Harbour Week
Sydney Harbour Week begins on Sunday and ties in with Clean Up Australia Day. There are plenty of activities through the week from organised rockpool rambles to a 15km kayak and surf ski paddle from Manly to Darling Harbour.

This Sunday there will be a Ferry and Workboat Challenge, starting at 1pm with a canon fired off the stern of the old destroyer Vampire at the National Maritime Museum. About 40 of the Harbour's working class boats will turn out for a run out into the Harbour, around Fort Denison and back to the Museum.

Visit Sydney Harbour Week at http://www.sydneyharbourweek.com.au/shw/text/welcome.html or phone 9240 8861.

Distance Swimmer
They'll need to keep a good lookout for a young distance swimmer. Deke Zimmerman, is going to swim from Parramatta to Manly on Sunday ( Clean Up Australia Day). It is the first time anyone has attempted the 35km swim. He will be starting from the Parramatta Wharf at 7.45am and will have several escort boats including an "ambo" on board. He hopes to finish at Manly Cove at 3.30pm, weather and tide permitting. The Swim is being organised by Beecroft Rotary who hope to raise $60,000 for the Royal North Shore Hospital Haematology Unit.

What Lies Beneath Sydney Harbour
One of the more academic events is the What Lies Beneath Sydney Harbour Forum on Monday night from Twilight seminar hosted by Clean Up Australia's Ian Kiernan, with Professor Tony Underwood from University of Sydney, and Geoff Ross from the National Parks & Wildlife Service. Location: Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay. Cost: $20 per person. Bookings: phone 9240 8861

Visit Sydney Harbour Week at http://www.sydneyharbourweek.com.au/shw/text/welcome.html or phone 9240 8861.

Survey of the wreck of Centurion
The Waterways Harbour Cleaning Service has had a name change and are now called Waterways Environmental Services. Normally they spend their time pulling debris and rubbish from the harbour. Next week, however, they will be assisting the NSW Heritage Office in an underwater survey of the wrecked Centurion.

Centurion was wrecked on 16 January 1887.The Centurion is one of the most interesting shipwreck dives in Sydney Harbour. It rests on the bottom in around 18m of water off Canae Point and almost under the route of the Manly ferry.

The Centurion was a timber barquentine, square-rigged on three masts. She was built in Scotland, in 1869 and measured 63 meters LOA and 1004 tons gross. Her builder was the shipwright, Walter Hood, who also built the Fame, Queen of Nations and Walter Hood, and it appears all wrecked in NSW.

Today the remains include a substantial portion of the hull (buried), deck frames, sections of the masts, anchor chain and other fastenings.

Visit Maritime Heritage website http://maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au

For more information call Waterways Public Affairs on 0418 167 812 or 0418 279 465