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On Occupied Territory Print Page 
The artwork found on the Esplanade opposite Warland Reserve, marks the 200th anniversary of Matthew Flinders meeting with Nicholas Baudin in Encounter Bay in 1802. Standing 15 metres high, the flag poles represent 'Three Worlds' and 'Three Cultures'. The vibrant poles recognise the association between the British, French and Aboriginal cultures entwined through wind and water.
The title refers to the fact that Australia was occupied at the time of the encounter in 1802 despite the inconsistency of the British over whether the continent was occupied or unoccupied. Matthew Flinders charts refer to `Terra Australis` and he acknowledged the local inhabitants as `Australians` in his journal. The artwork is a memorial to the meeting of Captain Flinders and Post Captain Baudin in Ramindjeri Ngarrindjeri Waters. It presents three worlds and three cultures, connected through wind and water.
Location
| Address: | Esplanade, Opposite Warland Reserve, Victor Harbor, 5211 |
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| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.556768 Long: 138.623232 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Art |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 08-April-1802 |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | |
| Actual Event End Date: | 08-April-1802 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | |
| Designer: | Margaret Worth |
| Artist: | Margaret Worth |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 28th March, 2003 |
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ON OCCUPIED TERRITORY
Plaque :
On Occupied Territory
The title refers to the fact that Australia was occupied at the time of the encounter in 1802 despite the inconsistency of the British over whether the continent was occupied or unoccupied by people. Matthew Flinder's charts refer to 'Terra Australis' and he acknowledged the local inhabitants as 'Australians' in his journal.
The artwork is a memorial to the meeting of Captain Flinders and Post Captain Baudin in Ramindjeri Ngarrindjeri Waters .
It represents three worlds and three cultures, connected through wind and water.
· Wind and water shapes the land which in turn shapes the culture.
· The wind brought both Matthew Flinders of Great Britain and Nicholas Baudin of France to the shores of this land.
· They bought with them the 'winds of change'.
The forms are based on ships' rigging, the introduced species of the Norfok Pine and the indigenous Knobby Club Rush.
· The pole in the colours of the Union Jack is topped by a cartographers arrow mounted above an octant. The arrow points to the location of the meeting at sea. The octant commemorates the brilliant navigation and charting skills of Matthew Flinders.
· The pole in the colours of the Tricore is topped by an anemometer and by billowing sails. These elements represent the means by which the ships came from Europe. There were extraordinary artistic and scientific achievements made in the French expedition led by Nicholas Baudin. The moiré effect in the sails is a reference to the bending of the earth`s magnetic field. This had to be taken into account for accuracy when drawing charts for navigation.
· The pole in green and yellow represents the common Knobby Club Rush that grows along the coastline. Bending but not breaking under the force of the prevailing wind, it celebrates the endurance of land and the Aboriginal people.
At certain times the wind may produce an Aeolian sound in the cables. It is a reference to Ngarrindjeri singing of the land.
Artist / Designer: Margaret Worth
John Bowley, Structural Engineer. Alan Whittle, Engineer, wind vanes and knobby club. Ian White, Engineer, poles construction. William Ellis, Builder, installation. Sean Corless, Construction, stainless steel. Shane O`Callaghan, Construction, knobby club. Wayne Wilkes, Industrial coatings. Graham Fryer, Cables and fixings. Jim Semmens, lettering. G.Tregoning, Construction, galvanised steel.
On Occupied Territory
by
Margaret Worth
Commemorating the encounter in 1802 of Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in Ramindjeri Ngarrindjeri waters, now called Encounter Bay.
The Hon. Dean Brown MP
Member for Finniss
officially inaugurated the artwork on 28th March 2003
Speakers :
Mr. George Trevorrow, Rupelle Ngarrindjeri Tendi Mr. John Crompton, Mayor, City of Victor Harbor Mr. Michael Rocard, Member European Union Mr. Anthony Sprake, British Consul General Mr. Paul Caica MP, Representative of the Premier and the Government of South Australia
Sponsored by :
Government of South Australia City of Victor Harbor
Bardavcol Tourism Commission & Australian Major Events
Art SA Victor Harbor Commerce & Tourist Association
Acknowledgement :
Thanks are expressed to the Ngarrindjeri people for their cooperation, interpretive contribution and input to the content of this project
