Garden Island Naval Precinct facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Garden Island Naval Precinct |
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| Location | Cowper Wharf Roadway, Garden Island, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1856– |
| Architect | James Barnet; under the authority of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty |
| Owner | Australian Department of Defence |
| Official name: Garden Island Precinct, Cowper Wharf Rd, Garden Island, NSW, Australia | |
| Type | Listed place (complex / group) |
| Designated | 22 June 2004 |
| Reference no. | 105286 |
| Class | Historic |
| Place File No. | 1/12/036/0369 |
| Official name: Sydney Harbour Naval Precinct; Garden Island; Captain Cook Graving Dock; HMAS Penguin; HMAS Kuttabul; Ba-ing-hoe; Derawan; Darrawunn | |
| Type | State heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 12 November 2004 |
| Reference no. | 1705 |
| Type | Defence Base Naval |
| Category | Defence |
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The Garden Island Naval Precinct is a special place in Sydney, Australia, with a rich history. It's a naval base and defence area located on Garden Island. This important site has been used since 1856 and is home to the HMAS Kuttabul naval base. It was once known as HMAS Penguin. The Australian Department of Defence owns this precinct, which is listed on both the Commonwealth Heritage List and the New South Wales State Heritage Register.
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Discovering Garden Island's Past
Garden Island Naval Precinct is a key part of Australia's navy operations. It includes Fleet Base East and the Garden Island Dockyard. This is Australia's main naval base and has the largest repair dockyard in the country.
The island started as a British navy supply base. It grew slowly at first, but a lot changed during World War II. During this time, many new buildings were constructed. The Captain Cook Graving Dock was built, and land was even reclaimed to connect the island to the mainland by 1945. This dock was the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere back then.
For a long time, the Garden Island facility was called HMAS Penguin. This name came from a survey ship that later became a supply ship. On January 1, 1943, the base was renamed HMAS Kuttabul. This was done to remember the HMAS Kuttabul supply ship, which was lost during a Japanese attack on Sydney Harbour.
Early Days: Ba-ing-hoe and Derawan
About 6,500 years ago, Garden Island and Potts Point became clear features in Sydney Harbour. The Cadigal people, Australia's First Peoples, knew them as Ba-ing-hoe and Derawan. Over thousands of years, the Aboriginal population grew. They developed clever ways to live, like making fish-hooks and using shells for tools. They also made the most of the food resources from the harbour's rocky shores.
When the British arrived in 1788, the Cadigal way of life became very hard to continue. There was conflict, loss of resources, and diseases. Some reports from 1791 said that only three Cadigal people were left after a smallpox epidemic. However, other reports from 1795 mentioned many people gathering for a ceremony nearby.
Garden Island had special meaning for some Aboriginal people. It was the scene of early fights between Cadigal men and British soldiers in 1788. The story of Bungaree's death on the island is well-known. Bungaree, from Broken Bay, was called the "Supreme Chief of the Sydney Tribes" by Governor Macquarie. He was a respected figure around Sydney. Bungaree had traveled with Matthew Flinders on his voyages. He was likely the first Aboriginal person to have sailed around Australia.
In 1830, Bungaree asked to be taken to Garden Island to die. His wish was granted, and he passed away on November 27, 1830, surrounded by his tribe. By the 1820s, Garden Island and Paddy's Point were the English names for Ba-ing-hoe and Derawan.
On February 5, 1788, Governor Phillip gave Ba-ing-hoe to the crew of HMS Sirius to use as a garden. This is how the island got its name, "Garden Island." Soon after, on February 18, 1788, 17 Aboriginal men landed on the island and took some garden tools. British Marines fired at them, showing how quickly conflict began.
Some early gardeners carved their initials and the year "1788" into a rock on the island. This was an unofficial way to show English control. The garden was used until HMS Sirius was lost in 1790. The island's new name and its connection to the navy became a lasting reminder of its history.
In 1789, a watch house was built on the island to patrol for smugglers, but it later moved due to a lack of fresh water. In 1796, the island was given to the crew of HMS Supply, and the first permanent building was built by convicts. A gun battery was set up in 1799. The Royal Navy always kept its claim to the island.
In 1803, an Aboriginal man was shot dead during a raid on the gardens. Royal Navy ships continued to use the island mainly for growing vegetables and fruit. In 1810, Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived and declared Garden Island part of the Governor's Domain, taking it from naval control. The Royal Navy was busy with wars and didn't challenge this until 1821.
By the 1820s, the island was a public place. In 1825, the remains of Judge Advocate Ellis Bent were re-buried in a tomb on the island. His friend, Major John Ovens, was also buried there in 1826. Thieves later plundered the tomb, and the remains were moved in 1886.
Between the 1820s and 1850s, the Royal Navy became smaller, but the British Empire grew. Shipping technology also changed a lot with steam power and steel ships. The navy wanted to spend less money and saw Australia as part of its East Indies stations. However, people in New South Wales had a different view.
The wool industry and gold rushes showed Australia was more than just a stopover. Sydney's role as a base during the Maori Wars in New Zealand highlighted its importance. In 1856, New South Wales gained self-government, and politicians pushed for Sydney Harbour to be a Royal Navy base in the South Pacific.
The Navy took control of Garden Island in 1858. This was when the "Australia Station" fleet was created to protect against other naval forces. Garden Island became the main base for this fleet. A survey in 1859 showed how undeveloped the island was.
In 1865, a part of Garden Island was officially set aside for naval use. The Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 allowed colonies to form their own navies. On June 5, 1866, the entire Garden Island was officially declared a Naval Depot. A new gun battery was opened in 1871.
Major building work started in 1885 when engineer James Fishenden came from England to plan the projects. The southern "hummock" (small hill) of the island was leveled, changing its look forever. This added 3 acres of land. Rear Admiral Tryon's appointment in 1885 made the Australia Station a more important naval command.
Work began on several buildings in 1886, including the Rigging Shed, Kitchen Block, and Barracks Building. The Barracks had three levels of verandas and served as a hospital and accommodation for crews. Colonial Architect James Barnet helped design these buildings.
The Naval Store was completed in 1894. It was a large, four-story building made of different colored bricks with sandstone details. It had a water-powered hydraulic system for lifting goods. Other buildings like residences, a battery shed, and offices were completed by 1896. That year, the entire Garden Island depot was finished and given to the Admiralty. This meant the Royal Australian Navy finally had its own established base.
Supporting the Australia Station (1895–1914)
During this time, the base became stronger. Specialist staff came from England, and local workers were hired. In 1900, Australia helped in the Boxer Rebellion, and the SS Salamis ship was converted for troops at Garden Island. In 1901, Australia became a Commonwealth, and its colonial navies joined the new Australian Commonwealth.
A Naval Prison was built and mostly finished by 1905. In 1902, part of the Sail Loft was turned into a Naval Chapel, with stained glass windows. There were debates about who owned Garden Island when Britain planned to withdraw its ships.
In 1908, the US Great White Fleet visited Sydney, and the Garden Island base supported their sixteen battleships. Growing German power in the Pacific led Britain to create a Pacific Fleet, with Australia fully funding and manning its part.
Garden Island was officially handed over from the British Admiralty to the Australian Government in 1913. This was when the first fully Australian-owned and operated Royal Australian Navy was established. The island became crucial for maintaining and supporting these ships. The new fleet included the battlecruiser HMAS Australia, which arrived with other ships on October 4, 1913.
During World War I (1914–1918), Garden Island was the main naval site for preparing and arming transport and troop ships. About 79 vessels were repaired there, with 852 ship visits. This included Australian, Royal Navy, French, and Japanese ships. In 1914, the island became the base for Australia's first submarine fleet: HMAS AE1 and AE2. These were the first submarines in the Southern Hemisphere and attracted a lot of public interest. AE1 was lost near Rabaul in 1914, and AE2 near Gallipoli in 1915.
After the war, work at Garden Island continued as many merchant ships had to be converted back from troop ships. However, from 1920, staff numbers were greatly reduced. A Royal Commission in 1921 looked at the future of Garden Island and Cockatoo Island Dockyard. It decided there wasn't enough work for both, and Cockatoo Island was transferred to another department. This limited Garden Island's growth.
In the 1920s and 1930s, there were arguments about who owned Garden Island. The New South Wales State Government claimed it had rights over the island. In 1923, the State Government officially took back its earlier grants and demanded payment or possession of the island. The High Court supported the State's claim. These debates continued, and the island's efficiency suffered. The Great Depression also played a big part.
In the late 1930s, world events led to a new look at Australia's naval defense needs. A big problem was the lack of large docking facilities. In 1938, the government approved building a naval graving dock. On September 3, 1939, Australia went to war with Germany.
On May 1, 1940, Prime Minister Robert Menzies presented plans for the graving dock. This project, which involved reclaiming 30 acres of land between Potts Point and Garden Island, was considered the biggest engineering feat in Australia's history. Work on the dock began in 1940 and continued day and night after Singapore fell. A special quarry was opened to supply stone for the project.
World War II showed how important Garden Island was for national defense. The facility did a lot of ship repairs and modifications. Its importance was clear on May 31, 1942, when the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked Sydney Harbour with submarines. The main targets were large ships, including the USS Chicago, docked near Garden Island. Although the raid failed to cause major losses, the island's supply ship, the former ferry HMAS Kuttabul, was destroyed by a torpedo, killing 21 sailors. This tragedy is remembered with a plaque and annual ceremonies.
In 1944, the Australian Government formally bought Garden Island from the New South Wales Government for £600,000. The graving dock was almost finished. On March 2, 1945, the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious entered the dock for urgent repairs, three weeks before its official opening. The dock was officially opened on March 24, 1945, and named after Captain James Cook. By the end of the war, the dock had hosted famous British battleships and carriers.
After World War II, there were issues between dockyard workers and managers. In 1975, the Garden Island Combined Union Shop Committee was formally recognized, bringing some stability. In 1977, the Minister for Defence, James Killen, announced plans to modernize the Dockyard and Fleet Base. This plan also aimed to protect historic buildings. The modernization was finished in mid-1990, changing the base's look.
Garden Island's importance grew from 1987 when the government decided to sell its interest in other dockyards. This was partly to pay for a huge fleet modernization program, including new submarines and frigates. In 1988, Garden Island became part of a new government-owned company, Australian Defence Industries (ADI). Garden Island became the only government-owned and operated dockyard in Australia.
The Hammerhead Crane
On the reclaimed land, there is a 115.8-meter-long dock and buildings. The Hammerhead Crane is 52.1 meters long and sits on the fitting-out wharf. It has dominated the skyline since it was built. In 1966, it was the largest crane in the Southern Hemisphere and is still the largest dockside crane in Australia. It was designed to handle very heavy loads, like removing and refitting gun turrets on warships.
Tenders for the crane were called in 1944, and it was built between 1944 and 1951. The Sydney Steel Company built the crane based on designs from England. All the mechanical and electrical parts came from England. The crane was last used in 1988 for lifting heavy parts of power station generators. When it was finished in February 1952, the New South Wales Minister for Works, Joseph Cahill, drove in the final rivet.
The crane has an 83-meter-long horizontal steel boom that can swing. It sits on a 68-meter-high steel tower. The main machinery is on top of the boom, making the total height 61.9 meters from the wharf. The crane's foundations go 39.3 meters deep into the rock bed. The crane can lift a maximum of 254 tonnes. It has two main hooks and smaller auxiliary hooks. All its motors are electric. About 250,000 rivets were used to build it.
What Garden Island Looks Like Today
The Garden Island Precinct includes Garden Island itself, the tip of Potts Point, the land that now connects them, and part of Woolloomooloo Bay's eastern shore. The island and point are high areas of land that were formed as sea levels rose thousands of years ago. They are mostly made of sandstone. In 1788, they were covered with low coastal plants and trees.
The island had two small hills, one at the north (24 meters high) and one at the south (20 meters). The area between them was lower and flat. However, the island's shape changed a lot from 1885 as the naval base was built. The narrow water channel between the island and the mainland was filled in during World War II to create more naval facilities, especially the graving dock. Most of the shorelines in the precinct have been covered and reshaped with seawalls and docks since the 1880s.
Most buildings in the Precinct were built in the 1880s and 1890s. The Captain Cook Graving Dock was built during World War II, connecting the island to the mainland. Other interesting features include sandstone carvings from 1788, the Signal Station, and the Royal Australian Navy Historical Collection.
You can also see the timber figurehead of Queen Victoria from the clipper ship Windsor Castle (launched in 1869). There's also a carved timber figurehead of a woman from the clipper ship Consuela (built in the 1880s). These are on display for visitors.
The Small Dockyard Steam Crane was designed to run on railway lines, similar to those once used on the railway system.
Important Buildings
The Secretariat
The Secretariat is a three-story brick building from 1887. It looks like sandstone and has a hipped slate roof. It has a three-story veranda on three sides, supported by cast iron pillars from Britain. It was designed as barracks by James Barnet. It has a classic colonial Georgian design with twelve-pane windows.
The Rigging Shed and Naval Chapel is a two-story brick building with stone sills and arches. It was originally built as a rigging shed based on 1790 navy plans and is the oldest building on the island. In 1902, the sail loft was turned into a chapel. It has unique stained glass windows that remember Australia's first two submarines, AE1 and AE2, which were based at the island and lost in 1914 and 1915.
The building's walls are brick, made to look like stone. The roof is double-hipped and now has corrugated iron. The first floor's timber floor is still sealed with oakham and bitumen. The chapel has polished cedar wood, mosaics, and memorial plaques. External stairs were added when it became a chapel.
Hill Road Residences
The Hill Road Residences are two brick buildings, each with two stories. They were built in 1900 as homes for married officers. They are in the Queen Anne style with shingled timber balconies and terracotta tiled roofs.
Office Building
The Office building is a two-story Victorian Italianate building from 1890. It has pale brickwork with sandstone details and a clock tower with a cupola. The clock mechanism, which uses pulleys and weights to turn all four sets of hands, is rare. The roof is tiled, and the windows are arched. Inside, there is fine cedar woodwork and etched glass with Australian plants.
Hammerhead Crane
The Hammerhead Crane has an 83-meter-long horizontal steel truss boom that swings on a 68-meter-high steel tower. The total height from the wharf to the top is 61.9 meters. Its foundations are four concrete bases, 39.3 meters deep. The crane can lift a maximum of 254 tonnes. It has two main hooks and smaller auxiliary hooks. All its motors are electric. When first tested, it lifted 317.5 tonnes. About 250,000 rivets were used in its construction.
Battery Shop
The Battery Shop is a single-story brick building that looks like stone. It was built in 1880 as a chain and cable store. Its walls have arched openings, some with small windows. The roof is a simple hipped shape.
The Factory
The Factory is a two-story brick and stone building from 1887. It was built to fit out warships. Its doors and windows have round arches, and the roof has a series of hips. A two-story section to the north was used for making spars and masts.
The Naval Store is a large supply building from 1893. It was built with different colored bricks from Britain and has sandstone details. It has three stories and a semi-basement. The floors are made of tallowwood, supported by cast iron columns. Parts of the old water-powered hydraulic hoist system are still there, including the hoists and an accumulator. This hoist system is one of the most complete of its kind left in New South Wales.
The Naval Garden is one of the last large garden areas on Garden Island. It's also one of the last "naval style" gardens in Australia. It has old plants like a large fig tree and an olive hedge. You can still see initials carved by sailors from the Sirius in 1788 on sandstone rocks. Cannons from HMS Sirius are displayed, along with other items brought back by captains. The garden also has 20th-century sandstone terraces with traditional flowers.
Other Notable Buildings
- Buildings 16–20 were built as residences in 1894–95 and are still used for living.
- Building 88 was built in 1889–91 as the Chain and Anchor Store, designed by Barnet. It later became a sheet metal workshop.
- Building 95 was built as the Engineers Shop in 1889–91, also designed by Barnet. It still functions as a workshop.
- Building 99 was built as a Spar Shed and Dining Room and is now used as a workshop.
Other historic buildings include Buildings 21 and 22, which were Overseers' Cottages built in 1885–86 and are the oldest buildings still standing on the island. Building 9 was an additional Office Building from 1895–96 and is still used as an office. The Boatshed (Building 25) dates from 1896 and was made in England. A provisions pit for storing food securely dates from 1885. The Tennis Court Pavilion from about 1907 shows that there was a recreational side to island life.
Retaining walls and sea walls were built in the 1880s and 1890s. The remains of the Goods Tramway, used to move light goods, are from the same period. The Gun Mounting Store (1919–20 or 1923) still has gun-related functions. The Lime Store (Building 98, now Core Shop) was likely built in 1927 and was once used as stables. The Signal Station (Building 13), built around 1930, was used for guiding ships in Sydney Harbour.
Various wharves are in the precinct, including the Cruiser Wharf (before 1912), the Oil Wharf (before WWII), and the Oil Tank (1916). A tunnel system with its own power supply was dug under the northern hill during World War II.
Why Garden Island is Important
Garden Island Naval Precinct is very important to the history of New South Wales. It shows how the Royal Navy and then the Royal Australian Navy helped Sydney grow into a major city. It has a long history of supplying and repairing navy ships.
Garden Island is also significant because it was one of the first places where Aboriginal people and colonists met, with an early armed encounter happening there in 1789. The island is important for understanding how European gardening methods were first tried in Australia. It also shows how Sydney Harbour was used for recreation and how people fought for public access to it.
The precinct is linked to important people like King Bungaree, Governor Lachlan Macquarie, Commodore James Loring, Rear Admiral Sir George Tyron, and Colonial Architect James Barnet. It shows how technology improved for maintaining naval vessels. The whole precinct adds to the beauty of Sydney Harbour, with its low-lying island and old naval buildings against the modern Sydney skyline.
Garden Island Precinct has special connections with people who have served in the Royal Australian Navy. Even though parts of the precinct have been changed, it still has the potential to reveal important archaeological information about Sydney's settlement and the development of naval facilities.
This precinct is rare because it's the only Royal Australian Navy Fleet Base in New South Wales. It has been used almost continuously for defense purposes since 1788. It also shows how Sydney Harbour's islands and headlands have been used for industrial and military purposes, and how debates about public recreational use have happened over time.
