History (more to be read at Visit Cockatoo Island / Wareamah in Sydney | Cockatoo Island)
Cockatoo Island, located in Sydney Harbour, Australia, has a varied history spanning from its Indigenous origins to its current status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Before European settlement, the island was known as 'Wareamah' by the Eora people, the native Aboriginal tribe of the Sydney region, who used it as a meeting place and fishing spot.
In 1839, the British colonial government established a penal settlement on Cockatoo Island (I too, appreciate the irony of a penal colony within a penal colony). Between 1839 and 1869, Cockatoo Island operated as a convict penal establishment, primarily as a place of secondary punishment for convicts who had re-offended in the colonies.
Convicts were employed in constructing barracks, grain silos, and a dry dock, contributing significantly to the colony's infrastructure. The Fitzroy Dock, Australia's first dry dock and one of it's biggest shipyards crucial to the efforts in both World Wars, was completed in 1857 and operated until 1991.
In July 2010, UNESCO proclaimed Cockatoo Island as a World Heritage Site, and has been managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust since 2001.
The explore
Cockatoo is maintained as museum and I was naturally keen to have a look around. The majority of the site is open to access and there's a lot to see, truly photos barely do the place justice.
That said, there are several buildings locked away from the public. It's varied what's in these, mostly nothing but a few have old rusted machinery. However, covered in large windows which means you're likely to be seen if you get in by passersby or your torch is if you go at night. That said, you can camp overnight and the island is virtually uninhabited save for a few campers - but beware, if you miss the final boat it's a cold night! (although it's also a beautiful sunset).
The jewel in the crown of the sealed buildings was the power station - clearly it was a former part of the site as it still had the museum cords and signs for audioguides but from the dust it hadn't been used in some time.
Cockatoo
The Turbine Shop
The Power Station... but how to get in....
Power Station annexe
Power Station proper
Good thing this was only for this section, I made a point of avoiding this specific bit of floor
Call in case GLaDOS wakes up
I set myself a little mission with these keys, they were scattered all over the plant and I tried to find as many as possible to put back
Signage
These crazy looking lighbulb-come-alien-breeders are 'Mercury-Arc Valves' which were used back in the day for converting AC into DC to power what was on the island. Each of the doors on the green cabinet with 'Rectifier Unit No. 1' on it had one of these in it.
More of the plant
Not at all an unnerving thing to just find lying on a worktop... feeling lucky, punk?
Cockatoo Island, located in Sydney Harbour, Australia, has a varied history spanning from its Indigenous origins to its current status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Before European settlement, the island was known as 'Wareamah' by the Eora people, the native Aboriginal tribe of the Sydney region, who used it as a meeting place and fishing spot.
In 1839, the British colonial government established a penal settlement on Cockatoo Island (I too, appreciate the irony of a penal colony within a penal colony). Between 1839 and 1869, Cockatoo Island operated as a convict penal establishment, primarily as a place of secondary punishment for convicts who had re-offended in the colonies.
Convicts were employed in constructing barracks, grain silos, and a dry dock, contributing significantly to the colony's infrastructure. The Fitzroy Dock, Australia's first dry dock and one of it's biggest shipyards crucial to the efforts in both World Wars, was completed in 1857 and operated until 1991.
In July 2010, UNESCO proclaimed Cockatoo Island as a World Heritage Site, and has been managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust since 2001.
The explore
Cockatoo is maintained as museum and I was naturally keen to have a look around. The majority of the site is open to access and there's a lot to see, truly photos barely do the place justice.
That said, there are several buildings locked away from the public. It's varied what's in these, mostly nothing but a few have old rusted machinery. However, covered in large windows which means you're likely to be seen if you get in by passersby or your torch is if you go at night. That said, you can camp overnight and the island is virtually uninhabited save for a few campers - but beware, if you miss the final boat it's a cold night! (although it's also a beautiful sunset).
The jewel in the crown of the sealed buildings was the power station - clearly it was a former part of the site as it still had the museum cords and signs for audioguides but from the dust it hadn't been used in some time.
Cockatoo
The Turbine Shop
The Power Station... but how to get in....
Power Station annexe
Power Station proper
Good thing this was only for this section, I made a point of avoiding this specific bit of floor
Call in case GLaDOS wakes up
I set myself a little mission with these keys, they were scattered all over the plant and I tried to find as many as possible to put back
Signage
These crazy looking lighbulb-come-alien-breeders are 'Mercury-Arc Valves' which were used back in the day for converting AC into DC to power what was on the island. Each of the doors on the green cabinet with 'Rectifier Unit No. 1' on it had one of these in it.
More of the plant
Not at all an unnerving thing to just find lying on a worktop... feeling lucky, punk?
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