Engine Erecting Shop, Cockatoo Dockyard, 1914 (J C Jeremy Collection)

Keith Francis (middle left), William ‘Bill’ Wallace (middle right) and other unidentified workers standing with a cast iron propeller, belonging to the River Clarence, in the Turbine Shop, Building 150.

A powerhouse of industry for over a century (1857 to 1991), Cockatoo Island was once Australia’s major shipbuilding and repair facility. The buildings that make up this historic precinct, including the cathedral-like Turbine Hall, feature exposed steel beams, soaring ceilings, sandstone details and fascinating relics from this golden era.