Near the entrance to Sydney Harbour, this small beach is one of many around the harbour, and is the site of the landing of the First Fleet in 1788. The composition is based on the large connecting shapes of the landscape with the middle ground as the centre of interest. The white building was originally a marine research centre and is now owned by the Harbour Trust. The overlapping headlands suggest the extent of the harbour with the city just indicated in the far distance. The curve of the beach leads into the middle distance of the painting towards the building, and the varied edges of the trees against the sky, define the shapes of the headland.