Sunday 10 October 2010

La Perouse, monument

The eastern suburb of La Perouse, on the northern headland of Botany Bay, was named after the French navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (1741-88). His expedition landed in the bay in January 1788, a few days after the First Fleet of convicts arrived from Britain to establish a colony in Australia. King Louis XVI of France had commissioned Lapérouse to explore the Pacific on a scientific voyage, inspired by the voyages of Captain James Cook. The Laperouse Monument is an obelisk built by the French in 1825 in what is now the Botany Bay National Park, overlooking Frenchmans Bay.

19 comments:

  1. Beautifully maintained area and the bay looks quite inviting!

    Bon weekend,
    Genie

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  2. How terrific that a British nation would build a memorial to a French explorer :)

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  3. I like this, Jim. I did not know he was lost at sea so quickly. In Kate Grenville's 'The Lieutenant' she has a bunch of convicts escape from Sydney Cove and head overland to BB. I had figured to meet up with Laperouse.

    The area was not a NP when the memorial was erected, I don't think because our first NP was the Royal in the 1870s sometime.

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  4. Hi,
    molto bello questo vostro monumento La Perouse.
    Mi piace molto !
    Dalla foto vedo che è ben tenuto e ben pulito !
    Se questo monumento fosse in Italia, non sarebbe ( purtroppo ) così mantenuto in perfette condizioni di pulizia !
    Bella foto.
    Buona giornata :)
    Myriam

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  5. What a great name he called his own. Lots of adventure and trust envolved in this nice monument. A great picture. Please have a good Sunday.


    daily athens

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  6. Quite true, Julie. I believe the Botany Bay National Park was only declared a national park in 1984.

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  7. Ann, the Brits were already setting up colonies at this time, but this continent may have been a lot different if the French set up colonies here too.

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  8. Marvelous capture and such a beautiful place! I always enjoy the history! It makes shadows and everything else all the more interesting! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Jim!

    Sylvia

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  9. Wonderful photo, thanks for the history :)

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  10. lovely spot, we used to go fishing down that way somewhere

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  11. Cool shot, Jim. Nice lighting. And I really didn't know there was so much of the French in tour history, Interesting.

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  12. Wow, beautiful photo! Greatly captured.

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  13. The Monument was commissioned by Hyacinth de Bougainville in 1825. He laid the Foundation Stone on 6/9/1825 and paid Captain Piper to oversee construction of this and Receveur Tomb. Governor Brisbane, an astronomer, granted the land. Kate Grenville in her book claimed the first observatory was that of her Lieutenant (Dawes) but it was in fact the French scientist Dagelet. He also provided advice for Dawes. Napoleon, a pupil of Dagelet applied to the expedition but was turned down. The French also made the first geological observations, the first celebrations of Christian services, the first garden, the first wooden boat building. There are celebrations for Receveur in February, National Trust Festival in April, Foundation Day in September, Bastille Day. The Friends of the Laperouse Museum website is www.laperousemuseum.wordpress.com

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