SYDNEY HARBOUR: Matthew Flinders & the Coastal Landforms of SE Australia

Today Sydney retains much of its original water focus, and, as been stated by numerous writers, Port Jackson is a most attractive port. In his memoir volumes, A Voyage to Terra Australis, Flinders commented upon Port Jackson. ' Botany Bay proved to be an unfavourable situation for the new colony; it was, therefore, abandoned in favour of Port Jackson, which lies three leagues to the northward, and was found to be one of the finest harbours in the world.' - Matthew Flinders in Terra Australis Matthew Flinders first entered the waters of Port Jackson on 7 September 1795, with his friend, George Bass, arriving in HMS Reliance. At this time he was a 21-year-old senior master's mate and acting second lieutenant. Over the following eight years Flinders was to pass through the Heads of Port Jackson numerous times, arriving at and departing from Sydney on many voyages as part of his naval duties, while on unofficial and official exeditions. He passed through Sydney Heads several times in the Reliance, and in the Tom Thumbs I & II, the Francis, the Norfolk (two expeditions), the Investigator (1802 and 1803), the Porpoise, the Hope, and for the final time (1803) in the Cumberland. During his years associated with New South Wales Flinders' naval rank rose to Lieutenant-in-Command, as the Commander (i.e. Captain) of the Investigator. Flinders was one of the youngest ever to gain command of a naval ship of His Majesty. Relatively few ever attained the rank of full captain (as had Captain James Cook by the time of his later voyages). On his final return to England Flinders received news that he had been granted the full rank of post-captain, but struggled financially while writing his journeys' accounts and drawing his charts; he had not been awarded full pay.
Port Jackson, NSW Like the nearby coastal indentations of Botany Bay, Port Hacking and Broken Bay, Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) is a drowned valley. In a previous time, when sea level was lower, the Parramatta River cut a valley met the sea at a level about 100m lower than at present. Later, when sea level rose, the valley was flooded. Former spurs are now peninsulas, while some former hills are now islands. The harbour is one of the best known features of Sydney.	Photo 1: Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), Sydney Cove, and the world-famous Opera House
Every day when conditions suit, numerous sail-powered vessels can be seen all over this fine water body. The harbour is the starting point for a well-known event for yachts, the race from Sydney to Hobart (Tas).
Sydney's earliest development took place in the area of Circular Quay (Sydney Cove) shown (right), which includes the Rocks. This district is rich in NSW colonial heritage; historical stone buildings and statues, monuments and informative markers and plaques are numerous. While present-day cruise ships, ferries and hydrofoils are common here, an additional charm comes from the berthing of older style vessels. The photo (right) shows a paddle steamer and a three-masted, square-rigged tourist sailing ship (not unlike the Investigator) making use of port facilities.	Photo 2: Circular Quay (Sydney Cove), Sydney Harbour
All sailors would have been glad to see Sydney Heads and the sheltering harbour (Port Jackson) behind them after a long voyage (see photo and sketch below). Of course, convicts being transported to New South Wales as punishment for their offences may not have been so happy! Port Jackson, the site of the first and most important British settlement within the vast area of the South Pacific, became a stopover point for numerous maritime expeditions. Over two hundred years later Sydney still retains its pre-eminent position within the South Pacific. While today it is a simple matter to travel Sydney Harbour on various ferries and tourist vessels, in the days of sail matters were a little more complicated. If the wind was blowing strongly from the wrong direction, it was necessary to wait before entering the heads. Never-the-less, a water body the size of Sydney generally provided sailing ships with safety and room to manoeuvre. Indigenous people (aborigines) lived in the Sydney Region for about 40,000 years, occupying the area between the coast and the Blue Mountains. During the early days of the Sydney settlement (which included the time that Matthew Flinders was there) conflict took place between settlers and the indigenous people, the Darug. One aboriginal leader, Pemulwuy, resisted the early Sydney colonists strongly, leading many attacks. Governor King offered a reward for his capture, and eventually soldiers shot and killed him in 1802 (at this time Flinders was involved in the circumnavigation of Australia).
Sydney's coastline is famous for its rugged headlands and its many fine beaches. The sandstone cliffs and features developed upon them are the main subjects of this section. The cliffs are of a reasonably resistant sandstone, which in the past was gently uplifted, maintaining its horizontal nature. Within the rock beds are vertical joint planes. Thus, when the cliff base is undercut by marine erosion, sections of the cliff face collapse along the joint plane, leaving a fresh, straight cliff face parallel to the old one. The rubble at the base, constantly pounded by the sea, is eventually ground up and swept away by waves and currents.	Photo 3: Mouth of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson) and North and South Heads (from the south)
View of the Heads of Port Jackson (by William Westall, 1801-1803 expedition artist)
Along parts of the Sydney cliffs it is possible to find rock faces being 'eaten away' in the manner shown (right). This is commonly called honeycomb weathering. It is not a result of direct attack by waves. Rather, it is believed to be mainly chemical in nature. Salt spray from the sea below lands on the cliff face. The salt causes disruption to the materials that bind together the sand grains of the sandstone. The grains are loosened, to be removed by rain and wind. The wind can cause sand grains to roll around within the small hollows, bumping loose other grains, thus deepening them.	Photo 4: Honeycomb weathering on sandstone cliff, adjacent to sea
Chart showing entrance to Port Jackson - Matthew Flinders in Terra Australis (with attribution to Capt. Hunter, 1788) The chart shows the rugged cliffs facing the ocean to the east, the convoluted nature of Port Jackson, and features of interest such as the fledgling settlement of Sydney, and Garden and Pinchgut Islands. Numerous depth soundings helped to make shipping safer for users of the chart.	Chart extract: Port Jackson (Extract from Flinders' chart - Port Jackson and the town of Sydney)
As Matthew Flinders entered Port Jackson many times it is natural that conditions varied. Two of his comments are included below. They show vastly different responses, brought about by considerably differing circumstances. ' ... the heads of Port Jackson were in sight ... Mr Westall made a good sketch of the entrance. At one o'clock we gained the heads, a pilot came on board, and soon after three the Investigator was anchored at Sydney Cove.' *- Matthew Flinders in Terra Australis* (May 1802) ' ... soon after two o'clock had the happiness to enter between the Heads ... [the reader] may have some idea of the pleasure we felt, but particularly myself, at entering our destined port.' - Matthew Flinders in Terra Australia (Sep 1803)** While Captain Flinders was relieved to have finally returned to Sydney at the end of the great voyage of circumnavigation, he was unable to experience the great sense of elation to which he was entitled at having completed such an epic voyage. He had lost crew, more were critically ill, and his own health was poor. The ship Investigator was decaying. He had not been able to survey some parts of the coast. At this time he wrote to his wife Ann, whom he had not seen for some time. part of Matthew Flinders' letter to Ann from Sydney When Matthew Flinders left the waters of Port Jackson on 21 Sep 1803, in command of the Cumberland, he fully intended to return to complete his exploration and charting of Terra Australis (Australia). Unfortunately, this was not to be, and, due to tragic circumstances, Flinders was never able to return to Port Jackson to fully complete his work of exploration of the coastline of Australia. The task of completing this fell to others.

For further information

FLINDERS LINKS

Bass History Bass High School (Bass Hill, Sydney)

Aboriginal Figures of Early Sydney (including Bongaree)

'King' Bungaree (Bongaree)

HMS 'Investigator'

Ferdinand Bauer - Investigator's Botanic Artist

Australian National Maritime Museum

1860 Historical Map of Australia, Melbourne-Geelong, Sydney

The Governors of NSW Colony

LANDFORM LINKS

Sydney, NSW (viewed from space)

Sydney Harbour NP Geology & Landforms

Sandstone (rock type of Sydney Harbour)

Sydney Harbour Changing Sea Level

Some Sedimentary Structures (mainly USA) - by Allen Glazner

ENVIRONMENTAL LINKS

Sydney Harbour National Park

Walks of Wollahra (Adj Sydney Harbour) Wollahra Environment

Dolphins Return to Harbour?

PEOPLE LINKS

Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes

Tribal Map at Time of European Contact

Rock Climbing - Sydney

First Fleet Links

David Chapman - Coastal Geomorphologist & Digital Imager

Printed Materials

White, M.E. - Running Down: Water in a Changing Land
Kangaroo Press, East Roseville NSW. 2000

Clark, I.F. & Cook, B.J. - Geological Science: Perspectives of the Earth
Australian Academy of Science, Canberra ACT. 1983

Reader's Digest Guide to the Australian Coast
Reader's Digest Services, Surrey Hills NSW. 1983

Chapman, D.M. et al. Coastal Evolution & Coastal Erosion in NSW
Coastal Council of NSW, Darlinghurst NSW. 1982

Bird, E.C.F. Coasts: An Introduction to Systematic Geomorphology
ANU Press, Canberra. 1976 (& subsequent editions)

Reader's Digest Scenic Wonders of Australia
Reader's Digest, Surry Hills NSW. 1976

Branagan,D. & Packham,G. Field Geology of New South Wales
Science Press, Sydney. 1967

and Matthew Flinders Books