Spectacle Island is an island in the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. S ...

and Sydney Harbour, in Sydney, Australia. It lies in the main channel of the western section of the harbour, upstream of the Harbour Bridge, adjacent to the Sydney suburb of

Drummoyne Drummoyne is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Drummoyne is six kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative center for the local government area of the Ci ...

. The island is historically significant as it is the oldest naval explosives manufacturing and storage complex in Australia (from 1865). Originally built to store government

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

, the complex was converted to store naval munitions in 1893, for which purpose it hosts storesheds, jetties and an internal railway system.David Messent (1994). ''The Complete Guide to Sydney Harbour''. . Pages 66 and 99. The island has been significantly increased in size by the use of waste from the nearby Balmain Colliery. Today, the island is a depository of heritage items of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, and also is the home of Training Ship Sydney, a unit of the Australian Navy Cadets. Spectacle Island was added to the

Commonwealth National Heritage List The Commonwealth Heritage List is a heritage register established in 2003, which lists places under the control of the Australian government, on land or in waters directly owned by the Crown (in Australia, the Crown in right of the Commonwealth ...

in June 2004.

History

SLNSW 479653 149 Spectacle Island from Cockatoo Island SH 660

Spectacle Island is a small island in Sydney Harbour which was first known as Dawes Island as early as the first year of British settlement in 1788 but was later renamed Spectacle because of its shape, being then two small islands joined by a narrow isthmus. The colonial government selected Spectacle Island in 1865 as a storage site for the colonial government's gunpowder. Plans for the initial group of buildings (centred around the three-bay main magazine) were drawn up in the office of Colonial Architect

James Barnet James Johnstone Barnet, (1827 in Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland – 16 December 1904 in Forest Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890. Early life Born the son of a ...

. The buildings were mainly built of sandstone and had slate roofs; a pair of civilian residences (which later served as the offices and house of the officer in charge) were given verandas. Before long, more buildings were added; the shape of the island began changing as well, and the isthmus was gradually built up. In 1884 Spectacle Island became the naval armament depot and the colonial government's explosives were removed. Existing buildings were altered and new ones were constructed to suit the new military needs, and the completed installations were at the forefront of munitions handling and storage technology at the time. SLNSW 74457 Spectacle Island NSW

The

took over Spectacle from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

in 1913. By then, there were 40 buildings on the island, the isthmus had been filled in and the area of the island had been increased by about a hectare through reclamation works utilising spoil from the old Balmain coalmine. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

there was hectic activity on the island and several hundred extra workers were appointed, mainly for shell-filling. Older buildings were remodelled to better deal with new needs. With the end of the war in 1918, Spectacle was used to store unused munitions until they were eventually dispersed. By 1922 all the major permanent buildings had been built. Spectacle Island once again played an important role in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in dealing with smaller calibre ammunition, but was soon unable to cope with larger calibre material. After the war the island again was used to store unused munitions. Gradually, Spectacle's role changed with the growth of harbourside populations and technological change making the island's role of explosives handling and storage untenable and obsolete.

Present day

Spectacle Island is still used by the

to house the Naval Repository, including a collection of relics and artefacts, ranging from small items to vessels. The island is now home t
Training Ship Sydney
a unit of the Australian Navy Cadets.

References

External links

{{Sydney Canada Bay suburbs, state=collapsed Islands of Sydney Sydney Harbour Sydney localities Tourist attractions in Sydney