Sailing on Glory : A poetical palimpsest of the passenger craft of Sydney Harbour 1788-1932

Abstract

The story of the passenger craft of Sydney Harbour, from First Fleet arrival in 1788 until the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, encapsulates a unique historical era. Apart from the growing colony’s high dependence of on water conveyance that made this harbour one of the busiest in the world, opportunities presented by this rapid expansion drew adventurers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Entertainment venues sprang up around the harbour and land was free to men with connections or valuable contributions, and cheap for those with money. Many ferry companies set up to service these ‘pleasure grounds’ and venues doubled as commuter runs for adjacent housing developments, providing avenues to other ventures and political careers. The world of the harbour’s passenger craft was flush with dynamic personalities, their grand visions, innovations and ambitions. A perfect arena, one would think, for literary expression. Not so. Perhaps the sheer physical glory of Sydney Harbour drew so much attention from the visual Arts that the narrative of the passenger craft got swamped in the wash. This project has set out to redress the paucity of literary expression on the topic. The exegesis is a report on the research and an overview of what literature has been written, with an introduction to the twenty-seven poetical sequences, each focusing on one aspect of the world of the passenger craft over those one hundred and forty-four years. The topic was initially inspired Australian artist, Peter Kingston’s, ferry paintings, the form takes inspiration from Dylan Thomas’ radio play, Under Milk Wood. It is designed for publication as both an illustrated literary edition and a simpler performance text suitable for Educational purposes. The subject encompasses History, Literature and Theatre, with every kind of performance vehicle, from the Greek Chorus and songs to individual characters and groups and is intended for high schools as an ideal play in which the whole class may participate.