Discover down under! Each day a different picture pertaining to Starfire's tour of Australia is featured, along with a brief explanation written by Australia enthusiasts.
2005 June 6
What are "The Rocks?"
Click on the picture to access a bonus page.
Circular Quay (which was once known as Semi-Circular Quay) and the Rocks are often referred to as the "birthplace of Australia." The "First Fleet" landed there with its freight of convicts and soldiers to found the colony of New South Wales on January 26, 1788, and it is on this day every year
Australia Day
is celebrated, the biggest holiday of the year.
By the late 1800's The Rocks had turned into a rat-infested set of slums where gangs ruled the streets. Now scrubbed and polished, The Rocks form part of the colourful promenade from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the spectacular Opera House.
In 1988, on the two hundredth anniversary of the First Fleet's landing in Australia, an Aborigine by the name of Burnum Burnum planted an aboriginal flag at Dover, England, and claimed all of the United Kingdom for the Australian Aborigines! His point: Should another country be allowed to just show up and announce that they are taking over?
Authors & editors:
Bob Bolles
&
Phil Bolles