Fort Denison
A boating hazard with one of the best views in Sydney, Sarah Norris tours the Port Jackson island of Fort Denison and finds a colourful and bloody past
By Sarah Norris
It may be the best place to party in the New Year, but Fort Denison
was originally far from an island getaway retreat. No more than a
desolate rocky outcrop in Sydney Harbour, it was used as a fishing spot
by Aborigines, who called it Mat-te-wan-ye, before being taken over by
white settlers and given the name ‘Pinchgut'.
Once home to Sydney's finest weight-loss program, from the 1788 it
was a dumping ground for petty crims. Those caught stealing food in the
Sydney colony were shackled to the 15-metre rock with naught but
rations of bread and water.
Although it gives weight to the choice of name, the Mitchell
Library's senior curator Paul Brunton says ‘Pinchgut' has multiple
meanings. "It was named Pinchgut by Admiral John Hunter [who later
became Governor of NSW] in 1788. It's both an old nautical term for the
point where a stream channel narrows and the word for being hungry."
The island was given a militaristic makeover and renamed after
Lieutenant Governor Sir William Denison in the late 1830s, following
fear of a possible attack by Russian warships. It was fortified with
8,000 tonnes of sandstone quarried near Neutral Bay, installed with a
Martello tower (now the last Martello tower of the British Empire) and
a bestowed with a gunroom, which seemed to be completely pointless
given it was too small to fire cannons. However, by the time the
fortification was complete, the garrison was redundant (although it was
accidentally hit in 1942 when the American cruiser USS Chicago fired
upon a Japanese sub that had entered the harbour).
Nowadays Fort Denison is a hot tourist destination and a favourite spot for wedding receptions.
Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour 2000. (02 9264 7377) Guided tours from Fort Denison at
12.15pm & 2.30pm (Mon & Tue) & 10.45am, 12.15pm &
2.30pm (Wed-Sun). Adults $27; concs $24; child $20.
Ferries
for Fort Denison depart every 45 minutes from Pier 26, Darling Harbour
(from 9.30am) or No. 6 Jetty, Circular Quay (from 9.45am). Adult &
concs $17; child $10.