Without doubt, it is perfectly positioned. On a green hill overlooking a rocky shoreline, it is an exquisitely shaped vessel. Painted brilliant white, it matches the colour of the crests of water washing over the sun-bleached stone beach. From a distance, it is a monument that deserves admiration.
But it is so much more than that. In a light breeze, the ship starts to talk. Air rushes along its contours and through carefully designed holes along its length. Its hum becomes a song as the wind increases. As its voice rises and tails with the seaborne breeze, I cannot help but look around. Surely there must be someone playing this instrument but it is only the elements.
After just a few minutes, I find myself hypnotised by its serenade and am disappointed when the wind drops far enough to silence it. My mind wills the air to gust again so that I can hear this siren’s song. I am teased by its occasional bursts.
41 years this monument has stood at Emu Park. Commissioned to celebrate the bicentenary of Captain Cook’s “discovery” of Australian in 1770, it was designed, built and paid for by locals. If I was one of them, I would be proud of this testament to Australian exploration.
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