We're not in Michigan anymore!: Watson Family Visit-Day 12

Today was our last full day with our visiting family. We decided to head back into the city and take a ferry to check out Cockatoo Island.

Arriving at Cockatoo Island, the largest island in Sydney.

For over a century and a half Cockatoo Island Dockyard employed thousands of workers to build warships, remodel passenger liners, perform general ship repairs and later to modernize submarines. Cockatoo Island was Australia's first naval dockyard for the Royal Australian Navy and continued to support and build ships for the Navy through two World Wars and the Korean and Vitenam Wars.

The Naval Store (former General Office/Pattern Shop) and entering into the Industrial Precinct Engineers' and Blacksmiths' Workshop-Here is the Turbine Shop-The enormity of this space gives a great indication of the vast scale of heavy engineering that took place here. In this massive space, ships' propulsion engines were assembled or repaired.

The Engine House was at the heart of the Industrial Precinct and provided the power source to drive the Fitzroy Dock workshops. It was powered by steam-driven engines and received steam from a bank of boilers located in the south of the building. It was later converted to house the Standards Room, which checked and calibrated machines and tools.

This lathe was used for manufacturing ships

Mort's Dock Steam Crane-this crane, with a jib (arm) length of 9.5m, was built in 1891. The Mort's Dock Company, that manufactured this crane, was one of the largest engineering works and shipyards in Australia. The crane was used for the loading and unloading of supplies and equipment for the dockyard.

Submarine Crane-this high precision crane from the 1970s, one of the largest on the island was used to fit out Oberon Class Submarines AND Crane 226-this crane was fitted to the Admiralty Floating Dock in 1942 and used for ship repair.

Dog-Leg Tunnel-was built during WWII as an air-raid shelter, and also to assist in the movement of materials around the island.

Fitzroy Dock-links the convict prison and a modern dockyard. The advantages of having this dry dock on Cockatoo Island: convict labour, a stable site, and close proximity to Sydney Cove and the wharves, warehouses and bond stores of Sydney Harbour. The dock was built by convicts and opened in 1857.

Sutherland Dock-was constructed to dock the largest class of vessels in service at that time including warships. When completed in 1890, it was the largest single graving dock in the world.

Electric Portal Jib Crane-installed in the 1970s, this prominent crane was used for the fitting out of ships on the Sutherland Wharf

Powerhouse and Chimeny-The engine room of the island, used to drive dockyard pumps and island machinery. It was the first proper power centre on Cockatoo Island. Its role was to supply and reticulate electricity, hydraulic power and compressed air to the Cockatoo Island docks and workshops.

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.

Convict Barracks-built by convicts and completed in 1841. Accommodation was in dormitory-style wards. At 6pm in summer and 5pm in winter, the convicts were locked up for the night. Conditions were crowded and unpleasant. They slept on wooden platforms, used a plank of wood as a pillow and were only allocated an individual space 16" wide. Poor ventilation and the need for the convicts to use buckets placed in the narrow central aisle as toilets meant the stench in here was foul. Convicts were often seen at the iron gratings gasping for fresh air from without.

Convict Cookhouse-convicts here were served 2 meals per day: breakfast (maize porridge) & dinner (bread and meat). They could have a 3rd meal if they paid for it with money they earned in prison work.