My City of Siderney

Yesterday evening around 6 pm, I returned to the Sydney Harbour National Park I visited a few weeks back. It was this previous visit which had inspired my post, Pushy poofters. However, I am happy to report this time, the noticeable absence of sleazeballs, hanging around the carpark.

In the name of variety, I elected to go down to the water. One hundred metres from the car park, I find a signposted track to Obelisk Beach. Suddenly I realise where I am. This is one of two, or three, official Sydney nude beaches. Having heard about Obelisk, yet never visited, I thought bugger it, I’ll check it out.

Unlike a few weeks ago, the weather was quite cloudy, though warm and muggy. A steepish track accesses a small, clean, horseshoe beach, maybe 50 metres long. The beach faces south-east towards the eastern shore of the Harbour, including Lady Jane Beach(officially nude), Camp Cove, Watsons Bay, Vaucluse Bay and Nielson Park. One also has a view due east, through the Heads.

On the beach was a smattering of gay groups and couples, all male, some naked, some not so naked. They were just sitting around, on the sand or rocks, chatting, drinking, laughing, and generally doing the summer thing.

Also, at one end of this tiny beach, were two fisherman. So I sidled up to them and started chatting. They were thirty-something Poms, who raved about the fishing, the weather, the Harbour and Sydney in general. Of course, this is heaven. One pulled in an undersized bream, and before I could say, ‘chuck it back, ya bastard’, he did just that. By slicing and dicing it, in order to bait-up and re-cast !

A huge sea-eagle appears, high above, gliding along the foreshore, working off the air-currents. I explain to the fishermen, that such birds have only returned to the Sydney environment in recent times. Indeed, the Harbour is so clean now we have shark problems, way upriver near Parramatta.

Yet as a boy, travelling over the Ryde Bridge, once a week with my family, it was impossible not to wind-up the windows, such was the nauseating stench from heavy industry up there. And you could forget about swimming in the harbour ! Even in the 70's, surfing at Bondi, one had to avoid skid marks on the surfboard, due to the nearby sewerage outlet. Now look at Bondi - the water is true, crystal, Pacific blue.

The Sydney I grew up in was a dirty, smelly, shitty city, like any other world city of the time. The turnaround for Sydney came in the 70's, with the election of Gough Whitlam as Prime Minister. If the old bastard did nothing else, he must be credited with creating the first Ministry for the Environment. That put us on the right track for cleaning up our urban environments. Thereafter, the Olympics gave authorities the impetus to bring Sydney to tip-top condition, as we find it today.

As I sat there watching a passing Jetcat, throbbing and fishtailing it's way to the City, I reflected on that great Septic import of the 60's, Tommy Leonetti. When I was a kid, he used to close-out Channel Sevens' nightly telecast, with his signature tune, My City of Sydney. He’d sing this, as he aimlessly wandered along the Harbour foreshore, chuckin' rocks at seagulls. The tune sounded like it was written late one drunken night, up the Cross, at the Bourbon and Beefsteak. It had that sort of feel to it.

Whilst My City of Sydney was an atrocious tune - possibly the worst ever written - the bastard grew on you. Now, thirty-five years later, I want it back. What about a new Tommy Leonetti - a hip, groovy, metro Tommy ? I nominate Molly Meldrum ! Even though he can’t sing for shit, he is the perfect Aussie, to reprise a classic Aussie. He also could wander along the foreshore, here at Obelisk, in just his signature hat, and nothing else !

Sure, he’d have to lip-sync, and have the sound tweaked, but what a beautiful, evocative image - a s(w)inging, strolling, naked Molly...........it would definitely rate the pants off rivals, and put Channel Seven back in the race.

Comments

[Alan E Brain]

Little known fact : I appeared on the Tommy Leonetti show in 1969, along with former head of the AMA Karyn Phelps.
Small World Innit?

[Ludo Janssens]

Hey, I've been looking for that record, "My City of Sydney", ever since hearing it in Australia a few decades ago. Is there anyone ouut there who can mail it to me on MP3 or on tape? Thanks, Ludo.

[debbyc46@hotmail.com]

HI I Ventured down to middlehead quite a few times in the last 17 yrs and it was fantastic! the army barracks and tunnels r amazing at middlehead and there is always noone there!!!! i cant believe that it off the tourist track and that is what is gooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U go down the track and there is always noone there except 4 the occasional tourist. it should b a tourist attraction. i am so glad that it is not a tourist attration!!!!!!!!! we would lose our invisibility! lets keep it a secret. especially the chain!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is a godsend!!!!!!! please answer me back anyone who knows the chain at middlehead!!!!!!!!!

[kosmos felix]

ask any vegetable,call it by name,ask any vegetable...and the answer`s the same.......! is the lettuce man made from sea lettuce,a green algae common 2 the area ? what really is that chain hanging from the middle of the head ? it is the chain that leads 2 what remains of the world...

[Victor]

I am looking for a copy of Tommy singing 'My City of Sydney' can anyone help?
Cheers
Vic
0408699862