of history. Instead Sydneysiders take great pride in the fact that those first unwilling colonists overcame almost insurmountable obstacles in their battle to survive. In so doing they came to terms with an environment completely alien to any they had previously known. It was their example of courage and determination which has made Sydney the great city it is to-day. A growing awareness of this heritage has resulted in the preservation of what remains of the past and its association with the turbulent early years. Up until the end of World War 2 the population of Sydney was predominately British in origin, but with the influx of migrants from Europe this situation has subtly changed. The life-style of these new settlers, whose roots are buried in the age-old traditions of Europe, was superimposed on the existing way of life in Sydney. This integration has förmed a cosmopolitan and internationally orientated society which has greatly enriched the cultural background of the city. In this book we have sought to capture the spirit of this colourful and exciting city by tracing the links with its pioneer past. We have endeavoured to share with you the feeling of zest and vitality which pervadesthe busy streets and the infinite variety of its moods. This is Sydney, an unforgettable city, as boisterous and free as the winds that sweep across the Harbour. Created in the beginning out of a wilderness in a remote land, it is to-day a vast metropolis, stepping forward confidently into the future.