Although I have been known to describe a cruise ship as ‘a vast Petri dish of disease’, I wouldn’t have gone as far as to say that we should stay in a Quarantine Station following our five night sojourn into Tasmanian waters, however this is where we find ourselves after disembarkation.
The Sydney Quarantine Station is located on North Head, a sandstone cliff towering 80 metres above sea level at the entrance to Sydney harbour. The metamorphosis from the harsh reality of a Quarantine Station to today’s peaceful accommodation and conference centre is a compelling tale of survival, adaptation and sustainability. In addition to this the chance to purchase a Scoopon voucher made staying here very amenable indeed! In answer to your unspoken query, we did not bring any communicable diseases with us (or at least I don’t think so - I mean, who has even heard of Foot and Mouth disease?). If it involves talking too much or being a bit footsore from exploring the outer reaches of Deck 17, then maybe we could be accused of the same! The site is today listed on both State and Commonwealth Heritage Registers as an integral element of North Head, with its Aboriginal, natural and cultural significance.
This is the longest continuously operating Quarantine Station in the country. The Station was functional from the 1830’s to 1984. A Quarantine Station was for many, the beginning of a new life in Australia after making the arduous and lengthy journey from their homelands. Ships which were suspected of carrying people infected with contagious diseases such as Spanish influenza, Smallpox or Bubonic plague were quarantined here so that these deadly diseases would not reach the general population in Sydney. Ultimately a success story for the growing Sydney population, it did however leave an indelible mark on those that were quarantined - personal tales of love and loss play out alongside themes of cultural and social change, medical history and process abound. It’s well known that many Australians are ‘not fussy’, about their expectations, but the connotations of staying here ‘take the cake’ in that regard, given that previous occupants suffered Typus fever, Flu pandemic and Rheumatic and Scarlet fevers at times! Of course there is no threat of any sort today and the rooms and facilities have been upgraded to meet usual tourism standards whilst still maintaining the integrity of this historic site.
Before the development of modern medicine, infectious diseases posed a major public health threat. The only known means of protecting communities from outbreaks was to isolate sufferers and those with whom they had been in contact. Quarantine could be a frightening and traumatic experience. Separated from healthy family members, those in quarantine had no way of knowing whether they would ever see their loved ones again. Many children left the quarantine station as orphans, and some women left as widows, finding themselves alone in a strange country with no means of support. Medical prevention measures such as Small pox vaccinations became mandatory for all prospective emigrants, during the operations of this Station and that together with an improved diet, sanitary arrangements and hospital accommodation, many were restored to good health.
The Station’s quarantine zone was delineated by 12 convict built stone cairns extending across the high grounds. The quarantined were prohibited from passing beyond these points. Only one of these cairns remains today, standing sentinel to the many who arrived on our much anticipated and chosen shore but then developed symptoms of disease or lost their young children. Children represented by far the greatest number of deaths, most under the age of seven. Presumably these cherished children represented the future for their families in this strange new land.
Vessels carrying cases of disease were initially isolated and anchored offshore until medical officers deemed there was no longer any threat of disease to the local settlement. Of the 375 immigrants and crew aboard “The Constitution” which arrived from Southampton in May 1855, all were quarantined for 65 days. One passenger, a Charles Moore kept a diary that provides some insight into the quarantine experience. Moore recounts one occasion when “the Harmony” hospital ship’s bell tolled following the death of “a poor woman that was locked jawed”. Those on the Healthy ground (on the hill with stiff breezes to promote robust health) had to “keep back while the Corps came up the hill” on their way to the Second Cemetery, which was out of bounds to all. “Her daughter died two days later, and was “buried in a box”. Moore also describes how the corpse of a young women sewed up in a blanket was carried up the slopes and past the buildings on the Healthy Ground for interment in the Second Cemetery. A bell had been rung on the ship as a warning to the quarantined to keep their distance while this took place. As boredom and the lack of privacy set in, Moore wrote that “We are getting tired of this place”. Newly arrived migrant workers from Europe and their personal baggage were put through stringent decontamination processes so that Foot and Mouth disease did not re-enter Australia. In the 1950’s imported coir matting and other goods that may have come into contract with infectious disease were disinfected in the Station’s large English-made autoclaves.
The Station was again used following the 1974 devastation wrought by Cyclone Tracy in Darwin. 213 evacuees were stationed there until accommodation for them could be found. In April the following year, 115 of 215 Vietnamese orphans aged between three months and 10 years and evacuated by the Federal Government shortly before the fall of Saigon, were housed in the facility before being united with their new adoptive parents.
Likewise we are ‘stationed’ in the First Class building and in between our cosy suite and our friend’s accommodation is a First Class dining room elegantly furnished with antique polished timber cabinets laden with silverware which would have delivered meals to similarly ‘polished’ palettes on a daily basis. Today, we will walk a short distance to an alternate dining room where a buffet breakfast will be partaken with fellow (detainees) diners. If anybody coughs, I’m going to bonk them over the head (this will be my own personal and I hope, quite efficient form of quarantine). We were not required to undergo a decontamination shower upon our arrival as those arriving from distant shores did in 1926. It was believed that ‘taking in the healthful breezes and dipping one’s toes in the cool water was a very agreeable way to spend the day.’ I think I will soon agree.
During the Smallpox epidemic of 1881 the Quarantine Station was used to isolate Sydney residents; 104 Sydneysiders were forcibly detained. The threat of Bubonic plague was identified during the late nineteenth century as being carried along sea routes by plague-infested rats and was spreading fast across the world. The quarantine barrier in Sydney was broken when rats escaped from moored vessels to the Darling Harbour wharves. The first case of Bubonic plague appeared in January 1900; it was the first of twelve outbreaks in Sydney between 1900 and 1925. In 1897 the role of rats as plague carriers was discounted however in April 1900, the government’s principal Assistant Medical Officer discovered the plague bacillus in fleas on dead rats in Sydney leading to rat-catching throughout the city where two pence was given per dead rat. In 1918, pneumonic influenza (popularly known as Spanish flu) spread throughout the world. When it reached New Zealand, it was immediately declared a quarantinable disease in Australia. All arriving vessels were subject to quarantine for a mandatory period of up to seven days and detainees were subject to a daily ‘thermometer parade’.
Between November 1918 and March 1919, a total of 110 ships carrying over 12,000 people were quarantined in Point Jackson. One one occasion as many as 12 ships were moored in Spring Cove. Fifteen ships in total had infected people aboard, with 70 people dying at the Quarantine Station, including 14 servicemen, two army nurses, nine Italian reservists and one member of quarantine staff. In January 1919, influenza broke through the quarantine barrier and infected Sydney residents. Family members were prohibited from seeing their quarantined relatives and had to rely on lists published daily in the newspapers describing the condition of the patients in the Station’s hospital.
In 1984 Sydney’s Quarantine Station was the last one throughout the country to close. By the end of its tenure, the Station had seen 580 vessels and more than 13,000 people quarantined. An estimated 572 unfortunate people never got to leave - they are buried in the three cemeteries located within the grounds.
Today’s modern times will avail us of the opportunity to spy many Brush tail possums and Short-beaked Echidnas as night falls like a curtain on the surrounding buildings. Long-nosed Bandicoots will also fossick around in the underbrush; but its the ghostly inhabitants that I do not relish seeing should I wander around after dark! Following 150 years of misfortune and untimely deaths, stories of pain, loss and suffering - the tales of restless spirits told by those who live and work in the area cannot all be fabricated. Sad that those who came to our shores to start new lives, never left them and that their lives were never what they’d anticipated, however their deaths did help to form our robust inoculation program, stringent health practices and smoother quarantine processes when required, so perhaps their deaths were not in vain after all.
The Sydney Quarantine Station is located on North Head, a sandstone cliff towering 80 metres above sea level at the entrance to Sydney harbour. The metamorphosis from the harsh reality of a Quarantine Station to today’s peaceful accommodation and conference centre is a compelling tale of survival, adaptation and sustainability. In addition to this the chance to purchase a Scoopon voucher made staying here very amenable indeed! In answer to your unspoken query, we did not bring any communicable diseases with us (or at least I don’t think so - I mean, who has even heard of Foot and Mouth disease?). If it involves talking too much or being a bit footsore from exploring the outer reaches of Deck 17, then maybe we could be accused of the same! The site is today listed on both State and Commonwealth Heritage Registers as an integral element of North Head, with its Aboriginal, natural and cultural significance.
This is the longest continuously operating Quarantine Station in the country. The Station was functional from the 1830’s to 1984. A Quarantine Station was for many, the beginning of a new life in Australia after making the arduous and lengthy journey from their homelands. Ships which were suspected of carrying people infected with contagious diseases such as Spanish influenza, Smallpox or Bubonic plague were quarantined here so that these deadly diseases would not reach the general population in Sydney. Ultimately a success story for the growing Sydney population, it did however leave an indelible mark on those that were quarantined - personal tales of love and loss play out alongside themes of cultural and social change, medical history and process abound. It’s well known that many Australians are ‘not fussy’, about their expectations, but the connotations of staying here ‘take the cake’ in that regard, given that previous occupants suffered Typus fever, Flu pandemic and Rheumatic and Scarlet fevers at times! Of course there is no threat of any sort today and the rooms and facilities have been upgraded to meet usual tourism standards whilst still maintaining the integrity of this historic site.
Before the development of modern medicine, infectious diseases posed a major public health threat. The only known means of protecting communities from outbreaks was to isolate sufferers and those with whom they had been in contact. Quarantine could be a frightening and traumatic experience. Separated from healthy family members, those in quarantine had no way of knowing whether they would ever see their loved ones again. Many children left the quarantine station as orphans, and some women left as widows, finding themselves alone in a strange country with no means of support. Medical prevention measures such as Small pox vaccinations became mandatory for all prospective emigrants, during the operations of this Station and that together with an improved diet, sanitary arrangements and hospital accommodation, many were restored to good health.
The Station’s quarantine zone was delineated by 12 convict built stone cairns extending across the high grounds. The quarantined were prohibited from passing beyond these points. Only one of these cairns remains today, standing sentinel to the many who arrived on our much anticipated and chosen shore but then developed symptoms of disease or lost their young children. Children represented by far the greatest number of deaths, most under the age of seven. Presumably these cherished children represented the future for their families in this strange new land.
Vessels carrying cases of disease were initially isolated and anchored offshore until medical officers deemed there was no longer any threat of disease to the local settlement. Of the 375 immigrants and crew aboard “The Constitution” which arrived from Southampton in May 1855, all were quarantined for 65 days. One passenger, a Charles Moore kept a diary that provides some insight into the quarantine experience. Moore recounts one occasion when “the Harmony” hospital ship’s bell tolled following the death of “a poor woman that was locked jawed”. Those on the Healthy ground (on the hill with stiff breezes to promote robust health) had to “keep back while the Corps came up the hill” on their way to the Second Cemetery, which was out of bounds to all. “Her daughter died two days later, and was “buried in a box”. Moore also describes how the corpse of a young women sewed up in a blanket was carried up the slopes and past the buildings on the Healthy Ground for interment in the Second Cemetery. A bell had been rung on the ship as a warning to the quarantined to keep their distance while this took place. As boredom and the lack of privacy set in, Moore wrote that “We are getting tired of this place”. Newly arrived migrant workers from Europe and their personal baggage were put through stringent decontamination processes so that Foot and Mouth disease did not re-enter Australia. In the 1950’s imported coir matting and other goods that may have come into contract with infectious disease were disinfected in the Station’s large English-made autoclaves.
The Station was again used following the 1974 devastation wrought by Cyclone Tracy in Darwin. 213 evacuees were stationed there until accommodation for them could be found. In April the following year, 115 of 215 Vietnamese orphans aged between three months and 10 years and evacuated by the Federal Government shortly before the fall of Saigon, were housed in the facility before being united with their new adoptive parents.
Likewise we are ‘stationed’ in the First Class building and in between our cosy suite and our friend’s accommodation is a First Class dining room elegantly furnished with antique polished timber cabinets laden with silverware which would have delivered meals to similarly ‘polished’ palettes on a daily basis. Today, we will walk a short distance to an alternate dining room where a buffet breakfast will be partaken with fellow (detainees) diners. If anybody coughs, I’m going to bonk them over the head (this will be my own personal and I hope, quite efficient form of quarantine). We were not required to undergo a decontamination shower upon our arrival as those arriving from distant shores did in 1926. It was believed that ‘taking in the healthful breezes and dipping one’s toes in the cool water was a very agreeable way to spend the day.’ I think I will soon agree.
During the Smallpox epidemic of 1881 the Quarantine Station was used to isolate Sydney residents; 104 Sydneysiders were forcibly detained. The threat of Bubonic plague was identified during the late nineteenth century as being carried along sea routes by plague-infested rats and was spreading fast across the world. The quarantine barrier in Sydney was broken when rats escaped from moored vessels to the Darling Harbour wharves. The first case of Bubonic plague appeared in January 1900; it was the first of twelve outbreaks in Sydney between 1900 and 1925. In 1897 the role of rats as plague carriers was discounted however in April 1900, the government’s principal Assistant Medical Officer discovered the plague bacillus in fleas on dead rats in Sydney leading to rat-catching throughout the city where two pence was given per dead rat. In 1918, pneumonic influenza (popularly known as Spanish flu) spread throughout the world. When it reached New Zealand, it was immediately declared a quarantinable disease in Australia. All arriving vessels were subject to quarantine for a mandatory period of up to seven days and detainees were subject to a daily ‘thermometer parade’.
Between November 1918 and March 1919, a total of 110 ships carrying over 12,000 people were quarantined in Point Jackson. One one occasion as many as 12 ships were moored in Spring Cove. Fifteen ships in total had infected people aboard, with 70 people dying at the Quarantine Station, including 14 servicemen, two army nurses, nine Italian reservists and one member of quarantine staff. In January 1919, influenza broke through the quarantine barrier and infected Sydney residents. Family members were prohibited from seeing their quarantined relatives and had to rely on lists published daily in the newspapers describing the condition of the patients in the Station’s hospital.
In 1984 Sydney’s Quarantine Station was the last one throughout the country to close. By the end of its tenure, the Station had seen 580 vessels and more than 13,000 people quarantined. An estimated 572 unfortunate people never got to leave - they are buried in the three cemeteries located within the grounds.
Today’s modern times will avail us of the opportunity to spy many Brush tail possums and Short-beaked Echidnas as night falls like a curtain on the surrounding buildings. Long-nosed Bandicoots will also fossick around in the underbrush; but its the ghostly inhabitants that I do not relish seeing should I wander around after dark! Following 150 years of misfortune and untimely deaths, stories of pain, loss and suffering - the tales of restless spirits told by those who live and work in the area cannot all be fabricated. Sad that those who came to our shores to start new lives, never left them and that their lives were never what they’d anticipated, however their deaths did help to form our robust inoculation program, stringent health practices and smoother quarantine processes when required, so perhaps their deaths were not in vain after all.