New Cranes at Port Botany

Our new exhibition Botany & the Bay has only just opened yet Botany's relationship to the Bay continues to change before our eyes. These photographs were taken early one August morning by Clarence Jones of the Botany Historical Trust.  They show arrival of four new cranes that will become part of the port's new container terminal. 



According to Sydney Ports, each crane weighs 1,600 tonnes, and has "been designed specifically to operate in the vicinity of Sydney Airport. Rather than the conventional raised booms that would break height restrictions around the airport runways, the cranes use shuttle booms that retract horizontally."

Due to height restrictions and the airport's operation hours, the ship carrying the cranes had to arrive before dawn and "berth by 5am, well inside the airport’s daily curfew of 11pm to 6am. As an extra precaution the third runway was officially closed.”



Here at the museum we primarily research the past, however we must remember history also is happening all around us even as we speak! The fishing village of Booralee might be long gone, but that's not to say locals don't still fish.  Clarence's photographs were taken from Port Botany new boat ramp, and as you can see many people still fish in the Botany.    

All images courtesy of Clarence Jones