The idea of writing a book on the history of Sydney Harbour came to me three or four years into my role as historian for North Sydney Council. The local government area that I research, write and talk about in my book is only 10 square kilometres, but it features some 35 kilometres of foreshore – along both the harbour’s main stream and Middle Harbour, to the north.
Development and gentrification
The significance of the harbour to the development of North Sydney was immediately apparent. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was particularly important in unfolding ‘brand recognition’, becoming the first Australian landmark. Before the bridge’s completion in 1932, there was no one image
