Father's Day

Father's Day in Australia is celebrated on the first Sunday in September.  And, September 1st is what Aussie's consider to be the first day of Spring.  Since September 1st happened to fall on a Sunday this year, the two events coincided on the same day.  To make it even better, it was yet another gorgeous weekend day in Sydney.  We are really getting spoiled with these beautiful 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) days with barely a cloud in the sky.

Even though we had been to Manly Beach on multiple occasions, Sean and the kids had never done the 20 minute walk to Shelly Beach.  So, I thought it would be a perfect day to introduce the family to this amazing area.  Shelly Beach is just on the southern side of Manly Beach, but it has a completely different feel from Manly Beach.  It is sheltered from the open ocean by the big rock cliffs, so it is a haven for marine life.  Also, it looks back on the mainland, so the view is comprised of Manly Beach extending up to the Northern Beaches.

  

Shelly Beach looking towards Manly Beach

The view from the cliff by Shelly Beach.  The edge of Manly Beach is on the left, this is followed by Freshwater Beach, then Curl Curl Beach, and on up the Northern Beaches.

The sculpture on the rock pool located on the walk between Manly and Shelly beaches.

Carter had been writing a report on an Australian Heritage Site for school around this time.  The Heritage Site that he had chosen was the Quarantine Station on North Head.  Since it was a nice day for a walk and the Quarantine Station is located right by Shelly Beach, we decided to go over and give it a look.  The Quarantine Station was built on the north side of the harbour, away from the majority of the population of Sydney at the time.  Its main purpose was to contain any diseases that ships coming from foreign lands could be bringing into Sydney.

The Quarantine Station was first established in 1835, but the buildings were mostly erected in 1847 to 1853.  Prior to that, people had to sleep in tents.  Then, in 1909 it was dramatically upgraded to include all the buildings that can be seen there today.  This was a good thing as, even with the upgrades, it was stretched to its limit with the 1918-19 influenza pandemic.  The last ship to be quarantined was in 1973 and the last people to be quarantined were in 1975 when some airline passengers arrived without adequate immunization certifications.  The Quarantine Station, or Q Station as it is now called, has been turned over to private ownership.  People can now take historic tours, ghost tours, stay the night, rent out a building for a wedding or a conference, have dinner at Boilerhouse Harbourside Restaurant, or just walk around it and enjoy the views.

Aerial view of the Quarantine Station

The building at the entry into the Quarantine Station with an interesting mural on the side.

During the upgrade in the early 1900's, accomadations were built to separate the different classes of people arriving on the ships.  This was one of the first-class cottages.  

A view down a road between the cottages of the Q Station

The Q Station is located on a very steep hill.  We were descending a very long staircase when this photo was taken.  The building at the very top of this picture was the hospital.  We were walking from the first class buildings towards the wharf and beach area.

The Q Station beach by the wharf

The wharf at the Q Station.  Luggage was removed from the ships onto a funicular railway whose tracks can be seen in the photo. The luggage was taken to the autoclaves to be steam disinfected and then into the luggage sheds.  The ill people were taken directly to the hospital seen at the top of the photo.

Some of the ship passengers made engravings in a rock wall near the wharf to commemorate their time spent here.

These were the autoclaves where the possibly infected luggage was fumigated.

This was the hospital.  You can see a bit of the view of the harbour beyond between the buildings.

It was fascinating to walk around the buildings and think about all the history that occurred here.  We tried to imagine what it would have been like when it was filled with either healthy people just biding their time after a long voyage or ill people battling for their lives.  No matter what the conditions, the beauty of this place had to of helped the spirits of the weary travelers after they had been stuck on a ship out at sea for months.  

View from the hospital verandah

We didn't celebrate Father's Day in a very traditional way, but hopefully Sean enjoyed his day.  He is the backbone of our family and we love him dearly.  He helps me keep everything in perspective, especially when I am stressed and can't see a way through a difficult situation.  He is the family problem solver.  He is a strong father figure for the kids and they always strive to make him proud.  He is constantly spoiling us either with gifts or new adventures.  One of his greatest joys in life is to surprise us when we are least expecting it, then act as though it was no big deal.   He has provided a life for our family that I could have only dreamed about when I was younger.  The kids and I are so lucky to have him.