View source for Fort Denison

{{short description|Old fort in the Sydney Harbour National Park}}
{{Redirect|Pinchgut|the opera company in Sydney|Pinchgut Opera}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox building
 | name                = Fort Denison
 | native_name         = {{Native name|xdk|Mattewanye|italics=off}}
 | logo                = 
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 | image               = Fort Denison c1885.jpg
 | image_size          = 250
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 | image_caption       = Fort Denison pre-1885.<br />{{small|(Image: [[National Archives of Australia]])}}
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 | former_names        = Pinchgut
 | alternate_names     = 
 | etymology           = [[William Denison|Sir William Thomas Denison]]
 | status              = Built as a [[fortress]]. Decommissioned ''[[Wiktionary:circa|circa]]'' 1930s. Now used as a [[national park]]; reserve; tourist facility; function space
 | cancelled           = 
 | topped_out          = 
 | building_type       = [[Fortress|Military fortress]]; [[Naval artillery|gunnery]]
 | architectural_style = Colonial fortification, [[castellated]] style
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 | location            = [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]]
 | address             = North of [[Woolloomooloo]]
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{{Infobox protected area | child = yes
| name = Fort Denison
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| photo_caption = Fort Denison with its [[Martello tower]]
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 {{Designation list | embed = yes
 | designation1 = New South Wales State Heritage Register
 | designation1_offname = Fort Denison; Pinchgut; Mattewanye (Eora name)
 | designation1_type = State heritage (built)
 | designation1_date = 2 April 1999
 | delisted1_date = 
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 | designation1_number = 985
 | designation1_free1name =  Type
 | designation1_free1value = Fortification
 | designation1_free2name =  Category
 | designation1_free2value = Defence
 | designation1_free3name = Builders
 | designation1_free3value = William Randle
 | designation2 = RNE
 | designation2_offname = Fort Denison, Sydney, NSW, Australia
 | designation2_date = 21 March 1978
 | designation2_number = 1856
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'''Fort Denison''', part of the [[Sydney Harbour National Park]], is a [[state park|protected]] [[national park]] that is a [[Heritage register|heritage-listed]] former [[Convicts in Australia|penal]] site and [[fortification|defensive facility]] occupying a small island located north-east of the [[Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney|Royal Botanic Garden]] and approximately {{convert|1|km}} east of the [[Sydney Opera House|Opera House]] in [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. The island is also known as '''Mattewanye''' or '''Muddawahnyuh''' in the [[Eora language]], and as '''Pinchgut Island'''.

The site contains [[time signal|time gun]], [[navigational aid]]s and [[tide gauge]] facilities. Correctional and military facilities were designed by George Barney and built from 1840 to 1862 by William Randle. The property is owned by the [[Office of Environment & Heritage]], an [[government agency|agency]] of the [[Government of New South Wales]]. It was added to the [[New South Wales State Heritage Register]] on 2 April 1999.<ref name=nswshr-985>{{cite NSW SHR|5045472|Fort Denison|hr=00985|fn=10/08172; S90/03974|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> In 1978 the former fortress was listed on the (now defunct) [[Register of the National Estate]],<ref name=AHD>{{cite AHD|1856|Fort Denison|date=21 March 1978|access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> and is currently used as a national park, nature reserve, tourist facility, and as a function space.

==History==
Prior to European settlement, the island had the [[Eora]] name Mattewanye (sometimes Mallee’wonya).{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Prison===
{{Infobox prison
 | prison_name    = Pinchgut
 | image          = 
 | caption        = 
 | location       = [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]], [[New South Wales]], Australia
 | coordinates    = 
 | status         = Closed
 | classification = Maximum; isolation
 | capacity       = 
 | population     = 
 | populationdate = 
 | opened         = 1788
 | closed         = 
 | former_name    = Rock Island
 | managed_by     = [[Government of New South Wales|New South Wales Colonial Government]]
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 }}
After the [[First Fleet]] arrived in 1788, [[Arthur Phillip|Governor Phillip]] and his advocate-general used the name "Rock Island". In 1788, a convict named Thomas Hill was sentenced to a week on bread and water in irons there. The island came to be known as "Pinchgut".<ref>[http://law.mq.edu.au/research/colonial_case_law/nsw/cases/case_index/1788/r_v_hill/ Decisions of the Superior Courts of New South Wales, 1788–1899 ''R. v. Hill'' [1788] NSWKR 2; [1788] NSWSupC 2. Accessed 7 January 2015. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329112114/http://www.law.mq.edu.au/research/colonial_case_law/nsw/cases/case_index/1788/r_v_hill/ |date=29 March 2016 }}</ref> Once a {{convert|15|m|adj=on}} high or higher sandstone islet, the rock was levelled by convicts under the command of [[George Barney|Captain George Barney]], the civil engineer for the colony, who quarried it for [[Sydney sandstone|sandstone]] to construct nearby [[Circular Quay]].

In late 1796 the Governor had installed a [[gibbet]] on Pinchgut. A convict to be hanged and then gibbeted there was Francis Morgan. In 1793, the British transported him to New South Wales for life as punishment for a murder. The authorities in NSW executed Morgan for bashing Simon Raven to death in Sydney on 18 October 1796.<ref>[http://aso.gov.au/titles/newsreels/australia-today-fort-denison-p/clip1/ Australia Today—Fort Denison (Pinchgut): A Relic of Early Sydney] at (Education Notes) Australian Screen website. Accessed 27 March 2013.</ref> On 30 November 1796, Morgan was hanged; following his execution, his body was hung in chains (gibbeting) on Pinchgut. His skeleton was still hanging there four years after his execution. He said to the hangman that the only thing worth mentioning was the superb view of the harbour from his high elevation, and that he was sure there were no waters the world over to compare with it for beauty.

===Military fortress===

In 1839, two American warships entered the harbour at night and circled Pinchgut Island. Concern with the threat of foreign attack caused the government to review the harbour's inner defences. [[George Barney|Barney]], who had earlier reported that Sydney's defences were inadequate, recommended that the government establish a fort on Pinchgut Island to help protect Sydney Harbour from attack by foreign vessels. Fortification of the island began in 1841 but was not completed. Construction resumed in 1855 because of fear of a [[Russia]]n naval attack during the [[Crimean War]], and was completed on 14 November 1857. The newly built fort then took its current name from [[William Denison|Sir William Thomas Denison]], the Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861.

The fortress features a distinctive [[Martello tower]], the only one ever built in Australia and the last one ever constructed in the [[British Empire]]. It was constructed using {{convert|8000|t|LT}} of sandstone from nearby Kurraba Point, [[Neutral Bay, New South Wales|Neutral Bay]]. The tower's walls are between {{convert|3.3|-|6.7|m}} thick at the base and {{convert|2.7|m}} thick at the top. However, developments in artillery rendered the fort largely obsolete by the time it was completed. The tower itself had quarters for a garrison of 24 soldiers and one officer. Fort Denison's armament included three {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} muzzle loaders in the tower, two {{convert|10|in|adj=on}} guns, one on a 360-degree traverse on the top of the tower and one in a bastion at the other end of the island, and twelve {{convert|32|lb|kg|adj=on}} cannons in a battery between the base of the tower and the flanking bastion.

Eventually all the guns were removed, except for the three {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} muzzle-loading cannons in the gun room in the tower, which were installed before construction was complete. The passages within the tower are too narrow to permit these to be removed. However, from the beginning the three cannons were of limited utility. The [[embrasure]]s for the cannons were too small to use the guns effectively and by the time a cannon was loaded the ship it was to fire on would have sailed past. Lastly, the guns' [[recoil]] was too powerful for the small room.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

In 1906, a saluting gun (pictured below) was transferred from Dawes Point to Fort Denison.

In 1913 a [[lighthouse]] beacon built in Birmingham, England, and shipped to Sydney, replaced the {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} gun on the roof of the tower. The light is called [[Fort Denison Light]], which is still in use.
[[File:Fort Denison from The Powerhouse Museum.jpg|thumb|Fort Denison circa 1930]]
In May 1942, three Japanese [[Ko-hyoteki class submarine|two-man midget-submarines]] [[attack on Sydney Harbour|attacked Sydney Harbour]]. When the US Navy cruiser {{USS|Chicago|CA-29|6}} fired on the Japanese, some of its {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on}} shells hit Fort Denison, causing the tower minor damage which remains visible.

====Explosive prank====
{{further|Charles Lightoller#Fort Denison incident}}
In October 1900, as the [[Second Boer War|Boer war]] raged in Africa, the [[White Star Line]] ship {{SS|Medic|1899|6}} sailed into Sydney Harbour and dropped anchor in [[Neutral Bay]]. One night, the fourth officer, [[Charles Lightoller]] and two shipmates rowed to Fort Denison and climbed the tower with a plan to fool locals into believing a [[Boer]] raiding party was attacking Sydney. They hoisted a makeshift Boer flag on the lightning conductor and fired a harmless wad of cotton waste from one of the 8-inch cannons.<ref name="smh1900-1">{{cite news |title=The Reported Gun Fire at Fort Denison |date=12 October 1900 |via=[[National Library of Australia]] |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14379533 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |pages=4 |access-date=9 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New South Wales report |date=12 October 1900 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9559607 |work=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |pages=4 |access-date=27 March 2013 |via=[[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref> The blast shattered a few of the fort's windows but caused no other damage. Lightoller was never apprehended but confessed to his company's superiors and related the whole story in an autobiography.<ref name=Lightoller27>{{cite book |author=Lightoller, Charles H. |author-link=Charles Lightoller |url=http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301011h.html#ch27 |title=Titanic and Other Ships |chapter=Chapters 27–28 |format=eBook |via=[[Project Gutenberg]] |location=Australia |date=1935 }}</ref> He was transferred to the Atlantic route and went on to be the second officer of the {{RMS|Titanic}} and the most senior officer to survive the [[Sinking of the RMS Titanic|1912 sinking]] of the ship. He was a key witness at both the British and American inquiries into the disaster.

==Current use==

===Recent restorative works===
Since 1992, the [[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]], which manages the site, has spent around A$2m conserving and upgrading the facilities. [[EnergyAustralia]] also made a significant contribution for the work via the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fnpw.org.au/cultural-heritage/european-cultural-heritage/fort-denison |publisher=Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife |title=Fort Denison |date=2001 |work=European Heritage |access-date=18 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412005401/http://www.fnpw.org.au/cultural-heritage/european-cultural-heritage/fort-denison |archive-date=12 April 2014 }}</ref>

Following publication of a conservation plan, further renovation commenced in 1999 and was completed in 2001. The conservation and adaptive re-use of the island was awarded the [[Australian Institute of Architects|NSW Royal Australian Institute of Architects]] (RAIA) Conservation Award; a Commendation in the National RAIA Awards; and a [[National Trust of Australia|National Trust]] Heritage Award in 2001.

Increased harbour traffic has already destroyed the slipway. Furthermore, the porous sandstone drinks in the salt right down to the fort's foundations. In 2007 the government announced a $1.5 million rescue package. Fort Denison is now home to more than 100 birds.
[[File:Viewing west from southern bastion.jpg|thumb|Viewing west from the southern bastion]]

Fort Denison – Muddawahnyuh remains closed to visitors for service upgrades and conservation works until mid-2025. Fort Denison is a museum, tourist attraction, restaurant, and popular location for wedding receptions and corporate events. The tourist facility contains an exhibition of the island's history from Aboriginal times. Access to Fort Denison is via a [[Captain Cook Cruises, Australia|ferry that departs Wharf 6 at Circular Quay]] every 45 minutes, 7 days a week. The price of the ferry ticket includes the landing fee. Guided tours of the island, including the Martello tower are at an additional cost. NSW National Parks & Wildlife Services conducts the tours.

In 2004 the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service restored the lighthouse beacon, which is still in use and supports operation of a Harbour Navigational Facility, with [[tide gauge]], navigation channel markers, [[foghorn]] and beacon, established in the mid-19th century. The [[Bureau of Meteorology]] operates a weather facility from the island and publishes observations at half-hourly intervals on its website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60901/IDN60901.94769.shtml |title=Latest Weather Observations for Fort Denison |publisher=[[Australian Government]] |work=Bureau of Meteorology |date=2016 |access-date=18 June 2016 }}</ref>

The custom of firing a gun daily at 1pm began in 1906 to enable sailors to set their [[ship|ship's]] [[Marine chronometer|chronometer]]s correctly. The daily gun continued until [[World War II]] when the authorities stopped it for fear of alarming residents. The practice recommenced in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fortdenison.com.au/about-fort-denison.html |title=History of Fort Denison |work=Fort Denison official website |access-date=27 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825210601/http://www.fortdenison.com.au/about-fort-denison.html |archive-date=25 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Restaurant on the Island===
The Fort Denison Restaurant was opened on the island in 2006, although the restaurant lease expired in June 2017 and is yet to be renewed. Throughout the years since it has been voted in the top five waterfront restaurants worldwide by ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', and was open for lunch seven days a week year round, dinners on a Sunday, and for special events and occasions which can be found on their website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fortdenison.com.au |title=Fort Denison |work=Fort Denison official website |access-date=8 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902073459/http://www.fortdenison.com.au/ |archive-date=2 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bookings for major occasions, such as New Year's Eve, were coveted.

===Popular culture===
Fort Denison was the location of the 1959 film ''[[The Siege of Pinchgut]]'', released in the United States as ''Four Desperate Men''. Directed by [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Watt]], written by [[Jon Cleary]] and starring [[Aldo Ray]], the production was the final Australian film of the British-based [[Ealing Studios]]. The island also featured as the base of operations for Neville Savage in the sixth episode of the Australian children's television show ''[[Mission Top Secret]]''. Fort Denison was often seen in the television series ''[[Water Rats (TV series)|Water Rats]]''. One episode in season two of the show, ''End of the Line'', featured a party on the island.

== Description ==
Fort Denison on Sydney Harbour is within the visual catchment of the [[Sydney Opera House]], the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]], the Royal Botanic Garden and the Sydney Harbour Naval Precinct.<ref name=nswshr-985-1458>NPWS, 2016{{incomplete short citation|date=October 2022|reason=Which publication does this refer to?}}</ref><ref name=nswshr-985/> Fort Denison is the only Sydney Harbour island which is no longer described as an island. Even Garden Island, now visually part of the mainland (and anything but a garden) is still known as an island. The island known as Mattewanye (small rocky island) to Aborigines and Rock Island to the first settlers, is now popularly known as Fort Denison and viewed as a built artefact rather than an island.<ref name=nswshr-985/>

From a distance no evidence of its original island character is apparent, except perhaps scattered rocks at low tide. However, on close inspection the [[sandstone]] bedrock visible below the south west battery reveals part of the rock of the island, particularly when combined with the pictorial evidence provided by drawings such as that by Barrington in 1802.<ref name=nswshr-985/>

;The Fort : The visual impact of the fort is a combination of the strong vertical mass of the Martello tower and the equally strong horizontal lines of the low barrack and battery buildings. The two distinct building forms reflects the history of the staged Fort construction; which progressed from the original horizontal form of the battery, and later construction of the barracks and Martello tower. The tower, which only lost its dominant role in marking the water entrance to the city with the construction of the Sydney Opera House, was built with an open gun platform (terreplein) which surmounted two internal levels. A section through the tower, shows the navigational light which replaced the upper cannon in 1913. The lower internal level contained rooms for the storage of gunpowder and provisions and the middle level still houses the three original cannons. Internal tower circulation is via a spiralling staircase that connects the three tower levels. External access to the tower is through a single external door from the upper terrace level battery and bastion.<ref name=nswshr-985/><br />Three major elements comprise the strong horizontal section of the fort; the battery and bastion, the barracks and terrace.<ref name=nswshr-985/>
;Gun Battery and Bastion : The outward facing defensive side of the fort known as the gun battery and bastion confronted incoming ships. It is constructed out of the island's sandstone bedrock. The battery consists of an open working area which services a series of nine gun placements and corresponding slanted firing openings which are equally positioned along the raised [[parapet]] wall of the battery. An underground water tank has been cut into the bedrock of the battery. The bastion located at the southern end of the battery was constructed to house a single cannon set behind a raised stone parapet. The cannon was located on a raised circular revolving mount to maximise the cannon's aim of fire.<ref name=nswshr-985/>
;Wet Ditch and Breakwater : A wet ditch and breakwater formed by sandstone blocks separates the fort from the open harbour channel. Beyond this is a breakwater which surrounds the whole island which moderates the wave action against the stone fabric of the fort.<ref name=nswshr-985/>
;Barrack : The main single storey building is the barrack, its eight [[chimney]]s indicate its original accommodation purpose. The barracks are built into cut back bedrock and contain a row of single rooms used for military bunk-style accommodation for the lower ranks as well as accommodation for two separate officers' quarters. A central breezeway and vault covered staircase allows access from the barracks and lower terraces to the upper terrace battery, bastion and Martello tower. The two end rooms adjoining the barracks, known as the Tide Gauge Room to the north and the West Room to the south, were constructed soon after the completion of the barracks. The loopholes, or angled openings, were designed to enable the defensive fire whilst defending against enemy attack.<ref name=nswshr-985/>
;Terrace : The lower north west facing terrace is constructed on the same level as the barracks. It was probably built on rubble fill which is contained by a low stone wall.<ref name=nswshr-985/><br />The terrace is open and not defensive in nature, as it faces away from the open sea and potential attack. It currently has a bitumen surface and several small planted garden beds. Garden beds were constructed on this terrace during the 20th century as part of the domestication of the fort by the Sydney Harbour Trust and later Maritime Services Board caretakers. Two sewerage treatment units which service the toilets are concealed in the garden beds at either end of the barracks.<ref name=nswshr-985/><ref>Fort Denison Conservation Plan 1999 NPWS</ref>
;Plantings : A Canary Island date palm (''[[Phoenix canariensis]]'') planted in one raised garden bed on the terrace's western side and a fruiting fig tree (''[[Ficus carica]]'' cv.) at the south-west base of the Martello Tower are the only trees on Fort Denison.<ref>Stuart Read, pers. comm., 8 August 2016{{better source needed|date=October 2022}}</ref><ref name=nswshr-985/><br />An external cannon is on the Eastern Terrace. A tall flag pole with side spars runs three permanently flown flags on this terrace.<ref name=nswshr-985-1458/><ref name=nswshr-985/>

=== Condition ===

As at 26 May 2014, the physical condition is excellent. Archaeological potential is high.<ref name=nswshr-985/> Published material on such towers in the English speaking world suggests that this may well be the most intact tower.{{sfn|Kerr|1986|p=48}}<ref name=nswshr-985 />

=== Modifications and dates ===
The following modifications have been made to Fort Denison:<ref name=nswshr-985/>
*1840–1842 – construction of battery
*1856–1858 – construction of battery, barrack and tower and bastion
*1858–1862 – construction of terrace, west room and tide gauge room
*1917 – construction of slipway

== Heritage listing ==
Fort Denison was listed on the [[New South Wales State Heritage Register]] on 2 April 1999 .<ref name=nswshr-985/>

==Tide gauge==

Tides have been measured at Fort Denison since 1857 on completion of the fort, initially using a bench mark cut into the stonework of the Martello Tower. From 1867 successive instruments were used as tide measuring technology developed.<ref name=tideroom>Refer the interpretive panel installed in the tide room at Fort Denison.</ref> (The measurements since 1914 are graphed by [[Bureau of Meteorology]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/ntc/IDO70000/IDO70000_60370_SLD.shtml#stats|title=Monthly sea levels for Fort Denison (Sydney) – 1914 to 2022}}</ref>

The Fort Denison photographs below show float activated tide gauge instruments in a cabinet and the system's stilling well.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fig.net/pub/monthly_articles/july_2010/july_2010_hannah.html |title=Article of the Month – July 2010 |access-date=13 February 2019 |archive-date=30 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130170759/http://fig.net/pub/monthly_articles/july_2010/july_2010_hannah.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> A wire connected to the upper drum mechanism passes out through the bottom right of the cabinet and runs over a pulley to drop down to the float system in the large pipe in the well. This system is now obsolete at Fort Denison but maintained as a museum exhibit. To the right of the large pipe in the well is an enclosed pipe which rises to the active modern system.

Tide heights and times at Fort Denison are the primary base referent for published tide information for other places in the state of New South Wales.
{{Gallery
|title=Tide gauge installation and instrumentation at Fort Denison
|File:PLJohnson Fort Denison, Sydney, NSW, Tide Gauge.jpg|Tide gauge installation: old and new
|File:PLJohnson Fort Denison Tide Gauge old.jpg|Obsolete instruments
|File:PLJohnson Fort Denison Tide Gauge old new.jpg|Historic and current (right) stilling wells.
}}

==Gallery of guns==
{{Gallery
|title=
|footer=
|width= 180
|File:Viewing from tower to southern bastion.jpg|Viewing from tower to southern bastion
|File:Gun - southern bastion.jpg|Gun – southern bastion
|File:Gun - southern bastion - detail.jpg |Gun inscription: ''[[Honi soit qui mal y pense]]''
|File:PLJohnson Fort Denison Concourse Gun1.jpg|Gun at east-facing wall
|File:PLJohnson Fort Denison GunRoom Guns3.jpg|Gun room in the Martello tower
}}

==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|Law|Architecture}}}}
*[[Punishment in Australia]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=Kerr|first=James Semple|author-link=James Semple Kerr|date=1986|title=Fort Dension Conservation Plan}}

=== Attribution ===
{{NSW-SHR-CC-contains|name=Fort Denison|dno=5045472|id=00985|year=2018|access-date=2 June 2018}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web|date=2007|title=Fort Denison – Attraction Homepage|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkTours.aspx?ID=N0039|website=environment.nsw.gov.au}}
* {{cite web|publisher=[[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]|date=2012|title=Plan of Management – Sydney Harbour National Park 2012|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/20100998SydHarbNPdraftPOM.pdf}}
* {{cite book|publisher=NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service|date=1999|title=Fort Denison Conservation Plan}}
* {{cite web|publisher=Sydney Living Museums|date=2017|title=Convict Sydney|url=https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/convict-sydney}}
* {{cite web|publisher=Tourism NSW|date=2007|title=Fort Denison|url=http://www.visitnsw.com.au/Operator.aspx?ProductId=9013512|access-date=9 July 2018|archive-date=4 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904170909/http://www.visitnsw.com.au/Operator.aspx?ProductId=9013512|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|date=1974|title=National Trust Classification Card – Fort Denison}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Fort Denison}}
* {{official website|https://fortdenison.com.au/}}, [[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/Guided-tours/fort-denison-heritage-tour |title=Fort Denison heritage tour|publisher=NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service}}
* {{cite web |url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/fort_denison |title=Fort Denison |access-date=27 September 2015 |author=Ellmoos, Laila |date=2008 |work=[[Dictionary of Sydney]]|ref=none}} <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Creative Commons license|CC-By-SA]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060822112604/http://ybe2004.nsw.gov.au/ybe2004case04_denison01.html NSW Government: "Our Built Heritage Case Study: Fort Denison"]
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q3205730|title=The Siege of Pinchgut|description=1959}}

{{Barracks Batteries Bunkers and Forts in Sydney}}
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[[Category:Forts in New South Wales|Denison]]
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