Inside Sydney [antikvár]

2-3 Sydney-siders are very proud of the futuristic and eiegantiy compiex structure of the Opera House. 4 The city coal of arms stands oat clearly on the facade of the Supreme Court Building. 6 Sydney Coi/e, the small Inlet where Governor Arthur Phillip dIsembaiM with his settlers, is now called Circular Quay, dominated ijy the modem high-rise buildings of the commercial district 7 In the foreground ate the northern suburbs and the gigantic Harbour Bridge; in the centre are the Rocks, the skyscrapers of the city and, on the left, the Opera House. very city lias its own personality which it fosters: M ^ ^dney's is brash, lively, successful, but a bit uncouth. It has a simple lay-out the "city" - the business and cultural district - is in the middle; the port and the industrial area stretch along the bay while, around them, the immense suburbs stretch out for many square miles. The ingredients for a rather special alchemy are all there and range from Sydney's enormous size to the fact that it is the cradle of modern Australia, which is lucky enough to have having a charming climate and be surrounded by a splendid landscape. Considered by many to be the uncontested capital of the South Pacific, Sydney is situated on the banks of an inlet called Port Jackson, one of the safest and most beautiful gulfs in the world. It was created by the sinking of the coastline, as a result of which the sea entered far inland, occupying the lower valley of the Parramatta River The centre ot the city is on the southern shore, around the oldest settlement, but the city has developed inland as far as the Blue Mountains, occupying the miniscule peninsulas which stud the coast. Sydney is roughly divided into its northern and southem parts by the Harbour Bridge. The North Shore consists basically of residential suburbs and light industry. The centre ofthe economic and commercial life is the port. This is the best equipped and busiest in the whole of Australia and port of call for the regular navigation lines which ply the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The industrial zone has developed towards the south and has progressively occupied all the available space as far as Botany Bay where we find the international airport. called Kingsford Smith. Sydney is a true metropolis containing about a quarter of the national population: anyone who wanted to cross it on foot would be letting himself in for an adventure, given that the urban conglomerate extends for a distance of around 60 miles from north to south. It is difficult to believe that all this is the result of barely two centuries of settlement, yet, now that the difficult years of pioneering, uncontrolled immigration and defensive and racist provincialism are relegated to the history books, modern-day Australia is a relaxed and satisfied country whose cosmopolitan heart, Sydney, pulsates with life. In the past, the outlook was far from rosy. For centuries Australia was a mythical place in the imaginations of Europeans who had visions of gold, power and glory, but, despite innumerable attempts, the geologically oldest continent with all its mystery and immense riches, was the last to be discovered. As long ago as the Renaissance there were fantasies about an unknown land which was thought to occupy the largest part of the southern hemisphere. Before that, Chinese and Arab navigators had reached Australia only to leave again immediately Much later, the Portuguese and Dutch did the same. Disappointed not to find fabulous profits and frightened by the inhospitable appearance of boundless scrublands and their wild inhabitants, they were convinced they had missed their target. Although it might seem incredible, all those intrepid navigators had missed the fertile eastern coast by just a few miles and it was not until Captain Cook cast anchor in the luxuriant Botany