Bennelong Point facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bennelong Point
Location in Sydney
Location	Port Jackson, City of Sydney, Australia
Coordinates	33°51′24″S 151°12′54″E / 33.8567°S 151.2150°E / -33.8567; 151.2150
Geology	Headland

Bennelong Point is a famous piece of land in Sydney, Australia. It's a headland that sticks out into Sydney Harbour. Since the 1970s, this spot has been home to the amazing Sydney Opera House.

What is Bennelong Point?

Bennelong Point is a small piece of land that reaches into Sydney Harbour. It was once a tiny island called Bennelong Island. This island was mostly made of rocks. It also had a small beach on its western side. At high tide, the water would separate it from the main land.

Early Names for the Point

The local Aboriginal people, the Gadigal of the Eora nation, called this place Dubbagullee.

When the first European settlers arrived in 1788, they briefly called it Cattle Point. This was because they used it to keep their few cattle and horses safe. These animals had traveled all the way from Cape Town with Governor Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet.

The area also had many discarded oyster shells. Aboriginal women had gathered oysters there for a very long time. The new settlers, especially convict women, collected these shells. They burned them to make lime for cement mortar. Because of this, the point was also known as Limeburners' Point. However, there were only enough shells to make cement for one building, the first government house.

How Bennelong Point Got Its Name

In the early 1790s, an Aboriginal man named Bennelong became very important. He worked with the British as a cultural helper. Bennelong convinced Governor Phillip to build a brick hut for him on the point. This is how the area got its lasting name, Bennelong Point.

Changes to the Point Over Time

In December 1798, a small fort was built at the very northern end of the point. It had guns from a ship called HMS Supply.

Between 1818 and 1821, the area between Bennelong Island and the mainland was filled in. Workers used rocks dug up from the point itself. This made the whole area flat. It also provided stone to build Fort Macquarie. While the fort was being built, a large part of the rocky cliff at Bennelong Point was cut away. This allowed a road to be built around the point, connecting Sydney Cove to Farm Cove. This road was known as Tarpeian Way.

For a long time, people forgot that Bennelong Point was once a tidal island. But in the late 1950s, workers rediscovered the original island and the rocks used to fill it in. This happened during the digging for the Sydney Opera House. Before the Opera House was built, Bennelong Point was home to the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot.

Gallery

• 

  Bennelong Point and Fort Macquarie c. 1841.

• 

  Bennelong Point, Fort Macquarie & the first Sydney Rowing Club shed c. 1873.

• 

  Bennelong Point and Fort Macquarie during the 1920s.

• 

  Fort Macquarie Tram Depot shortly before demolition in 1958.

• 

  The Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, 2010.

• 

  Restaurants in Bennelong Point.