Sydney - Biography of a City

Sydney has travelled a long way since 1788 when the First Fleet arrived. Back then, the region was occupied by a few thousand Aborigines who had lived their lives undisturbed for at least 20,000 years. This soon changed. In the early days of European settlement - or invasion - colonial Sydney was no more than a camp, a struggling and hungry penal outpost perched precariously on the coast of a huge, largely unknown and relatively arid continent.Sydney is the biography of a vibrant and changing city, famous for its opera house, its harbour bridge, perfect beaches, the sparkling harbour and now as the upcoming backdrop to the 2000 Olympics. Lucy Turnbull traces the city's humble beginnings, touching on its urban and social history, giving life to the events that have changed the course of Sydney's development, from penal colony to a sophisticated and cultural city of the twentieth century. This biography focuses on important and significant social and political events that have shaped the city and includes stories of personalities, social and political leaders, gossip, scandal and legends, creating a living history of Sydney. From the landing of the First Fleet and the establishment of the colony to the landmark buildings that were created and still exist, the Opera House controversy, the Green Bans of the 1970s and the constantly changing makeup of the Australian population, are just a few of the events that are included in this extensively researched book.Sydney is illustrated with 80 colour and 150 black and white photographs, paintings and engravings sourced from the National Library, the NSW State Library, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and personal archive and art collections...