View source for Cockatoo Island

{{Short description|Heritage listed island in Sydney Harbour}}
{{about|an island in New South Wales, Australia |other places with the same name}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name            = Cockatoo Island
| photo           = 
| photo_caption   = 
| photo_alt       = 
| iucn_category   = 
| iucn_ref        = 
| coordinates     = {{coord|33|50|51|S|151|10|21|E|type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| map             = New South Wales
| map_alt         = 
| map_width       = 200px
| relief          = 
| label           = Cockatoo Island
| label_position  = bottom
| location        = [[New South Wales]], [[Sydney]]
| established     = 
| area_ha         = 
| area_km2        = 0.179
| area_ref        = 
| visitation_num  = 
| visitation_year = 
| visitation_ref  = 
| website         = https://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/en/
| nearest_city    = [[Woolwich, New South Wales|Woolwich]]
| nearest_town    =
| governing_body  = [[Sydney Harbour Federation Trust]]
}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| Part_of     = [[Australian Convict Sites]]
| Image       = CockatooIslandPanorama.jpg
| image_size  = 270px
| Criteria    = Cultural: iv, vi
| ID          = 1306-010
| Year        = 2010
}}
[[File:Cockatoo Island New South Wales.jpg|thumb|300px|former Cockatoo Island Dockyard, view from [[Birchgrove, New South Wales|Birchgrove]]]]
[[File:Cockatoo Island.JPG|thumb|Cockatoo Island, view from [[Woolwich, New South Wales|Woolwich]]]]
[[File:Islands of sydney harbour.JPG|thumb|Cockatoo Island from the [[Gladesville Bridge]]]]
'''Cockatoo Island Wareamah''' is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]<ref name="CourierMail01">{{cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world-heritage-committee-approves-australian-convict-sites-as-places-of-importance/story-e6freon6-1225899640286 |author1=Chalmers, Emma |author2=Martin, Saray |date=1 August 2010 |title=World Heritage Committee approves Australian Convict Sites as places of importance |work=The Courier–Mail |location=Australia |access-date=8 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603125525/http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world-heritage-committee-approves-australian-convict-sites-as-places-of-importance/story-e6freon6-1225899640286 |archive-date=3 June 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> at the confluence of the [[Parramatta River]] and [[Lane Cove River]] in [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]], [[New South Wales]], Australia.

Cockatoo Island is the largest of several harbour islands that were once heavily timbered [[sandstone]] [[hillock|knolls]]. Originally the Island rose to {{cvt|18|m}} above sea level and was {{convert|12.9|ha}} but it has been extended to {{cvt|17.9|ha}} and is now cleared of most vegetation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/system/files/pages/8f218079-46e1-0834-6185-c9fe52751d07/files/part-1-final.pdf |title=Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Management Plan – Cockatoo Island Part 1 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=23 June 2010 |page=10 |website=Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=30 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212132316/http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/system/files/pages/8f218079-46e1-0834-6185-c9fe52751d07/files/part-1-final.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Called ''Wa-rea-mah'' by the [[Indigenous Australians]] who traditionally inhabited the land prior to European settlement, the island may have been used as a fishing base, although physical evidence of Aboriginal heritage has not been found on the island.<ref name=SHFT>{{cite web |url=http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/docs/management-plan-cockatoo-island-part-1.pdf |title=Management Plan – Cockatoo Island |date=23 June 2010 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia: Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |access-date=8 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201005134/http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/docs/management-plan-cockatoo-island-part-1.pdf |archive-date=1 December 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Between 1839 and 1869, Cockatoo Island operated as a convict penal establishment, primarily as a place of secondary punishment for convicts who had re-offended in the colonies.<ref name="Nom01">{{cite book |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/about/convict-sites.html |title=Australian convict sites: World Heritage Nomination |date=January 2008 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |isbn=978-0-642-55390-4 |chapter=Executive summary |access-date=8 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925073149/http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/about/convict-sites.html |archive-date=25 September 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Part2">{{cite book |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/about/pubs/convict-sites-part2.pdf |title=Australian convict sites: World Heritage Nomination |isbn=978-0-642-55390-4 |chapter=2. Description |date=January 2008 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |access-date=8 September 2012 |pages=36–37 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628134022/http://environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/about/pubs/convict-sites-part2.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=DSEWPC>{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/cockatoo-island/information.html |title=Cockatoo Island: more information |date=15 May 2008 |access-date=8 September 2012 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |work=National heritage places |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008202727/http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/cockatoo-island/information.html |archive-date=8 October 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Cockatoo Island was also the site of one of Australia's biggest shipyards, operating between 1857 and 1991. The first of its two dry docks was built by convicts. Listed on the [[Australian National Heritage List|National Heritage List]], the island is significant for its demonstration of the characteristics of a long-running dockyard and shipbuilding complex, including evidence of key functions, structures and operational layout. Cockatoo Island contains the nation's most extensive and varied record of shipbuilding, and has the potential to enhance understanding of maritime and heavy industrial processes in Australia from the mid-19th century.<ref name=DSEWPC />

In July 2010, UNESCO proclaimed Cockatoo Island as a World Heritage Site,<ref name="CourierMail01" /> and has been managed by the [[Sydney Harbour Federation Trust]] since 2001.

== Recent use and activities ==
The island is managed by the [[Sydney Harbour Federation Trust]] which is also responsible for seven other lands around Sydney Harbour. The Harbour Trust is revitalising the island as a landmark harbour attraction with cultural events and heritage interpretation. Today Cockatoo Island retains some remnants of its past. Its prison buildings have been World Heritage listed, part of a serial listing of 11 [[Australian Convict Sites]].

Although some large workshops, slipways, wharves, residences and other buildings remain, major buildings were demolished after Cockatoo Island closed as a dockyard in 1991. As the remaining buildings contain few of their original industrial artefacts and none of the remaining industrial heritage including the docks, caissons and cranes is operational, it is difficult to currently see how the island functioned as a dockyard for over a century.<ref>{{cite web |format=Photo |url=http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/dockyard/pages/pic014.htm |publisher=National Archives of Australia |date=1927 |title=Cockatoo Island |access-date=8 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609125924/http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/dockyard/pages/pic014.htm |archive-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In late March 2005 the Harbour Trust, in partnership with an event organiser, held the [[Cockatoo Island Festival]]. The event put the island on Sydney's cultural map and initiated a range of cultural activities including contemporary art installations, exhibitions and festivals.

The Harbour Trust opened a camp and [[glamping|glampsite]] on the island in 2008. The camp ground attracts some 20,000 campers a year and is a popular spot for watching Sydney's renowned New Year's Eve fireworks. In 2010, the island attracted a capacity crowd of over 2000 campers to view NYE fireworks. Other island holiday accommodation consists of five renovated houses and apartments with harbour and city views.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/camping |title=Staying on Cockatoo Island |work=Cockatoo Island |publisher=Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |access-date=8 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302041651/http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/camping/ |archive-date=2 March 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[Sydney Ferries]] services Cockatoo Island as part of its Woolwich/Balmain ferry route and Parramatta RiverCat route. Day visitors are welcome, and can picnic, barbecue, visit the cafe, wander at leisure or take an audio or guided tour. Cockatoo Island is open daily and there is no admission charge.

Regular events and art installations are a feature of the island.<ref name="hbtrustpl">{{cite web |url=http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/topics/planningcockatoo.html |title=Sites – Cockatoo: Planning |publisher=Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |access-date=18 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304041241/http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/topics/planningcockatoo.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=4 March 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Cockatoo Island Ferry Wharf.jpg|thumb|[[Cockatoo Island ferry wharf]]]]
Cockatoo Island has grown into a versatile cultural venue on [[Culture of Sydney|Sydney's cultural calendar]]. In 2008, it was a major venue partner of the 16th [[Biennale of Sydney]], attracting over 80,000 visitors over 12 weeks. In 2010, the event attracted over 156,000 people. In 2009, Cockatoo Island hosted the [[Sydney Festival]]'s "All Tomorrow's Parties" music festival. The two-day festival included twenty-four bands over four stages across the island, and was curated and headlined by [[Nick Cave]], attracting an audience of over 11,000. The island hosted the [[World's Funniest Island]] Comedy Festival in October 2009, with 200 comedy acts appearing over a weekend, attracting over 8,000 visitors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Funniest Island Festival |url=http://www.kadmusarts.com/festivals/132.html |access-date=2021-05-07 |website=www.kadmusarts.com |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510142415/http://www.kadmusarts.com/festivals/132.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Selinger-Morris |first=Louise Hall and Samantha |date=2010-10-06 |title=Cockatoo Island festival of comedy falls flat |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/comedy/cockatoo-island-festival-of-comedy-falls-flat-20101006-167zc.html |access-date=2021-05-07 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en |archive-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509061759/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/comedy/cockatoo-island-festival-of-comedy-falls-flat-20101006-167zc.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The island is also increasingly used as a venue for private events both large and small. Part of films ''[[Unbroken (film)]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/cockatoo-island-to-host-unbroken-director-angelina-jolie-20131101-2wmau.html |title=Cockatoo Island to host Unbroken director Angelina Jolie |date=31 October 2013 |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321035119/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/cockatoo-island-to-host-unbroken-director-angelina-jolie-20131101-2wmau.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the blockbuster ''[[X-Men Origins: Wolverine]]'' were filmed there in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LOCATION SPOTLIGHT: COCKATOO ISLAND |url=https://www.ausfilm.com.au/news/location-spotlight-cockatoo-island/ |access-date=2021-05-07 |website=Ausfilm |language=en-US |archive-date=23 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323220501/https://www.ausfilm.com.au/news/location-spotlight-cockatoo-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Filming Locations for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), in Australia, New Zealand and British Columbia. |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/x/X-Men-Origins-Wolverine.php |access-date=2021-05-07 |website=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507152211/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/x/X-Men-Origins-Wolverine.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wolverine Shed |url=https://www.locationshub.com/wolverine-shed |access-date=2021-05-07 |website=LocationsHub |language=en-US |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507152457/https://www.locationshub.com/wolverine-shed |url-status=live }}</ref> Reality television programs have also used the island as a location.

Cockatoo Island was the site of a temporary public artwork which resembled the shadow of [[James Cook|Captain Cook's]] commemorative statue in Sydney. This piece named 'Shadow on the Land, an excavation' by Nicholas Galanin excavated an outline of the statue on a grass patch, created for the 2020 [[Biennale of Sydney]] (22nd edition).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shadow on the Land, an excavation and bush burial - Nicholas Galanin |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/shadow-on-the-land-an-excavation-and-bush-burial-nicholas-galanin/ygEEb7pG03GZ8g |access-date=2021-02-22 |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en |archive-date=21 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721054233/https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/shadow-on-the-land-an-excavation-and-bush-burial-nicholas-galanin/ygEEb7pG03GZ8g |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Early history ==
Before the arrival of Europeans, Cockatoo Island was used by the indigenous Australian people of Sydney's coastal region.<ref name="hbtrust">{{cite web |url=http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/topics/sitescockatoo.html |title=Sites: Cockatoo Island |publisher=Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |access-date=10 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060212232609/http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/topics/sitescockatoo.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=12 February 2006}}</ref> In 1839 it was chosen as the site of a new penal establishment by the Governor of the colony of New South Wales, [[Sir George Gipps]]. Between 1839 and 1869 the island was used as a convict prison. Initially, prisoners were transferred to Cockatoo Island from [[Norfolk Island]], and were employed constructing their barracks and rock-cut silos for storing the colony's grain supply. By 1842, approximately {{convert|140|t}} of grain were stored on the island.<ref name="hbtrust" />

Later, quarrying on the island provided stone for construction projects around Sydney, including the seawall for [[Circular Quay]]. Between 1847 and 1857, convicts were used to dig the Fitzroy Dock, Australia's first [[dry dock]], on the island. An estimated {{convert|1.5|Mcuft|m3}} of rock was excavated with {{cvt|480000|cuft|m3}} forming the dock itself.<ref name="hbtrust" />

In 2009, an archeological dig on the island uncovered convict era punishment cells under the cookhouse. These cells give a valuable insight into the conditions convicts lived under on the island.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2695537.htm?section=justin |title=Convict era punishment cells unearthed |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=25 September 2009 |author=Collerton, Sarah |access-date=24 September 2009 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604102339/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-24/convict-era-punishment-cells-unearthed/1441462 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

One prisoner on Cockatoo Island was the Australian [[bushranger]], [[Captain Thunderbolt]], who escaped in 1863 to begin the crime spree which made him famous. It is alleged that his wife swam across to the island with tools to effect his escape, following which they both swam back to the mainland. There is no significant evidence to support this claim. Thunderbolt's escape was dramatised in the film ''Captain Thunderbolt'' (1953).<ref name="captain">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-films-captain-thunderbolt/|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=Forgotten Australian Films: Captain Thunderbolt|date=3 November 2025|access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref>

From 1871 to 1913 facilities on the island often referred to the name Biloela instead of Cockatoo Island to avoid the stigma of the island's convict past.

=== Fitzroy Graving Dock ===
{{Main|Fitzroy Dock}}[[File:SLNSW 479651 147 Dry Dock Cockatoo Island SH 258.jpg|thumb|right|Cockatoo Island dry dock in 1872]]
The [[graving dock|dock]] was designed by Gother Kerr Mann, the island's Civil Engineer, and built between 1847 and 1857 utilising convict labour. The foundation stone of its [[ashlar]] lining was laid on 5 June 1854 by Governor [[Charles Augustus FitzRoy]], with the dock being named in his honour. When completed in 1857, the dry dock was {{cvt|316|ft|m}} in length and {{cvt|76|ft|m}} in breadth, with an entrance {{cvt|60|ft|m}} wide. {{HMS|Herald|1824|6}} was the first sailing vessel to enter the dock in December 1857. The Fitzroy Dock was lengthened in 1870–1880 to {{cvt|643|ft|m}}.<ref name="Gillett">{{cite book |title=A Century of Ships in Sydney Harbour |first=Ross |last=Gillett |author2=Melliar-Phelps, Michael |year=1980 |publisher=Rigby Publishers Ltd |isbn=0-7270-1201-0 |page=12}}</ref>

=== Number 1 (Sutherland) Dock ===
{{Main|Sutherland Dock}}
The dock was constructed under the supervision of the engineer Louis Samuel between 1882 and 1890.<ref name="Gillett" /> The dock was named after [[John Sutherland (New South Wales politician)|John Sutherland]], the Secretary for Public Works and was large enough to accommodate ships of {{cvt|20000|t}}. The dock was modified in 1913 and in 1927 to accommodate [[Royal Australian Navy]] ships.

=== Industrial School, Reformatory and Gaol ===
In 1864, the island was split between the NSW Department of Prisons and the Public Works Department, which expanded the dockyard around the foreshores. In 1869, the convicts were relocated to [[Darlinghurst Gaol]] and the prison complex became an Industrial School for Girls and also a Reformatory.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13239530 |title=THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=27 May 1871 |access-date=20 April 2014 |page=7 |publisher=National Library of Australia |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604102357/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13239530 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60872695 |title=THE FORTHCOMING AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW. |newspaper=[[Empire (newspaper)|The Empire]] |location=Sydney |date=3 June 1871 |access-date=20 April 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604102357/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60872695 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70466991 |title=MELBOURNE. |newspaper=[[Australian Town and Country Journal]] |location=Sydney |date=3 June 1871 |access-date=20 April 2014 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604102341/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70466991 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/biloela_reformatory_and_industrial_school |title=Biloela Reformatory and Industrial School |author=Shirley Fitzgerald |date=2010 |work=Dictionary of Sydney |publisher=Dictionary of Sydney Trust |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009114558/http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/biloela_reformatory_and_industrial_school |archive-date=9 October 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Cockatoo Island Dockyard ==
[[File:CockatooMural.jpg|thumb|Mural of a cockatoo on the top island.]]
{{Main|Cockatoo Island Dockyard}}
Shipbuilding began on Cockatoo Island in 1870. In 1913, Cockatoo Island was transferred to the Commonwealth Government to become the Naval Dockyard of the [[Royal Australian Navy]]. Over a period of several years prior to [[World War I]], five slipways were either upgraded or constructed in the island, with Numbers 1 and 2 still retained by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

The torpedo boat destroyer {{HMAS|Warrego|D70|6}} was the first naval ship launched at Cockatoo Island, after being built in the United Kingdom, disassembled, then sent to the Australian shipyard for reassembly. During World War I, the dockyard built, repaired and refitted many ships. At its peak during the war, some 4,000 men were employed on the island.

In 1933, Cockatoo Island was leased to the [[Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company]] for 21 years. The lease was renewed in 1954 for a further 20 years and again in 1972 for 21 years.

In 1995, community action played an important role in the preservation of the place. A group ''<nowiki/>'<nowiki/>''Friends of Cockatoo Island''<nowiki/>''' was founded by Jack Clark and his wife Mary Shelley Clark, to fight for the preservation of the Island and other former Defence sites around Sydney Harbour. Their and other group's campaigns resulted in the Federal Government's decision to establish the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust which aimed to protect many Harbour sites including the Cockatoo Island.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/visit/our-history |title=Our History |website=Cockatoo Island |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403194701/https://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/visit/our-history |archive-date=3 April 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=15 May 2019 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Heritage listings ==
In July 2010, at the 34th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Cockatoo Island and ten other Australian sites with a significant association with convict transportation were inscribed as a group on the World Heritage List as the [[Australian Convict Sites]].<ref>{{Cite press release |title=UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage Committee inscribes seven cultural sites on World Heritage List |work=UNESCO World Heritage Centre website |publisher=United Nations |date=31 July 2010 |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/642 |access-date=17 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804040658/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/642 |archive-date=4 August 2010 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The listing explains that the eleven sites present "the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts". Of the eleven sites, as well as Cockatoo Island, the [[Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney|Hyde Park Barracks]], [[Great North Road, Australia|Old Great North Road]], and [[Old Government House, Parramatta|Old Government House]] at Parramatta are also within the Sydney region.

Parts of Cockatoo Island are the subject of other heritage listings. Listed on the [[Commonwealth Heritage List]] are:

*[[Cockatoo Island Industrial Conservation Area]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105262|Cockatoo Island Industrial Conservation Area |fn=1/12/022/0089 |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[Cockatoo Island Prison Barracks Precinct|Prison Barracks Precinct]]<ref name="ahd-105256">{{cite AHD|105256|Prison Barracks Precinct |fn=1/12/022/0085 |access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref>
**[[Cockatoo Island Convict Barracks Block|Convict Barracks Block]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105257|Barracks Block |fn=1/12/022/0085 |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>
**[[Cockatoo Island Military Guard Room|Military Guard Room]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105258|Military Guard Room |fn=1/12/022/0085 |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>
**[[Cockatoo Island Mess Hall|Mess Hall]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105259|Mess Hall (former) |fn=1/12/022/0085 |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[Underground Grain Silos]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105264|Underground Grain Silos |fn=1/12/022/0092 |access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[Biloela House]] precinct<ref name="ahd-105263">{{cite AHD|105263|Biloela Group |fn=1/12/022/0090 |access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[Fitzroy Dock]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105261|Fitzroy Dock |fn=1/12/022/0088 |access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[Sutherland Dock]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105260|Sutherland Dock |fn=1/12/022/0087 |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[Cockatoo Island Power House & Pump House|Power House & Pump House]]<ref>{{cite AHD|105265|Power House / Pump House |fn=1/12/022/0086 |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>

== Cockatoo Island events ==
Since 2005, Cockatoo Island has hosted a number of major events. They range from collaborations with the [[Sydney Writers' Festival]] to an international freestyle motocross competition. A summary is provided in the following table:

{| class="wikitable"
 !width="300pt" |Festival name 
 !width="1000pt" |Details and comments
 |-
|[[Biennale of Sydney]] ||In 2008, Cockatoo Island became a major venue for the Biennale of Sydney. The contemporary arts festival attracted approximately 86,000 visitors to the island over 10 weeks. In 2010, the island hosted the 17th Biennale of Sydney. Over 120 works of art by 56 artists were exhibited and attracted approximately 157,000 people. During 2012, the 18th Biennale of Sydney was held, with Cockatoo Island being the main festival venue.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
|[[Cockatoo Island Festival]] ||In 2005, a three-day music and arts festival was held on the refurbished island, utilising abandoned buildings and warehouses as exhibition rooms, concert halls and shopping/food venues. The festival was headlined by local and international musical groups and artists. The festival attracted over 20,000 people and featured over 120 musical acts, as well as stand-up comedians, performance artists and more. A dedicated [[ferry]] service ran day and night to take ticket holders to and from the island. The festival did not return to the island in this format and was reborn elsewhere as [[The Great Escape (festival)|The Great Escape]] in 2006.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
|Cockatoo Island Film Festival ||October 2012.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
|Urs Fischer Installation ||In 2007, Cockatoo Island hosted an art installation by New York-based Swiss artist [[Urs Fischer (artist)|Urs Fischer]]. The installation was a partnership with [[Kaldor Public Art Projects]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
|Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour Finale ||The final of the world's leading freestyle motocross competition in conjunction with Wingman Marketing Australia was held on Cockatoo Island for the first time in October 2011, and is scheduled for October 2012.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
|[[Sydney Festival]] ||In 2009, Cockatoo Island was the venue for a major component of the Sydney Festival, the [[Nick Cave]]{{endash}}curated [[All Tomorrow's Parties]] music festival. The event attracted approximately 12,000 people.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
|Underbelly Festival ||In 2010, Cockatoo Island hosted the Underbelly Festival, a collaboration of 150 artists on innovative and experimental projects over a 10-day residency and festival finale.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
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|Ken Unsworth Installations ||In 2009, the artist Ken Unsworth's tribute to his wife, ''A Ringing Glass (Rilke)'' was an ambitious installation of galleries constructed inside the island's Turbine Shop. In 2011, Unsworth returned to Cockatoo Island with ''As I Crossed the Bridge of Dreams'', a show incorporating dance, sculptural creations, music and song.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}
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|[[World's Funniest Island]] Comedy Festival ||In 2009, Cockatoo Island hosted the comedy festival. Held over two days, it attracted approximately 8000 people.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}} 
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|[[Haunting: Australia]] Television Show ||In 2013, paranormal investigation television show, Haunting: Australia, investigated Cockatoo Island for alleged paranormal activity. The show aired to high ratings around the world including on REALLY UKTV in the UK, and SYFY in the USA. Haunting: Australia features Australian Allen Tiller, and international paranormal investigators, Robb Demarest, Gaurav Tiwari, Rayleen Kable, Ian Lawman and Ray Jorden.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
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|}

== Planning and projects ==
Stewardship of Cockatoo Island was handed to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust in 2001 to plan a new chapter for the island as publicly owned urban park. In 2003 the Harbour Trust completed a comprehensive plan for Cockatoo Island and other sites around Sydney Harbour managed by the Trust. The initial plan, approved by the Minister in 2003,<ref name=SHFT /> proposed the revitalisation of Cockatoo Island as a landmark harbour attraction with the revival of maritime activities, the interpretation of its rich colonial and industrial heritage, and the creation of parklands and spaces for cultural events. In 2010, the Harbour Trust produced a revised management plan for the island.<ref name=SHFT />

=== Urban Islands ===
In 2009 the Urban Islands masterclass was taught "by 3 groups of international emerging architects on and about the controversial site of Cockatoo Island":

<blockquote>Cross disciplinary creativity, experimental tactics and broad based participation are needed to inject Cockatoo Island with renewed life. The proposals developed in the 12-days play an active role in generating tangible proposals for Cockatoo Island, producing outcomes such as large-scale installations, futurologist proposals, media activism experiments, and greater harbour master planning visions.</blockquote>

One of the masterclass leaders was Geoff Manaugh, author of the influential [[BLDGBLOG]]. A second masterclass was planned for 2011.<ref name="urbisl">{{cite web |url=http://www.urbanislands.net/ |title=Intensive Design Studio on Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbour |year=2009 |publisher=Urban Islands |access-date=23 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721014250/http://www.urbanislands.net/ |archive-date=21 July 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Transport ==
When a working dockyard, [[Sydney Ferries Limited]] and its successors operated services from [[Circular Quay ferry wharf|Circular Quay]] to the island at shift changeover times.

In April 2007, the [[Cockatoo Island ferry wharf|wharf]] reopened for a three-month trial coinciding with the reopening of the island as a tourist attraction.<ref>[http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/b2b/ferry/sydney-ferries-annual-report-200607.pdf Annual Report for year ended 30 June 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024016/http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/b2b/ferry/sydney-ferries-annual-report-200607.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} Sydney Ferries</ref> Since then services have expanded, and today it is served by [[Sydney Ferries]] [[Parramatta River ferry services|Parramatta River services]] operating between Circular Quay and [[Parramatta ferry wharf|Parramatta]].<ref name=Timetable>{{Cite New South Wales transport timetables|F3}}</ref> It is also the terminus for all stops [[Cockatoo Island ferry services]] from Circular Quay.<ref>{{Cite New South Wales transport timetables|F8}}</ref> The single wharf is served by [[First Fleet-class ferry|First Fleet]] and [[Sydney RiverCats|RiverCat]] class ferries.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Cockatoo Island (New South Wales)|Cockatoo Island}}
*[http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/ Cockatoo Island website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090519100030/http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/visit-our-sites/cockatoo-island/ Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Sites – Cockatoo Island]
*[http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.pic-an23139983 Vintage aerial photograph] by [[Frank Hurley]] at the [[National Library of Australia]]
*[https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/642/ UNESCO announcement of World Heritage listing]
*{{cite web |url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/natural_feature/cockatoo_island |title=Cockatoo Island |access-date=6 October 2015 |author=Patrick Fletcher – Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |date=2011 |work=[[Dictionary of Sydney]] |publisher=Dictionary of Sydney Trust}}

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