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"The history, and the magic, of islands have always been bound up in processes of discovery, communication and creation. Over time, engagement with and development of these special places revolves around what we find there, what we bring there, and ultimately, what we make there. Cockatoo Island is this kind of place."
www.cockatooisland.net
These texts have kindly been made available to read online by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
Reflections on a Maritime City
An Appreciation of the Trust Lands on Sydney Harbour
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Sites Unseen
Exploring the Future of Trust Lands on Sydney Harbour
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Cockatoo Island is a unique and controversial site. Along with a number of other significant ex-military sites around Sydney harbour it is currently under the control of the "Sydney Harbour Federation Trust", a federal government agency established in 2000 to manage the transition from official to public use of its lands. Cockatoo Island is due to return to State Government control in six years.
From the global perspective, the island presents an urban condition that is not dissimilar to that of many post modern, globally emerging cities: how to (re)vitalise post industrial sites into vital programmes for cultural and economic growth. Locally the island is one of many large and striking post mercantile sites that line the city's harbour edge.
Through its unusual governance, which significantly has allowed for independence from state political concerns, it has the potential to present a new model for engagement with sites such as these, both locally and globally. Pertinently Cockatoo Island is currently undergoing an important leasing and programming process to decide its future potential as a cultural precinct in Sydney.
What is the future for Cockatoo Island and sites like it in Sydney around the world? How does the contemporary city respond to issues of historicism, and the interpretation of cultural meaning? What is the role of art and culture in the city and across sites of urban regeneration such as these?
Cockatoo Island 2001-Today: Revitalising a Piece of History
Source: http://harbourtrust.gov.au/topics/sitescockatoo.html
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust was handed management of Cockatoo Island, and is spending millions of dollars on decontaminating and rehabilitating the island.
Cockatoo Island contains important evidence of the history and development of Australia. Located at the meeting of two rivers, it has magnificent harbour views and is a visual landmark with its distinctive silhouette.
A summary of the island's facilities includes:
- Convict prison, guardhouse and courtyard
- Underground grain silos
- Two dry docks, one convict built
- Immense industrial workshops including a convict built sandstone workshop
- Industrial heritage spanning 100 years: cranes, jetties, slipways, machinery
- Powerhouse
- Tunnels
- Residential accommodation
It is close to 10 years since Cockatoo Island was used. The Harbour Trust has been decontaminating the island and rehabilitating many of the buildings and structures on the island.
Electricity, water and sewerage has been reinstated on the island. Four new electrical substations have been installed to handle all future power requirements of the island.
In 2005 a highly-acclaimed music and arts festival was held on the island, attracting over 7,000 visitors a day.
The Harbour Trust is now offering individuals, businesses, community groups and institutions to make their own history on the island through the leasing of buildings and facilities.
More information abour Cockatoo Island can be found on the Harbour Trust website: http://harbourtrust.gov.au/topics/sitescockatoo.html
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