Lower Georges Heights Commanding Position facts for kids
The Lower Georges Heights Commanding Position is a historic fort located in Georges Heights, a part of Mosman, right on the shores of Port Jackson in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This fort was built to stop enemy ships from sailing into Sydney Harbour. It worked together with other forts nearby to protect the city.
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History of the Fort
The fort was built in 1877 and became an important part of Sydney's outer defences. Back then, building forts like this was thought to be the best way to protect the harbour entrance.
The First Cannons
The first two cannons placed at the fort were called RML 9 inch 12 ton guns. RML stands for Rifled Muzzle Loaders. These were special cannons that were loaded from the front (the muzzle), but they had a spiraled (rifled) barrel inside. This rifling made the cannonball spin as it left the gun, which helped it fly straighter and hit targets more accurately.
These powerful RML cannons could fire shells weighing 249 pounds (about 113 kilograms) all the way to South Head, which was about 3,000 yards (2,770 metres) away!
Cannon Upgrades
As technology got better, these heavy cannons were replaced in 1889. The new guns were much lighter and could fire an 80-pound (36 kg) projectile even further, up to 3,170 yards (3,000 metres).
From 1903 to 1907, the fort was updated again. Two new BL 6 inch Mark 7 guns were installed. These were "breech loading" cannons, which meant the explosive charge and the shell were loaded into the back of the cannon, not the front. This made them much faster to reload. These modern guns could fire a 100-pound (45.4 kg) shell a very long distance out to sea, up to 14,000 yards (12,900 metres)!
Underground Rooms and Military Road
The fort also had underground rooms. These rooms were used to store ammunition and other supplies needed for the cannons. These supplies were brought to the fort along a road that was later named Military Road, because of its military purpose.
Images for kids
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Main tunnel as seen from the main gate
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One of the rooms inside the fort.
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A shaft that leads down into the fort's tunnel system.
