Bradleys Head facts for kids

Location of the antagonist's Sydney residence in Mission: Impossible 2. The house itself has been removed.

Bradleys Head is a piece of land that sticks out into Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia. It's named after William Bradley, a naval officer from the First Fleet who arrived in Australia a long time ago. The first people to live here were the Aboriginal Borogegal clan of the Eora nation. They called this place Borogegy, Booraghee, Booragy, or Burrogy.

Today, Bradleys Head is part of the Sydney Harbour National Park. This means it's a protected area managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. There's also an active lighthouse here, called Bradleys Head Light, which was built in 1905.

History of Bradleys Head

Mast of HMAS Sydney

Bradleys Head has an interesting history. You can find the foremast (front mast) of a famous ship called HMAS Sydney here. This ship was known for fighting in the Royal Australian Navy's first ship-against-ship battle during World War I. The mast is a special memorial to that battle, which happened at the Battle of Cocos. In June 2000, it became a monument to remember all Australian ships and sailors lost in wars.

Doric stone column on rock platform

You might also spot a stone column on the rocks near the headland. This column has a special design called "Doric." It's one of six columns that were taken from the old Sydney Post Office after it was taken down. These columns were placed in different spots around Sydney. This particular column, along with a tower near Fort Denison, was once used to measure how fast ships could travel in Sydney Harbour. However, the harbour became too busy, so it's no longer used for this purpose.

Bradleys Head Lighthouse

The Bradleys Head Light is a historic lighthouse that was finished in 1905. It sits right on the tip of Bradleys Head. This lighthouse helps guide ships safely into and out of the harbour. It's built on a rock and connected to the shore by a small footbridge.

Filming Location

Bradleys Head has even been a movie set! In 2000, parts of the film Mission: Impossible 2 were filmed here. A fake house made of polystyrene was built for the movie, but it was removed once filming was finished.