Writers Walk dedication plaque minister Peter Collins

The Sydney Writers Walk is a series of 60 circular metal plaques embedded in the footpath between

Overseas Passenger Terminal The Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT), officially the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal, is a passenger terminal located on the western side of Sydney Cove in New South Wales, Australia, which berths cruise ships and ocean liners. The terminal form ...

on West

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...

and the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

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 Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

and

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

, who lived in or visited Australia. Quotes from a significant work and some biographical information about the writer are stamped onto each plaque, along with an excerpt of the author's writing. The walk was created by the

NSW Ministry for the Arts New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in 1991, and the series was extended when a further 11 plaques were added in 2011. However, as one journalist pointed out, the plaques are not updated. For example,

Thea Astley Thea Beatrice May Astley (25 August 1925 – 17 August 2004) was an Australian novelist and short story writer. She was a prolific writer who was published for over 40 years from 1958. At the time of her death, she had won more Miles Franklin ...

'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 Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 191525 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award and nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 196 ...

(d. 2000); A. D. Hope (d.2000); Dorothy Hewett (d.2002), and Ruth Park (d.2010). In 2014 the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

of Sydney Cove published a guide to the Walk.

List

Writers marked with an asterisk * were the subject of plaques added to the Walk in 2011.

References

External links

Monuments Australia – Sydney Writers Walk
{{authority control Walks of fame Cultural depictions of writers Lists of tourist attractions in Sydney Australian literature-related lists Public art in Sydney