When my daughter and I visited Sydney recently, I had one thing at the top of my “to-see” list. No, not the Sydney Opera House. (That was number two.) What I really wanted to see was the Writers Walk, a set of brass plaques about different writers embedded in a brick walkway somewhere near the harbor at Circular Quay.
The Writers Walk is easy to miss on the way to the famous opera house. We walked from the train station past the ferry jetties. In the bright sun, with the bustle and noise and color of Circular Quay all around, it was hard to remember to look down. My daughter finally spotted the first plaque, and then we retraced our steps to find the rest. The 60 plaques run from the Overseas Passenger Terminal on West Circular Quay (where the cruise ships dock), past the train station all the way to the side of the Sydney Opera House forecourt on East Circular Quay.
The Writers Walk is easy to miss on the way to the famous opera house. We walked from the train station past the ferry jetties. In the bright sun, with the bustle and noise and color of Circular Quay all around, it was hard to remember to look down. My daughter finally spotted the first plaque, and then we retraced our steps to find the rest. The 60 plaques run from the Overseas Passenger Terminal on West Circular Quay (where the cruise ships dock), past the train station all the way to the side of the Sydney Opera House forecourt on East Circular Quay.
The first 49 plaques were dedicated on 19 February 1991 by the Minister for the Arts, the Honorable Peter Collins, MP. In 2011, 11 more plaques joined them. The plaque that introduces the Writers Walk reads in part: “What we are and how we see ourselves evolves fundamentally from the written and spoken word.”
The Walk commemorates both Australian writers (many I had never heard of) and those who visited Australian. It makes writing part of the Sydney’s daily life and reveals a culture that really values literature--not just its own but literature from around the world as well.
Below are some highlights from among the 60 plaques.
The Walk commemorates both Australian writers (many I had never heard of) and those who visited Australian. It makes writing part of the Sydney’s daily life and reveals a culture that really values literature--not just its own but literature from around the world as well.
Below are some highlights from among the 60 plaques.
These Australian poets were new ones for me. A.B. “Banjo” Patterson is best known for writing “Waltzing Matilda,” which is an unofficial national anthem. He also wrote a narrative poem, "The Man From Snowy River," which was made into a film.
A woman named Kath Walker took the name of her indigenous tribe Oodgeroo Noonuccal in 1988. Oodgeroo means “paperbark tree.” Noonuccal was the first indigenous Australian to publish a book of poetry, called "We Are Going," in 1964.
A woman named Kath Walker took the name of her indigenous tribe Oodgeroo Noonuccal in 1988. Oodgeroo means “paperbark tree.” Noonuccal was the first indigenous Australian to publish a book of poetry, called "We Are Going," in 1964.
Novelists such as Miles Franklin and Nevil Shute are old favorites of mine. I remember being terrified when I read Shute’s On the Beach as a teenager.
The Writers Walk honors visiting writers as well.
Charles Darwin, best known for his book On the Origin of Species, spent two months in Australia. The capital city Darwin in the Northern Territory is named after him.
Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, visited Australia in 1920 as part of a five-month speaking tour in Australia and New Zealand. While Sherlock Holmes is the ultimate rational character, ironically his creator was here giving lectures on spiritualism.
Sydney also offers guided tours of the Writers Walk, something I plan to do the next time we visit.
Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, visited Australia in 1920 as part of a five-month speaking tour in Australia and New Zealand. While Sherlock Holmes is the ultimate rational character, ironically his creator was here giving lectures on spiritualism.
Sydney also offers guided tours of the Writers Walk, something I plan to do the next time we visit.
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