Cockatoo Island Dock (aka Fitzroy Dock) circa 1870

Cockatoo Island offers a window into Australia’s storied convict era. For example, Fitzroy Dock is the only remaining example, nationally, of a dry dock constructed by convicts. Constructed between 1847 and 1857, it forms part of Cockatoo Island's Convict Site which, in 2010, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with 10 other historically significant convict sites. Collectively known as the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property, these sites tell a story of exile from one side of the world to the other and how a new nation was formed from hardship, inequality and adversity.

Image courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales

Call Number: Government Printing Office (GPO) 1 - 47719

Original negative held by State Archives & Records Authority of New South Wales.