Southern Crossways - Sydney, 1931

[Music] Sydney's Harbor reputedly ranks with those of Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro as the most beautiful in the world observed from the air it manifestly does not average a mile in width though its water Frontage due to the many bays and Coes totals 188 miles Sydney is situated on the East Coast of Australia and is the island continent's largest city with a population of 1 and a/4 million our ship of Dreams has passed the heads and is sidling along circular key back of and above which is the new Harbor Bridge with a span of 1650 ft the largest single arch in the world This Magnificent structure when completed will link North Sydney with the business Heart of the City visible in the distance being as far south of the Equator as Los angales is north of it Sydney is just as popular for its hundreds of Bungalow homes its radiant sunshine and its Great Outdoors in Australia they say Adelaide for culture Melbourne for business and Sydney for pleasure no other City anywhere as so many fine beaches within easy distance or perhaps so many windome nymphs of such naive T and charm as is this one one of the most popular beaches haunt of possibly 15 ,000 on a Sunday afternoon in January is Midsummer below the equator is that at Bondi famous for its wonderful surfing this one like all the others has a volunteer life-saving Club the members of which those serving without pay are expert swimmers who regularly Patrol the beach and Mark with flags where bathing may be enjoyed safe from sharks and undertoe on occasion competitive life-saving exhibitions are held during which the young men enthusiastically demonstrate how they in their spare time Safeguard the lives of thousands during the last season alone records show that they saved no less than 18,300 lives the leg movement which at first seems a bit theatrical actually is the only free and natural manner of enabling the feet to advance through sand or water try it yourself sometime as soon as the prospective patient has proceeded 100 yards or so into the surf a starting signal sends them off to the rescue one member of the team having dawned the belt swims out to the patient as three others pay out the line to him each one is a fine specimen of veral Young Manhood who by submitting himself to regular training and discipline not only is improving in physique skill and stamina but is enlisting in that augmenting army of Australian athletes that will make the world look to its Laurels One of These Fine Olympic days the rescue having been affected the linesmen carry the patient well upon the beach for resuscitation in these contests the judging is on a basis of 100 points 304 speed 304 efficiency 304 resuscitation and 10 for General discipline so Keen are these young men for the sheer honor of winning that I doubt that a more inspiring spectacle can be witnessed anywhere than when 500 or more of them each one attested swim and a qualified Lifesaver takes part in the annual Championship carnival at such a time they look as indeed they are one of the greatest voluntary Humane organizations in the world the minut at hand of this floral clock moves every 15 seconds operated by a system of weights and balances similar to the one in Edinburgh Scotland this contrivance also keeps actual time it is in Tanga Park Sydney in my um opinion the finest Zoological Garden in the world black swans are found only in Western Australia though the conspicuous Pelican may be encountered elsewhere dens caves pools and thickets occupy 60 Acres artistically laid out on a hill slope overlooking the harbor a romantic pair of Australian seals have a love tank all to themselves and Peacock Alley is all that it should be somehow these proud creatures though presumably masculine seem to be endowed with every feminine Instinct save one they can't talk but even before we turn the corner what woman calls intuition has told them that a camera is coming what a Pity that such beauty must yield to the parrot the liar bird in the kakatu all Australian but all so blatant that they're in the Takis now the Emu unknown outside Australia has no earthly value being without wings plumage or edible flesh unan special Bower is a bevy of flamingos but the one thing that everyone who comes to this land of living fossils wants to see is a platapus strangest of all known animals it has a furry body and tail like a beaver a broad Bill like a duck and four web de feat with cloth the female lays eggs yet suckles its young even those who have seen it won't believe it probably the oldest of Australian animals is the dingo or wild dog cunning in intelligent Savage but the best known is undoubtedly the kangaroo prehistoric equivalent of the deer not so many years ago they roamed the GL Plains in great mobs but Sportsmen and fur Merchants have so reduced their numbers that they are now protected by law as are supal the females have pouches in their breasts for the youngsters who like children prefer riding with head and both feet out the window though Australia is called The White Man's continent about 60,000 Aborigines tall graceful muscular black fellows still survive they have given to the world their famous weapon the boomerang this one is more of a play thing which if thrown against a light Breeze will describe a Wide Circle and return to the throwers feet heavier and straighter ones were used in war and others for hunting could be cast with deadly Precision even curling about a tree to fell a flying bird probably asleep high up in a gum tree within a Park just north of Sydney are a few of Australia's quaintest and most lovable animals they are koalas or native bears looking exactly like teddy bears come to life they subsist exclusively on the tenderest leaves of a certain eucalypt consequently metal belts preclude their ascending trees which they should not eat or from which they cannot be uh rescued occasionally essentially AR Boreal they dislike venturing above the ground but always descend or when they do backwards they have prominent black noses large bushy ears powerful arms and Claws and no tail they retain a Perpetual expression of intelligent and amiable surprise as the koala is also a marsupial the baby grows up in the mother's pouch but becomes a bearback rider on climbing Expeditions Bobby is Chief attendant of these absurd Little Creatures he fondles and Pampers them and they pull at his clothes until it looks as if Bobby were bare all over but Bobby sticks it out and they stick to Bobby just as Sheep and Wool are the oldest Industries in the world so they are in this new country the first 29 sheep were imported in 1788 the year in which Sydney was founded and in 1930 there were 105 million about 1 16 of the world's flocks producing more than 1/4 of the world's wool indicating that Australian sheep yield twice as much wool as sheep elsewhere these are all marinos a Hardy breed that likes the climate despite the periodic fleecing it gets however it does produce an exceptionally heavy staple of a good quality wool cattle provide another prominent industry for dairy purposes in the South and for fresh or tined beef on the high grasslands of the north where one ranch or station of 13 ,000 square miles is reputed to be the largest in the world among Australia's many surprises are its camels which however are not native having been imported together with their hosah drivers from Afghanistan during the gold R in the late 80s thus the call of the East lures us on our way to some other glittering Port of Call