Esther (Abrahams) Johnson Crypt Waverley Cemetery

Top of the Johnston Crypt

This may seem like a strange choice when it comes to places to visit in Sydney that have a historical significance but Esther Abrahams has a stronger link to Sydney's past than most people.  Before I start with her history I do have to give a thanks to a friend, Stan, who tipped me off on going to see her burial site.

Esther Abrahams was a 16 year old girl in England who was convicted of stealing fifty shillings worth of black lace in 1786 and was sentenced to seven years transportation for her crime.  This was at the time when England was sending their convicts off to their Australian colony.  Abrahams was sent as a convict on the first fleet to arrive in Sydney.  She arrived in 1788 with her daughter, born to her out of wedlock, on the Lady Penrhyn. While on board the ship Esther was able to make acquaintances with First Lieutenant George Johnston.  This would prove to be the turning point in Abrahams life.  Not only was she able to have a more pleasant experience on the voyage to Australia, but upon arrival Johnston made Abrahams his de facto wife, not seen as legal by the law but they believed that they were married, together they had seven children.  In 1808, George Johnson was involved in the overthrowing of the Governor Bligh of New South Wales, which in turn made him the new Governor of the State and Esther would be the unofficial first lady. It was not until 1814 that the two were officially married. Abrahams lost her husband in 1823, but was left quite a bit of land which made her a very wealthy land owner.  
After her husband's death Esther was faced with challenges from her own children, particularly her son Robert, whom she lived with for five years after the death along with two of her daughters.  Robert decided to have his mother declared insane.  He wanted this to happen so that he would be able to inherit the land before her death.  However even though the courts declared her to be insane, Robert was not allowed his inheritance until his mother died in 1846, which was the way his father had laid out the inheritance policy.  It would not be until Esther's great-great-great grandson that the family would see another person take the position of Governor of the state.
This may seem like another story of woman meets man in power and her life is changed for ever, and in the simplest of forms it may be.  However I believe that the story of Esther Abrahams is one that shows how even though she was a convict, she was able to break the mold that she thought she was going to live when she began her voyage to Australia.  By being able to go and visit her crypt which also houses her husband and other family members it allows people to see that changing ones life is possible and that Esther Abrahams is a prime example of this.
There is also another reason why I chose to go out to the Waverley Cemetery.  I was informed by friends that there are rumors of them moving the graves of the dead so that the land can be developed.  This cemetery also has some of the most amazing views of the open ocean, as it sits between Coogee and Bronte beaches.  Whether it is true or not it is something that should not even be open for discussion.  This cemetery houses so many people and family histories, and as proven above is a link to some of the first colonizing citizens of Australia.  I would highly recommend the visit out to Waverley Cemetery to not only see Esther's crypt but to also explore and have a chance to take in a gorgeous view.

Information Provided from: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/25/1059084203068.html and http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/abrahams_esther
Pictures were taken by myself on October 30, 2011

Three Sisters: Blue Mountains National Park

The second place that I chose to visit is not in Sydney but I decided that it would be a valuable experience to go out to the Blue Mountains and see the Three Sisters.  Before doing some research about them I was unaware that there even was a history to this area.  This is something that the travel books forget to mention so once I discovered this I decided that this would be a great place to visit.

            Before talking about the famous Three Sisters, I think that a bit of background information on the Blue Mountains area is necessary so that when it comes to the Sisters there will be a better understanding of why they have remained such a vital part of the Blue Mountains.  History tells us that the Aboriginal people who have been living off the land have inhabited this area since the beginning; this is visible in certain areas of the area and actually helps to provide a strong connection with the past.  Aboriginal history is a strong part of the tale of the Three Sisters and will come up again later on in this post.

            With the colonization of Australia, in particular Sydney occurring in 1788 and spreading rapidly in the years to come, the colonizers realized that they would need to branch out beyond the Sydney limits in order to have enough space for the people arriving on ships.  This is when the idea of trying to move out into the Blue Mountain area came into play.  However due to the region being bush like it was extremely difficult for the original British settlers to make headway in inhabiting the land.  After years of trying to figure out a way to settle this land, it wasn’t until 1814 that after six months of hard labor that a road was built in the region.  This 160-kilometer road opened up the area for settlers and was to be know as Cox’s Western Road.  However, just because there was now a road to this area other problems still existed and needed to be solved.  Due to the treacherous area alternative routes to places needed to be established and this was done in the early 1830’s.  Just two decades later the a railroad was put into action, this was motivated by the fact that there had been a gold rush in the area and there was a need to have a method of transportation that would get miners to the region faster.  With the emergence of a railway it allowed for the Blue Mountains area to be easily accessible from Sydney and was beginning to develop into a small metropolitan area of its own. 

            With the Blue Mountains being the new up and coming area outside of Sydney it also became an escape location for those of the upper class along with others who were trying to get away from the filth and disease that was now taking over Sydney.  The wealthy built their country homes in this area, and even those who were not as well off made the move to the region.  Along with being able to escape the city lifestyle and disease, the Blue Mountains were also a place of tourism, which still continues today.  People would come from all over to be able to see the spectacular views, and especially the famed Three Sisters in Katoomba.  In 1959 the government of Australia decided that the Blue Mountains should be entitled to national park status, and has remained one ever sense.

            Inside the National Park there is an area known as Katoomba, which is where, the internationally known Three Sisters are located.  I knew of them before coming to Australia, however I was not aware of the stories behind them and how they received their name from an Aboriginal tale.  There are two versions of the story that have been told about the Three Sisters.  The first is that there were three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo who were members of the Katoomba tribe and had fallen in love with three brothers from a rival tribe, Napean.  Due to this forbidden love a battle ensued and in order to protect the sisters a witch doctor from the Katoomba tribe placed a spell on the sisters turning them into stone, which he would reverse once the battle ended.  Unfortunately the witch doctor died in the battle and was the only one able to reverse the spell, thus leaving the three sisters in their rock formation, which is what many tourists travel to see today.

            The alternative version to this tale is that the three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo went with their father, a witchdoctor, to collect food for the family.  However at one point in the voyage he leaves his daughters waiting on a cliff because it becomes too dangerous for the girls to continue with their father.  While waiting for their father Meehni was frightened by a centipede and threw a rock at it which continued deep down into the hole on the side of the cliff, by doing this she angered the Bunyip that lived at the bottom of the hole.  Everyone knew of the Bunyip and feared him greatly.  Filled with anger Bunyip decided to make the rocks behind the girls start to crumble leaving them hanging on for dear life, their father saw this happening and turned them into stone to protect them.  By doing this he only angered Bunyip who than began to chase the girls father who turned himself into a Lyre Bird.  While flying to stay out of harms way he dropped his magic bone, which allowed him to change the girls back.  Eventually when safe he returned to look for the bone but it was nowhere to be found. Since he no longer possessed his magic bone he could not reverse the spell he placed on his daughters or himself and they remained in rock form and him in Lyre Bird form.  It is said that if one listens carefully that you can hear the sounds of the Lyre Bird looking for his magic bone so that he can return the sisters to their human form.

            These two Aboriginal legends are a great way to learn about the past and how strong of a presence their stories still have today.  Without having researched a bit about the history of the Blue Mountains I would have never known about these two legends.  This day trip was filled with embracing nature and experiencing a bit of a bush walk as we walked the trails around the Three Sisters.  I would strongly recommend a visit to the Blue Mountains to anyone if not to see the Three Sisters and understand their link with Aboriginal culture but then to just take in the gorgeous views that the area gives you. 

All information was gathered from http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/thingstodo/threesisters/ and http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHistory.aspx?id=N0004

Pictures were taken by myself on October 23, 2011.

            

The Q-Station: Manly

The Q-Station located at Manly’s North Head is the quarantine station where all of those who came to Australia, in particular Sydney we placed if they were deemed to be unhealthy after their voyage here. In 1788 the first ships arrived in Australia, full of convicts from Great Britain where they made contact with the indigenous aboriginal people who inhabited the land.  Due to the new settlers contact with the aboriginal people diseases that were unheard of in Australia, such as small pox were passed onto the Aboriginals, which resulted in many deaths.  As more and more immigrants started to descend on Australia, a plethora of other diseases also arrived.  This was cause for major concern and would be the reason for the quarantine station to be put into place. Due to its location on the North Head of Manly those in quarantine were unable to escape, or do so with ease, which helped with the maintaining of the diseases in one area.  Another aspect was also crucial as more and more ships were arriving, the quarantine station was not larger enough to house all of the immigrants so construction began on more buildings to house them especially with now it being that not just convicts were coming to Australia but also everyday citizens from Britain.

            As I was exploring the Q-Station I noticed that all along the wharf area, the only place that is open to the public without taking part in a tour, that there were carvings in the rocks which displayed information about the ships that had arrived in Sydney and had people on board that were placed in quarantine.  Below are some pictures of these carvings that I took while there.  An interesting question was brought forth on one of the plaques at the Q-Station that was underneath some carvings, they were asking if these carvings were to be considered a piece of history through art or if it was the same as graffiti that is seen all over the world today.  I took a minute to think about this as did my friend who came to the Q-Station with me and we decided that these were not graffiti pieces, yet they were a link into the past of people who had come to Australia and due to their quarantine had nothing better to do to pass their time so they left their mark by tagging the walls with information about the ship they arrived on.  This is not to say that graffiti in the modern sense will not be a part of history and show important information that can link the present to the past, however random tagging of public areas is less respectful than what those who were quarantined were participating in. 

            The carvings in the wall varied from simple Asian symbols all the way to intricate designs with the names of those who were on the ships. Out of the entire area that we explored, we did not participate in a tour; these were the most historical aspect of what we saw.  All of the buildings are still there but because the area has become much more commercial everything has gone through a renovation and lacks the same luster that could have been there if there were more original aspects still intact.  All in all this was a worthwhile trip to see a part of Australia’s early history and it was nice to see that even though it has gone commercial that there is still a strong interest in the early history of Australia.  Even though there is interest in the area, especially with there being a boutique hotel on the grounds, I believe that the history has been lost on people and is something that needs to be regained and by visiting the Q-Station one will be able to do so.

            Now that I’ve given a brief overview of the historical aspect of the Q-Station, I would like to share a bit about the advantages and disadvantages to visiting it.  Due to lack of automotive transportation, we relied solely on public transportation to get out to Manly.  Once we arrived in Circular Quay we jumped onto one of the Manly ferries that departs every thirty minutes and began the half an hour ride through Sydney Harbour out to Manly.  As a tourist this is a great opportunity to see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from the water and will only add to the overall experience of venturing out to the Q-Station.  Once we arrived in Manly we discovered that the busses going up to the Q-Station did not run regularly and we had a bit of waiting to do, there are taxis available to take but we decided that this would be a great chance to walk around Manly and grab a quick lunch before catching the bus.  There are a few options when you arrive at the Q-Station when it comes to exploring the area, you can access the wharf area free of charge or you can take a 45 minute guided wharf wander tour which only occurs once a day at eleven am and then on the weekend occurs twice for a $15.00 charge or if you venture out on the weekend there is a 2 hour tour option that is $35.00.  Due to scheduling we decided to not participate in a tour.  They also offer ghost tours at night as well. 

            All in all the Q-Station was a valuable trip to take, however it has been commercialized which for the history buff in me was a bit disappointing because you were faced with more modernity than history.  However I think that seeing the carvings in the wall and the overall beauty that is Manly’s North Head was worth the trip and I would strongly encourage people to take the trip out there just to see a bit of Australia’s past.

All historical information was gathered from http://www.qstation.com.au/ along with http://www.manlyquarantine.com/ .  Pictures were taken by myself on October 17, 2011.

Welcome

Traveling to Australia is a dream for many people and was one of mine for countless years. Fortunately I was able to make that dream a reality and while living in Sydney I have found that there are many more places, three in particular, that need to be on peoples to do lists while in the city.  Outside of going to visit Sydney’s famous Opera house and Harbour Bridge there are spots that have a lot less foot traffic than Circular Quay but are able to provide people with an insight into Sydney and Australia’s past.