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Should anyone here ever visit Sydney, be sure to stop off at Circular Quay (nearly unavoidable, actually) and do look down.
There, at your feet, you will see large, gold medallions, or plaques, embedded into the concrete. Embossed on them are quotes about Australia from famous authors the world over -- mostly Aussies tho' -- as well as a short bio. Certainly not a bad way to spend a half-hour or so while waiting on a ferry; the plaques follow the pathway from the Opera House, past the wharfs, and along the Quay.
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Oz was great, Robyn. Thanks for asking. My wife and I had a great time. I've written a memoir about it -- when's it's proofed, I'll probably post it up somewhere for general review. Stay tuned.
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Around 80, possibly -- don't quote me on that. There's a lot of them, anyway. It does take a while to go through them all. Covers a kilometer / kilometer and a half or so.
We discovered them quite by accident. We had been to Circular Quay a half-dozen times before and didn't see them. Strange, I suppose we don't often look down at our feet.
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Don't know. We've got the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but if there's a Writers Walk in the US, I've never heard of it.
And if there isn't, well, that's rather shameful. Writers are for more important than lowly actors, in my opinion. Any idiot can act. Not everyone can write.
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With that kind of distance being covered, I'd expect there's quite a bit of space between them. That could be why you hadn't noticed them before. They are really cool looking.
Posts: 497 | Registered: Jun 2004
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A kilometer is just about six-tenths of a mile, I think, not really that long. I believe the plaques to be typically 40 feet apart, plus or minus 10 feet. You can usually see the next plaque to visit from the current one you're at... unless other people are standing on the next plaque, of course. You also have to contend with people walking over them when you're trying to read an inscription. Most people were considerate, actually, and sidestepped to avoid doing that.
And really, you only need about a half-hour to allow for reading time. One could walk the entire distance in well under 10 minutes, depending on pace.
Several times while we hovered over a plaque, people would stop and wonder what we were looking at it. Then, once they worked it out, they started their own quest. At one point, there were at least a dozen or so couples following the pathway and reading. It was funny. We were like ants following a chemical trail from one place to the next.
I saw a post from you the other day (I think I posted in right behind you as a matter of fact) but I wasn't sure if you'd returned or just managed a drop-by while on vacation.
What a great find! I've been threatening to visit Sydney/Australia for a long time. When I finally do, this is definitely on the agenda. You're right--if there isn't one of these in the States, there damn-well should be.
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