The Cats of Sydney Harbour Bridge

This week finds Beside the Yarra headed to Sydney for a few days, so I thought it might be fun to post a couple of Sydney themed items.

To kick this off, let's start with the story behind the remarkable photo below...

One of the most iconic landmarks in Australia, if not the world, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was also an epic feat of depression era engineering. Built across the years 1923 - 1932, at the staggering cost of 6.25 million pounds, the Bridge's construction required an army of engineers, thousands of workers and no small amount of technical innovation.

The bridge under construction (Photo: State Library NSW)

The Bridge's design was supplied by the Scottish architectural firm John Burnet & Partners, and was modeled on the Hells Gate Bridge in New York City. Among other aesthetic touches, the design provided for two pairs of pylons; one pair on each bank of Sydney Harbour, one pylon from each pair on either side of the bridge. Shortly after the bridge's opening in March 1932, one of these pylons was converted into a tourist attraction.

In 1934, small time entrepreneur and jack of all trades Archer Whitford successfully leased the south east pylon from the state Government. Whitford turned the unused space into a combination museum and funhouse, installing a modern electric lift and a varied array of attractions:

A story about Archer's attraction in the local press.

Unfortunately, the outbreak of World War II meant that Whitford lost his venue; the military took over the pylons for the duration of the conflict, installing guard towers and anti aircraft guns. All civilian access to the pylons was restricted until the war was over.

Section Officer in the WAAAF; Yvonne Rentoul.

After the war, an ex-servicewoman named Yvonne Rentoul would restore the south east pylon. Renaming the pylon 'The All Australian Exhibition', Rentoul didn't stray too far from Whitford's successful formula; dioramas, sideshows, a lookout platform and a souvenir shop were all reinstalled.

The viewing platform on the South East pylon, 1948.

But one area where Rentoul did differ from her predecessor was her love of cats.

And she turned this into a new attraction at the pylon, installing a cattery on the roof and keeping 2-3 felines there at all times. The cattery became a popular part of a visit to the pylon, as can be seen by the prominent place that cats occupy on this promotional flyer:

Not that Rentoul left her pets in their cage all the time. In fact, the cats were free to wander about during the day, and were often only secured at night. It became relatively common to see them perched on a precarious girder, or standing calmly on the edge of a sudden drop. The cats were so well known that they even became sort of local celebrities, good enough for the front page:

Cats Live on the Bridge!

The cats, and Rentoul, stayed until her long term lease expired in 1971, after which the pylon again stood vacant. It is now used for a more official, and less eccentric, museum, cataloging the history of the bridge's construction and use.

Melbourne's First Exhibition Building

Situated in the Carlton Gardens at the north end of the city, The Royal Exhibition Building is one of Melbourne's most iconic landmarks. A rare example of a Victorian era great hall, the world heritage listed building is a popular destination for tourists, and still serves as a function centre for city events.

But it was not Melbourne's first exhibition building.

The Exhibition Building, shortly after construction.

Standing on the corner of William and Little Lonsdale Streets, this rather extraordinary building was modeled on London's famous Crystal Palace. Both were constructed largely of glass, with a wooden superstructure, although the local version was a little more rough and ready then the famous exhibition hall in England.

London's Crystal Palace.

But the exhibition hall was the grandest building constructed in Melbourne to that time, 250 feet long and 50 feet high, with an interior lit by 200 ornamental windows and 306 gas lights. The state Government, flush with cash for the first time in its short history on the back of the gold rush, footed the 20 000  pound cost. It's primary purpose was to serve as a suitably impressive venue for the Victorian Exhibition that the Government had organised for late 1854 (the first such event held in Australia).

A promotional picture for the Exhibition provides a summary of the image the government was trying to create:

However grand the exterior, the stalls in the Exhibition were modest:

Despite the rather straightforward material, the Exhibition was considered a great success, with more than 40 000 people attending. But once it was concluded, the State Government faced a new problem, (one that has become familiar to subsequent State Government;s over the years); what to do with the expensive building they had constructed for a very specific purpose.

The interior was redesigned and it was put to use as a hall for a hire, hosting balls, concerts and wedding receptions. It provided a home to the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, and even served as a temporary lecture hall for Melbourne University, A further Victorian Exhibition was also held, less successfully, in 1861.

Finally, the Government let their white elephant fall into disrepair. Many of the glass windows began to leak, and the interior became too shabby to use for any public purpose. The building was demolished in the late 1860's, and a new Royal Mint was built on the site.

The Exhibition Building around the time of the 1854 event.

The new Royal Mint, shortly after construction.

The Royal Mint, present day.

The Weeping Woman Goes Missing

In 1937, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso completed one of the great artworks of the 20th century; Guernica, his epic take on the horrors of war. Inspired by the bombing of the town of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War, this dramatic piece represented one of Picasso's few forays into political commentary, and created a storm of controversy when it was first unveiled.

Guernica, The National Museum of 20th Century Art, Madrid.

The painting itself presents a variety of riffs on the theme of suffering; bodies are dismembered, a cavalry horse screams, debris and refuse are strewn chaotically. Three and a half metres tall, more than seven metres wide, and deliberately provocative, Guernica provides a disturbing vision of some of the worst excesses of human behaviour.

While Picasso worked on this piece he was shadowed by Dora Marr, a young photographer who was documenting his technique and method. The two became lovers and Marr later served as a model for a series of paintings often viewed as companion pieces to Guernica, the Weeping Woman series.

Photographer Dora Marr.

Weeping Woman, Tate Modern, London.

Completed later in 1937, The Weeping Woman pictures again offer a depiction of suffering, although this time set in the everyday. Picasso hoped that the more intimate setting would provide a more universal image, allowing an easier connection for the audience than the more extreme imagery of Guernica.

The painting shown above is the last in the series, with the different canvasses finding their way into different collections around the world. In 1985 one of these, formerly owned by Picasso's daughter, was acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

The Weeping Woman, NGV, Melbourne.

With a price tag of $1.6 million, this Weeping Woman was, at that time, the most expensive artwork in a public collection in Australia. NGV Director Patrick McCaughey was well pleased with his pricey coup, declaring that the portrait would 'haunt Melbourne for the next hundred years.'

On, or around, August 4, 1986, the painting was stolen.

But little did McCaughey know, that in a way the painting had been removed to the ACT.

That same morning, 'The Age' newspaper received a letter from unknown persons, claiming responsibility for the theft. Calling themselves the Australian Cultural Terrorists (ACT), the thieves also issued an eccentric set of demands, including an increase in Government funding for the arts, and the establishment of an annual prize for young artists. The thieves threatened to destroy the painting if their demands were not met.

Patrick McCaughey

McCaughey fronted a press conference in the afternoon to break the news to the wider public and appeal for the paintings safe return. 'If the picture is ruined or damaged in any way, this gallery will never be able to afford another Picasso,' he solemnly declared.

The police investigation of the theft then began in earnest. Investigators theorised that the thieves may have hidden in the gallery overnight, removing the painting from its frame and placing the registrars card while the building was empty. Then, in the morning, they could have simply walked out; the NGV's Weeping Woman measured only 55 x 47 centimetres, so could easily have been concealed in a bag or under a coat.

The NGV's moat was drained, the building searched and the staff questioned, but clues were scarce. The only real leads were the ransom letters, two more of which arrived in the week following the theft; these new letters mocked the police and McCaughey, but saved its most vitriolic comments for State Arts Minister Race Matthews, who was referred to as a 'mouldy bag of gas.'

Picasso Theft, by Juan Davila.

The arts community's response  was mixed.

Many artists publicly decried the theft, while a smaller number recognised merit in the ACT's demands for increased arts funding. Chilean painter Juan Davila painted a picture inspired by the crime, Picasso Theft, which he offered as a replacement to the NGV (this artwork was itself stolen from a small gallery in Sydney), while a private gallery in Adelaide curated a show of copies of Weeping Woman, all created by local artists.

Meanwhile, the official investigation went nowhere.

Two days later, a telephone call was received by 'The Age' from someone who identified themselves as a member of the ACT. They advised that the Weeping Woman could be found in locker 227 at Southern Cross station.

Police, television crews, and one very harassed art gallery director descended on the station. A custodian jimmied the locker open with a crowbar, and the painting was found inside, wrapped in brown paper. A relieved McCaughey told the press, 'It will go behind bullet proof glass this time, and be bolted to the wall!'

'The Age' reports the recovery, August 20 1986.

So who stole the painting?

McCaughey's story has caused many to point the finger at Mark Howson, but the gallery director himself did not think this likely. Howson had no criminal record, and was not known to be associated with any radical groups. At most, McCaughey thought Howson may have known the thieves and so passed on a message that the authorities were closing in. Or, McCaughey's meeting with the artist, and the paintings subsequent return, may have been a simple coincidence.

But whatever the truth of this part of the story, no one has ever been charged with the theft.

An official enquiry into the incident turned up no new evidence, and so could draw few conclusions. It's report was released to little fanfare at the end of August, after which the police abandoned their investigation altogether. With the artwork returned safely, all enthusiasm for any further pursuit of the thieves disappeared,

'I was thoroughly sick of the whole thing,' said McCaughey,

The theft did turn the spotlight onto the NGV's rather lax security, and some measures were taken to tighten these up. Among the changes, the chairs used by the gallery guards were removed on the orders of McCaughey, who decreed that these staff members were now expected to walk around the galleries while on duty, and so keep a more watchful eye on the gallery's visitors.

Deprived of their chairs, the guards went on strike.

The Oldest Pictures of Melbourne

Melbourne was settled 180 years ago, but has changed enormously in this compressed space of time.

The city developed rapidly, powered by the discovery of gold in 1851, and had already remade itself several times by the turn of the 20th century. Similarly, the natural environment the of city has been changed enormously, and once standout features like Batman's Hill, the Yarra Falls and the Southbank swamps have now disappeared into history.

Fortunately, there are still paintings, sketches and even photos that capture our city in its formative years. The following is a short selection of these snapshots

SKETCHES & PAINTINGS

1836

Batman's house, on Batman's hill.

John Fawkner's house; both sketches by WFE Liardet.

In some ways, the founding of Melbourne is a tale of two men; John Batman and John Fawkner. And arguments continue to this day, as to who played the greater part in creating our city. Batman came to the area first, early in 1835, but after arranging a dubious 'purchase' of land from the local Indigenous population, he returned to his native Tasmania to organise a larger group of colonists. 

Meanwhile, Fawkner got wind of Batman's plan and, sensing a grand business opportunity, arrived in the area while his rival was absent. While not disputing Batman's claims, Fawkner built the first house and shop alongside the Yarra, and his influence was well established by the time Batman returned, later in 1835.

There was a tense standoff between the two men, and they remained lifelong rivals, but in the end they found a way to live alongside one another.

The above sketches show each of their houses; Batman's on a prime spot on a small hill at the eastern end of the settlement (Batman's Hill, now the site of Southern Cross railway station); Fawkner's a rather more rustic affair on the river's edge. The artist, William Liardet, was a British merchant seaman who had made his way to Sydney, and who had established a passenger service by sea, running between Melbourne and Sydney.

1837

After two years of operating as an unauthorised outpost, by 1837 the colony in Melbourne had gained official recognition from the British Government. A Governor was installed, troops garrisoned and a surveyor, Robert Hoddle, sent to bring order to the settlement's development.

Hoddle would do so by applying his famous 'grid' to the town's layout; orderly streets running either parallel, or perpendicular, to each other, a feature of the city to this day. The effect of Hoddle's work can be clearly seen in the sketch above.

1838 - 1840

View from the South Bank of the Yarra, 1838.

Looking west across the settlement towards Batman's Hill, 1838.

Looking west from Batman's Hill, 1838.

The city from the south bank, 1840. Note the Yarra Falls, centre of image.

But Robert Hoddle was not the first Crown surveyor assigned to Melbourne. His predecessor was Robert Russell, a London born architect whose curiosity had drawn him to Sydney in 1833. He was assigned to Melbourne in 1836 and did preliminary surveying work, which Hoddle expanded on when he was appointed Surveyor General the following year.

Russell then returned to Sydney for a time, before settling in Melbourne in 1838, now as the Clerk of Public Works. He left the public service shortly afterward and returned to private practice as an architect, filling his spare time with his passion for watercolour painting, which provides a vivid snapshot of early Melbourne.

1841

Looking north from the south bank, 1841. Picture by J.Adamson.

The south bank of the Yarra was prone to flooding, and the swampy ground there meant that the city developed, for the most part, to the north. The largely vacant land behind the southern banks was used by squatters, people with limited means who lived in tents, and by other inhabitants of the city for recreation and games. 

Looking up Collins Street, from east to west, 1841. Picture by W.Knight

Laid out by Hoddle as Melbourne's main thoroughfare, Collins Street ran from a small hill to the west (approximately where the former Treasury Building is now) to Batman's more pronounced hill in the east. The local Indigenous population still lived alongside the European settlers in 1841, as captured by W.Knight in his painting above, and would continue to do so until the post Gold Rush population explosion in the 1850's.

1853

The discovery of gold in rural Victoria in 1851 bought a flood of fortune hunters to Melbourne, which the nascent city was entirely unequipped to deal with. The odd tent on the south bank of the Yarra would explode into a full blown shanty town - 'Canvas Town' - where the newly arrived, or down on their luck, lived in a ramshackle community numbering in the tens of thousands. The city proper, glimpsed across the river in the painting above, appears positively prosperous in comparison.

PHOTOGRAPHY

1853

Spring Street, 1853.

Bourke Street, 1853.

Corner of Bourke and Spring, 1853. All photos by Walter Woodbury

Walter Woodbury was a British engineer and amateur photographer, who moved to Melbourne in the Gold Rush year of 1851. Working initially for the Water Department, Woodbury began developing his own photographic techniques, which he used to take the first photographs of the city of Melbourne. 

Early panorama of Melbourne, 1853.

A remarkable series of 13 images, several of which were captured from the top of a factory chimney, give us a first hand look at this era. Woodbury would turn to photography full time and move to Asia, where he also captured some of the first photographs taken in Indonesia and India.

1857 - 1858

The bustling Yarra captured in 1857.

Another view down Bourke Street, looking east, 1858.

The pioneering work of Walter Woodbury would soon give way to a plethora of photographers, capturing every aspect of life in Melbourne. This photographic record is one of the most useful tools we have, as we chart the rise and expansion of our city, and is a subject that we will return to.

The above gives two more examples of photographs, from the earliest years of the medium.

Melbourne's Pink Lake

Sitting directly below the Westgate Bridge, Westgate Park is a pleasant stretch of undulating grassland wedged between Port Melbourne and Fisherman's Bend, a short walk form the city.

The site has an interesting history.

In the 1930s it was owned by the Federal Government, and was home to the Department of Aircraft Production. The extensive facilities were used to design and build new aircraft designs, which were then tested on the site's own runway.

An aerial photo of the Westgate runway.

But the development of jet aircraft after World War II meant the runway became inadequate, and the department was moved to a larger property near Lara.

The vacant site was then used for a variety of public and private activities, including; motor racing, sand mining and waste disposal. The nature of these activities had a negative impact on the land, which became environmentally degraded.

The park under construction.

In the 1980s, the State Government decided to clean up the site, and set aside 54 hectares as a public park. It was opened in 1984, and dedicated as part of Victoria's 150th anniversary celebrations.

And the park is a welcome addition to a largely industrial part of the city. It sports a number of gentle walks, is home to a variety of bird life and even has a pedestrian punt, that crosses the Yarra on the weekends.

It also has three man made lakes, one of which turns bright pink in the summer time.

The striking colour is caused by a simple, but still quite rare, chemical reaction.

This is the park's salt water lake (the other major one is filled with fresh water) and the higher temperatures in summer cause some of the lake's water to evaporate, increasing the salt concentration. This then reacts with a single cell alga that exists in the lake, which produces the red pigment.

This interaction is only found in a small number of lakes around the world.