00:18-00:30 Landscape of Cockatoo Island prior to European Settlement
00:34-00:54 Recounts the decision mae by Governor Gipps to use the island as a penal establishment00:57- 01:05 Decision to build grain silos by Governor Gipps
The Island's Giant Cranes - 1.50 mins [MP3 - 1090 KB]00:03-00:25 Description of the maritime and industrial heritage of the site
00:26-01:00 Spoken audio of Harkley Gillar who once serviced the controllers on the cranes; describing his role
01:00-1:08 Importance of the cranes to the works at Cockatoo Island
1:10-01:42 Description of Titan, a 150 tonne floating crane
Convict Prison - 1.05 mins [MP3 - 670 KB]00:19-00:25 The construction of the Convict barracks from local sandstone
00:27- 00:58 Description of the barracks by Superintendent Gother Kerr Mann
Girls from the Reformatory - 2.05 mins [MP3 - 1294 KB]00:16-00:35 The stories of three girls held in the Reformatory, including:
00:16-00:23 Story of 16 year old Alice Armstrong, Maitland
00:24-00:30 Story of 15 year old Emma Sharp, Queenbeyan
00:30-00:37 Story of Ana Dooley, found in a brothel
00:37-01:02 Life at the Reformatory
01:08-01:36 Misbehaving girls seek an esacpe from the drudgery
01:40-02:05 Separating the girls from other occupatants on the island, 'The Fence'
The Convict-Built Grain Silos - 49 secs [MP3 - 492 KB]00:04-00:17 Reason for the construction of the grain silos
00:20-00:30 ` Historical detail on the effort to construct the silos by the hands of convict labour
00:32-00:50 Describes the dimensions of the silos and the method of extracting the daily grain quota
These audio tours have been created by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust for use on the island. They are available at the Muster Station Visitor Centre for a small fee. The excerpts discussed above are made freely available through the Trust's website, and may be accessed in their original form here.
Stories from those who were there
In recent years the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust has been busily recording the stories of everyday citizens who worked and lived on the island. Out of the fifty odd stories already collected, eight are available on the Trust's website. They offer a fascinating glimpse into the island from the perspective of a shipwright, residents, an apprentice industrial staff and the last CEO of Cockatoo Island Dockyard.A brief outline of the interviewees is provided with each audio file.
Follow this link to hear their stories.
Historical Site Maps
To view three site maps showing the site fabric of Cockatoo Island in historical times, follow this link.
Historical Images
To view three site maps showing the site fabric of Cockatoo Island in historical times, follow this link.
Historical Images
Follow the links below to access historical images of Cockatoo Island dating as far back as 1870.
Contemporary Images
