Our excursion to Cockatoo Island was very helpful in developing our understanding of the early years of settlement in the New South Wales Colony. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day.
Cockatoo Island was a convict prison between 1839 and 1869, home at its peak to 550 men who built their barracks, forged their own prison bars and constructed Fitzroy Dock. Some of the major places we visited were:
Military Guardhouse - A garrison for British army 'redcoat' guards from which they could observe the prison block and if necessary fire their muskets through holes in the walls.
Mess Hall - Where convicts devoured their generous daily ration of one pound of fresh beef or mutton, twenty ounces of bread, and half a pound of vegetables.
Fitzroy Dock - Built for the Royal Navy from 1847-1857 mostly by convicts with their bare hands, often waist deep in water and in leg irons.
Cockatoo Island was a convict prison between 1839 and 1869, home at its peak to 550 men who built their barracks, forged their own prison bars and constructed Fitzroy Dock. Some of the major places we visited were:
Military Guardhouse - A garrison for British army 'redcoat' guards from which they could observe the prison block and if necessary fire their muskets through holes in the walls.
Mess Hall - Where convicts devoured their generous daily ration of one pound of fresh beef or mutton, twenty ounces of bread, and half a pound of vegetables.
Fitzroy Dock - Built for the Royal Navy from 1847-1857 mostly by convicts with their bare hands, often waist deep in water and in leg irons.
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