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.
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