In the Footsteps of Captain Cook at Kurnell

Richard Hardy

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Botany Bay is not the most attractive part of Sydney. It is on the direct flightpath for the airport and is the site of an oil refinery. However, nestled within this industrial landscape is the historic haven of the Kamay National Park. This is where Captain Cook set foot in Australia, for years celebrated as the birthplace of a nation, but now being reinterpreted for its impact on the aboriginal peoples of the continent. At Kurnell you are at the epicentre of that clash of cultures over 200 years ago.

It is a vibrant place and I can think of no better words to describe its historic significance than those of former Governor General William Deane, whom I have had the pleasure to meet and work with: "As the place where Captain Cook first landed... on this continent (it marks) the beginning of those journeys by which people from all over the world have migrated to Australia during the past two centuries. But of course it marked the beginning of the darkness of dispossession of the indigenous people of this land and all the sorrow that flowed from that. We hope we can find a new path of hope, of self-discovery, of true friendship and reconcilliation between all Australians".

Thanks are due to the Dharwal people, traditional custodians of this land.

Australia - New South Wales - Sydney Surrounds - Sydney City