Sydney Writers Walk

Dedication plaque for Sydney Writers Walk 13 February 1991
Map
Map

The Sydney Writers Walk is a series of 60 circular metal plaques embedded in the footpath between Overseas Passenger Terminal on West Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House forecourt on East Circular Quay.

The plaques were installed to honour and celebrate the lives and works of well-known Australian writers, as well as notable overseas authors, such as D. H. Lawrence, Joseph Conrad and Mark Twain, who lived in or visited Australia.[1] Quotes from a significant work and some biographical information about the writer are stamped onto each plaque,[2] along with an excerpt of the author's writing.[3]

West Circular Quay, with the plaque of Christina Stead; Museum of Contemporary Art (left), Sydney Harbour Bridge (background)

The walk was created by the NSW Ministry for the Arts in 1991, and the series was extended when a further 11 plaques were added in 2011.[4][5] However, as one journalist pointed out, the plaques are not updated.[6] For example, Thea Astley's plaque gives the year she was born (1925) but there is no reference to her death in 2004. The same is true for Oodgeroo Noonuccal, who died in 1993; Judith Wright (d. 2000); A. D. Hope (d.2000); Dorothy Hewett (d.2002), and Ruth Park (d.2010).

In 2014 the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove published a guide to the Walk.[7]

  1. ^ Diamond, Jill (April 2002). "Walking books [Literary tourism is taking off in a big way.]". Australian Author. 34 (1): 17–21.
  2. ^ "The Sydney Writers Walk inscriptions". www.websterworld.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  3. ^ Hicks, Megan (2009). "City of Epitaphs" (PDF). Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research. 1 (2): 453–465. doi:10.3384/cu.2000.1525.09126453. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Sydney Writers Walk". www.weekendnotes.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  5. ^ Souris M.P., George (24 October 2011). "Tribute to the Literary Greats on Sydney Writers Walk" (PDF). create.nsw.gov.au. Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing; Minister for the Arts. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  6. ^ Gorman, James (16 April 2014). "'Circular Quay's Writers Walk Plaques out of Date for Deceased Australian Authors'". Daily Telegraph.
  7. ^ Cherry, Roger; Rotary Club of Sydney Cove (issuing body.) (2014), Sydney Cove : writers walk plaques : the guide, [Sydney, New South Wales] Rotary Club of Sydney Cove, ISBN 978-0-646-91791-7