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Absolutely stunning. One of the most mesmerising cityscapes of this good ol' place.

I agree with alkos23 that is a mesmerising cityscape replete with tobacco advertising - wouldn't happen today!

Those searchlights really add another dimension. Brilliant. And is that Gallaghers and tobacco of some sort being advertised top & mid left too?

this is wonderful! you don't see many "old" photos taken at night!

Player's, the British cigarette company. John Players

I have been looking at this photo for a while and come to the conclusion it must be 42-65341 'big Z 25' from 500BG. This photo was taken later than the one I have, showing 44 bombing missions instead of 43 (the one I have) plus 10 other missions (those male(?) figures at the bottom), vs seven on mine. The final four bombing mission symbols are placed differently but it must be the same aircraft in spite of that..... The number of Japanese fighter claims (seven) are the same. Stig

PS: Photo taken ca Aug 1945 Stig

This may have been taken at Middle Head:

Yes juilong, it is definitely Middle Head, but I think a couple of hundred metres to the north from the 'normal' group of gun emplacements in your photo, because of the black headland on the right of the cannon in the photo. There are more fortifications on the north end of Middle Head, surrounded by thick bush, which show up on Google Maps (satellite). I am trying to work out the geometry and geography. Field trip required! Can anyone date the uniform?

The black headland at the right of the cannon in the photo is not actually a headland. It is an earthen berm which was created to correct a design fault which would have permitted adjacent cannon to fire upon one another without the presence of the berm. This problem was only recognised after the construction of the emplacements and installation of the guns. I've taken two photographs of emplacements nearby, but not this one: www.flickr.com/photos/lifeasdaddy/2911023023/ www.flickr.com/photos/lifeasdaddy/2909598486/in/photostream/ Not that I can precisely identify this cannon, but I've seen lots of photographs of cannon around Sydney in the 1880 to 1910 period, and this is one of the clearest photographs I've ever seen. That's the wonder of lifting the image from a well preserved glass plate negative.

A BERM ?! I just had an Inspector Clouseau moment ! Thanks lifeasdaddy.

Yet another Tom Roberts coincidence, from the Australian War Memorial website: cas.awm.gov.au/PROD/cas_disp_pkg.pr_detailed_scr?surl=434... "Tom Roberts established 'Curlew camp" at Sirius Cove in Mosman by the end of the 1890s. While camped there, concentrating on painting outdoors, Roberts was commissioned to paint three works depicting the New South Wales military forces, commanded by his friend, Major General Edward Thomas Hutton, from 1893 - 1896" Could this photo be a study for one of the paintings?