Day 350 / 2016 - Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour

Over the number of times we have been to Sydney Anne had always wanted to visit Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour as this was where her Opa use to work. This trip we decided to make time and pay a visit.

Cockatoo Island is the largest Island in Sydney Harbour and is located within the Paramatta river system. The only way to get there is by one of the regular public ferry's that stop there on they way to Parramatta. Once you are on the island if you have not been there before call into the Information centre and get some advice from staff there. We decided on the self guided audio tour which for $5.00 each you are given an audio device and map. You walk around the island following a trail and at select points you press the corresponding number on your audio device and hear a commentary on that area. Cockatoo Island started off as a convict island where prisoners were incarated. When the prison population grew to large to be housed there they were relocated and then the island became a reform school for wayward girls. After that it was transformed into an industrial powerhouse where ships were built.

The island is on two levels, the upper level housed the convict barracks and later the administration and some of the prefabrication workshops for the ship building and the lower level was where all the heavy construction workshops and dry docks are. There are two tunnels built through the sandstone rock to allow people to get from one side of the island to the other instead of walking over the top. In its busiest time which was during WW2 the island had over 5,000 employees working there repairing damaged or building new allied ships. Everything was manufactured on the island from laying the keel to final fitout. The island was also used for the refit of the Oberon Class submarine in the early late 80's. After the completion of the refit project ship building on Cockatoo Island ceased in 1992.

Now as a tourist attraction you can visit the island and wander through some of the remaining buildings, workshops and dry dock areas. Anne tried to imagine where her Opa use to work. He was a trades assistant but she was not sure what trade so he could have been in any one of the workshops. Most of the machinery was sold off and 40 of the buildings have been demolished but there is still many artifacts of convict and ship building era's. You are also able to camp on the island with accomodation from apartments to Glamping in tents. Cockatoo Island is extremely popular (and exspensive) during NYE fireworks as it offers one of the best overal views of the event.