For more than two hundred years, Sydney Harbour has been a focal point of Australian life. For immigrants fleeing countries either torn apart by war, or facing economic collapse, arrival in Sydney Harbour marked the beginning of a new life. For others, the Harbour was – and remains – a scenically beautiful playground that continues to exercise an influence on the country’s development.
In September of 1895, while on a world tour, Samuel Clements – better known as, Mark Twain, the author of, Huckleberry Finn – described his arrival in Sydney in the following fashion.
“We entered and cast anchor, and in the morning went oh- ing and aqh- ing in admiration up through the crooks and turns of the spacious and beautiful harbour – a harbour which is the darling of Sydney and the wonder of the world. It is not surprising that the people are proud of it, nor that they put their enthusiasm into emphatic words. A returning citizen asked me what I thought of it, and I testified with a cordiality which I judged would be up to the market rate. I said it was beautiful – superbly beautiful. Then, by a natural impulse, I gave God the praise. The citizen did not seem altogether satisfied. He said:
“ ‘ It is beautiful, of course it’s beautiful – the harbour; but that isn’t all of it, it’s only half of it; Sydney’s the other half, and it takes both of them together to ring the supremacy bell. God made the harbour, and that’s all right, but Satan made Sydney.’ “
Whether Satan had a hand in it or not is by the by, but ever since ships first sailed through Sydney Heads; or residents and 
tourists cruised Sydney Harbour for work or pleasure, people have been disposing of their empty drink bottles by tossing them over the vessel’s side. A practice now frowned upon, but one that opened new avenues of discovery for modern collectors of antique stone and glassware.
In the 1980’s, the late Bruce Thompson (See: https://wp.me/p49nsn-3S ) and I, together with a boat-owning colleague, would regularly dive the Harbour’s more popular bays and coves. Armed with hessian sacks we would regularly recover dozens of beer, spirit and soft drink bottles. Some of which – those of less value that had become nurseries for marine critters – we returned to the seafloor. Others we cleaned and kept. And, in my case, forgot about until – on a recent expedition to the back of my garage – I uncovered a bin filled with a selection of salvaged bottles. Some of which *may* even have provided refreshment for Mark Twain on that 1895 visit.
—ENDS—
Categories: General
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