Peace of East and West / Monument of Atomic Hope

Two very rare collotype prints by Hardy Wilson made in 1954 of the Monument of Atomic Hope, Kurrajong, New South Wales from his self published book, Kurrajong sit-look-see.

Kurrajong was central to Hardy Wilson’s life, and he had a fantastic vision to transform Kurrajong into a new multicultural city.

He believed that the proper translation of the aboriginal word Kurrajong was “sit, look, see” because that is what the aboriginals used to do from the top of the hill at Kurrajong Heights!

In 1954 he wrote a book and self published it titled, ‘Kurrajong sit-look-see’ not long before he died, in an edition of only 10 copies. He attached large folio drawings to the book, which illustrated his plans for Kurrajong. The only copy of these drawings is in the Australian National Library in Canberra. They, and the book, set out a plan for a new City of Kurrajong, in the State of Kurrajong, which would supplant Sydney. He would start by re-orienting the approaches to the coastal plain, replacing the “Richmond Gate” bridges with a new entry called “Grose Gate”. There would be a high bridge over the Grose River, designed in an elaborate Gothic style, which Hardy Wilson believed was actually of Chinese origin, brought back to Europe by Marco Polo. The road across this bridge and up to the Heights would be called The Atomic Way, and would lead to the summit where the Monument of Atomic Hope, would be situated. It would be mushroom-shaped (he likened it to a Chinese cloud painting). He regarded the atomic mushroom cloud as an object of aesthetic pleasure, and believed in the future of atomic power.

He had grand civic plans for his City of Kurrajong. It would be centred on a Grand Temple of Earth, which would replace all churches. There would be a Central Library (no books, but nonetheless containing all the world’s wisdom) and a Civic Centre. There would be Council Chambers to replace Parliament House in Sydney. The whole city would be built on terraces down the hills from Kurrajong Heights and would replace all existing buildings and developments. There would be massive plantings of red cedars, surrounded by high stone walls to keep out the rampaging eucalypts! Grose Valley would be dammed to provide a water supply. It would be so high that there would be no need for pumping – the whole city would be gravity fed. It was a grand, visionary plan.