COCKATOO ISLAND
Cockatoo Island — Wareamah in Dharug language, a place connected with womens business and the waterways of the Wallumedegal, Wangal, Cammeraygal and Gadigal peoples — is the largest island in Sydney Harbour, at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers. From 1839 to 1869 it operated as a convict penal establishment for secondary punishment under Governor Sir George Gipps. Convicts quarried sandstone, built prison structures and dug Fitzroy Dock (opened 1857), Australia’s earliest commenced graving dock and the only surviving dry dock built by convict labour in the country.
Shipbuilding and repair grew from the dockyard era: industrial use ran roughly 1857–1991/92, including a period as a Commonwealth naval dockyard supporting the Royal Australian Navy. Between the convict and industrial peaks the island also housed reformatory and nautical school institutions for young people (c.1871–1911). Remnant convict fabric forms part of the Australian Convict Sites serial property inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010 (with ten other Australian sites).
Since 2001 the island has been managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, which remediates and interprets the convict, dockyard and residential precincts (including Biloela House) for public visiting, camping and events.
Images here sample convict, industrial, dock and residential fabric on Cockatoo Island / Wareamah.
Cockatoo Island In Sydney Harbour, Is One Of The Most Extraordinary Foreshore Site Protected & Managed By The Harbour Trust. In 2010 The Convict Penal Establishment Was Enscribed On The UNESCO World Heritage List, Together With Another 10 Sites Across Australia,
Convict Precinct
In 2010, The Convict Penal Establishment Was Inscribed On The UNESCO World Heritage List, Together With Another 10 Sites Across Australia.
Industrial Precinct
A Powerhouse Of Industry For Over A Century (1857-1991), Cockatoo Island Was Australia's Primary Ship Building & Repair Facility.
Docks Precinct
Cockatoo Island Was The First Naval Dockyard For The Royal Australian Navy (1913-1927) & Continued To Support & Build Ships Until Its Closure in 1991.
Ship Design Precinct
Learn About "Clean Trades" Conducted On The Island & Stop By Some Of The Trade Specific Buildings, Such As The Pattern Shop, Joiner's Shop Or Estimating & Drawing Offices
