Both these tunnels are opened for the public to walk through. (During WWll it was modified to become an air-raid shelter). There are two old tunnels that were used to transport workers and goods from one end of the island to the other: The Dog Leg Tunnel, which is 360 metres long and the Straight Tunnel which is the oldest of the two and was built in 1915. When you arrive you can simply explore the island yourself with the help of a map or you can sign-up for one of the guided tours of Cockatoo Island outlined on the official website. Several of these buildings are open for you to explore, including the slipway and factories, some displaying creative exhibits. Today there is no industrial use on the island and, after being off-limits to the public for over a century, you will find parkland and over 70 structures. At present, it is still spotted occasionally in Sydney Harbour. The ship building business continued on until 1979 when the last ship to be built on the island was the HMAS-the largest navy boat to be built in Australia. After the war, the ships were changed back to commercial use. During WWll Cockatoo island was the leading ship repair response in the south-west Pacific. This business grew steadily and between 1880-1900 the Sutherland dry dock was built. It was renamed to Biloela - an aboriginal name meaning Black Cockatoo.īy 1870, shipbuilding and repairing ships was the main industry for Cockatoo island. In 1869 the prisoners were relocated and the prison was transformed into two sections becoming an orphanage and reformatory for girls in 1871. When it was finished The Fitzroy dock was used to serve the British Navy and other ships. Here, convicts were put to intense labour service cutting deep into the sandstone to build structures such as prison barracks, silos for grain storage, official residences, a military guardhouse plus the Fitzroy dry dock built between 18 - 10 painstaking years with the bare hands of convicts who were usually in waist deep water and iron leg shackles. The impressive 18 hectares or 44-acre island was first used by the British in 1839 to house repeating offenders and to alleviate the problem of the overcrowded prisoners on Norfolk Island. This reclaimed industrial area and former home to convicts are rich in history, resulting in it being listed as a World-Heritage-Site listed by UNESCO - (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2010.Ĭockatoo Island is the largest Island in Sydney Harbour. It is a brief 10-minute city ferry ride from Darling Harbour or just over 20 minutes from Circular Quay. Cockatoo Island is situated in the centre of beautiful Sydney Harbour in a very predominate location centralized at the meeting of three waterways.
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