Coordinates: 33°51′46″S 151°14′28″E / 33.86278°S 151.24111°E / -33.86278; 151.24111 Clark Island is a small island in Sydney Harbour, lying on the coast of New South Wales, Australia. Forming part of the Sydney Harbour National Park, the island lies offshore of the Sydney suburb of Darling Point, in the eastern section of the harbour between the Harbour Bridge and the harbour entrance. It is 0.9 hectares in area. Although the island is uninhabited, facilities include picnic tables, toilets, and drinking water. No ferry services operate to the island.
The island derives its name from Lieutenant Ralph Clark, an officer of the First Fleet. In the early days of New South Wales, naval officers were allowed to keep their own vegetable gardens, which were tended by convicts. Clark established one such garden on the island, which was unsuccessful as any produce was soon stolen as a result of the limited rations available at the time. In February 1790, Clark noted that "some Boat had landed since I had been there last and taken away the greatest part … it is impossible for any body to attempt to raise any Garden stuff here, before it comes to perfection they will steal it.
Famous quotes containing the words clark, island and/or south:
“The measure of your quality as a public person, as a citizen, is the gap between what you do and what you say.”
—Ramsey Clark (b. 1927)
“We crossed a deep and wide bay which makes eastward north of Kineo, leaving an island on our left, and keeping to the eastern side of the lake. This way or that led to some Tomhegan or Socatarian stream, up which the Indian had hunted, and whither I longed to go. The last name, however, had a bogus sound, too much like sectarian for me, as if a missionary had tampered with it; but I knew that the Indians were very liberal. I think I should have inclined to the Tomhegan first.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The Great South Beach of Long Island,... though wild and desolate, as it wants the bold bank,... possesses but half the grandeur of Cape Cod in my eyes, nor is the imagination contented with its southern aspect.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)