Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbor. In its varied past, it has been home to a prison, industrial school, reformatory and in the 20th century, one of Australia’s biggest shipyard. During WWII, for example, more than 20 ships were built there. Industrial activity ended in 1992, and now Cockatoo Island is one of Sydney’s most intriguing places to visit. A campground was opened in 2008 and regular ferry service connects the island to the mainland.
Bill and Katrina had camped on Cockatoo Island twice before and had made reservations for Saturday night. In the picture below you can see the tents available for rent. The tents we had came with two Therm-a-Rest mattresses, two camp chairs and a lantern. You can also bring you own tent if you choose.
The camping facilities are actually among the nicest I’ve ever seen. The bathrooms and showers are large, modern and clean. The outdoor kitchen has free gas barbecues, sinks, cleaning supplies AND refrigerators. Very nice!
For dinner we barbecued hamburgers and sausages on the very handy gas BBQs, and then the adult went for a post-sunset stroll around the island. This is a view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, with some of the industrial facilities on Cockatoo Island in the foreground.
For photographers, Cockatoo Island is a paradise. Many of the industrial buildings are readily accessible, with nobody chaperoning you along. All lights on the island are turned out at 10:30pm, but until then you can freely walk around. Many of the buildings (some of them HUGE) still have large machinery and equipment in them, which makes photography even more interesting. In the U.S., you’d have to be part of a photography workshop to have that kind of access. On Cockatoo Island it is free!
Here are just some of the many photos I took:
Unfortunately, the weather gods smiled on us a little too enthusiastically. The temps were in the high 90s, with much higher humidity than what we’re used to, and practically no breeze to make it more bearable. The temperatures didn’t really drop much at night either; I think it was in the mid-80s all night. We all suffered a bit from the excessive heat, the humidity and the attendant stickiness, and were wishing for the kind of weather we’d had in Tasmania :-).
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