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H.M.S. Sirius Print Page Print this page

22-June-2018
22-June-2018

Photographs supplied by Peter Williams

The bas-relief of the Sirius, commissioned by Mosman Council, commemorates the 200th anniversary of the coming of Europeans to Mosman. It was installed at Mosman Bay in 1989.

A second one was gifted to the people of Norfolk Island by the citizens of Mosman in celebration of their Sister Community relationship and was installed on Norfolk Island in 1990. A third was installed on the Isle of Wight in 1991 celebrating their connections with the Sirius and Friendship status with Mosman. The bronze relief sculptures were made by Dr. Alex Sandor Kolozsy.

In October 1788 the Sirius went on a voyage back around the world to get supplies from Cape Town. The voyage home to Port Jackson very nearly ended in disaster when they encountered severe storms when rounding the south of Tasmania. When she arrived in 1789 the Sirius required a major refitting and was beached on the north side of the harbour at a place that was then referred to as Elbow Cove and Careening Cove, later Great Sirius Cove and eventually Mosman Bay. 

On 19 March 1790 H.M.S. Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet, was wrecked off the reef at Slaughter Bay on Norfolk Island.

Location

Address:Avenue Road, Mosman Wharf, Mosman, 2088
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -33.83734
Long: 151.232938
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Landscape
Sub-Theme:Settlement
Designer:Dr. Alex Kolozsy (Blacktown, NSW)

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Friday 16th June, 1989
Front Inscription
MOSMAN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
H.M.S.  "SIRIUS"
UNVEILED BY 
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES,

REAR ADMIRAL SIR DAVID MARTIN, KCMG., A.O., 
ON 16 JUNE, 1989
H.M.S. "SIRIUS" WAS THE PRINCIPAL NAVAL ESCORT OF THE FIRST FLEET. SHE ARRIVED IN PORT JACKSON FROM PORTSMOUTH ON THE 26 JANUARY 1788 AFTER SAILING VIA TENERIFFE, RIO DE JANEIRO AND CAPE TOWN FOR 184 DAYS, A PASSAGE OF 15,063 NAUTICAL MILES. IN OCTOBER, 1788 H.M.S. "SIRIUS" SET OUT FROM SYDNEY FOR CAPE TOWN VIA CAPE HORN IN ORDER TO OBTAIN PROVISIONS FOR THE FLEDGLING COLONY, WHICH WAS THEN FACING SERIOUS FOOD SHORTAGES. IN THE COURSE OF THIS JOURNEY SHE SAILED 17,566 NAUTICAL MILES AND CIRCUMNAVIGATED THE GLOBE IN 2I9 DAYS, ARRIVING BACK IN PORT JACKSON ON 8 MAY 1789. BY THEN SHE WAS IN SERIOUS NEED OF REPAIR SO ON 19 JUNE, 1789, SHE WAS TAKEN TO A "CONVENIENT COVE SITUATED ON THE NORTH SHORE" WHERE THE CREW WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO BE DISTRACTED. THE COVE BECAME KNOWN AS GREAT SIRIUS COVE, LATER MOSMAN BAY. H.M.S."SIRIUS' REMIANED THERE UNTIL 7 NOVEMBER, 1789. 
THIS SCULPTURE BY ALEX KOLOZSY WAS COMMISSIONED BY MOSMAN COUNCIL TO COMMEMORATE THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMING OF EUROPEANS TO MOSMAN. 
ALD. B.S.J. O`KEEFE, A.M., Q.C.,
MAYOR
ALD D.G.BROCKOFF                              ALD.R.C.CLIVE
CHAIRMAN, "SIRIUS" COMMITTEE       DEPUTY MAYOR
ALD. P.J.BURKE          ALD. Z.F.C.GRAYSPENCE   ALD. D.J.LOPEZ
ALD. R.H. DENGATE   ALD.L.F.HUTLEY                 ALD.K.S.PAGE
ALD.P.J.HARVEY         ALD.R.D.JONES                 ALD.H.C.SCRUBY
B.W.LECKEY                      V.H.R.MAY
CHIEF ENGINEER              TOWN CLERK
Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au