Cockatoo Island – Draft Concept Vision
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Cockatoo Island / Wareamah DRAFT Concept Vision Message from the Chair to respectfully acknowledge the Nowhere else in Australia Island’s First Nation’s past as a has in one place the story sacred women’s place and in of our nation. identifying Cockatoo Island as a place of cultural connection. This Draft Concept Vision presents Cockatoo Island / Wareamah is the a 10-year vision for Cockatoo Island / geographic pivot point in Greater Sydney. Wareamah; an ambition for the Harbour At the heart of Sydney Harbour, linking Trust to work towards. The vast nature of the Sydney’s ‘global city’ to the dynamic growth island and the many precincts means that it of Sydney’s Central City at Parramatta and is likely to be delivered in several stages beyond to Western Sydney. over the coming decade. Each stage must At 18 hectares in area, Cockatoo Island is necessarily add to the story and draw more the largest of the harbour islands. Here we visitors to support the overall achievement can find our nation’s layered history from of the island’s potential. First Nations occupation of the Eora Nation, The Harbour Trust cannot achieve this colonial convict, to industrial and maritime vision alone. We will look for support from Sydney. The Island is an UNESCO World governments as well as from committed Heritage site, considered one of the best corporates and benefactors, who are surviving examples of convict transportation attracted to the opportunity to deliver some and forced labour. of the unique precincts outlined in this Draft With two of the world’s most recognised Concept Vision, in partnership with the Balls Head Reserve icons of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House Harbour Trust. An original section of across the water, there is an opportunity for shoreline and ecological We also recognise that access and awareness Cockatoo Island to play a larger part in the habitat on Sydney Harbour. of the Island are crucial elements to activation. Harbour’s role in Sydney’s position on the In particular, we recognise the need to global stage. work closely with the New South Wales The Harbour Trust continues to be guided government to ensure transport links and by the values and principles that formed the access to the Island match growing visitor basis of its establishment and is committed levels, as well as tourism and event links to to the proper and sensitive activation of increase visibility of this unique site. the Island, in conjunction with government I encourage all members of the community and the community. This Draft Concept and our stakeholders to provide feedback Vision provides an opportunity to further on the Draft Concept Vision to help shape progress the conversation on the future of the future vision and direction of the site. Cockatoo Island and seek feedback from What will follow is further future engagement the community. through a detailed masterplan for the Island. In 2019, we spoke to our community about their vision for the island’s future. We heard that people valued Cockatoo Island’s many historic layers and stories but wanted to see its untapped potential realised. The community told us that it wants more from Cockatoo Island, with more diverse experiences for more diverse audiences, Mr Joseph Carrozzi and we heard that more needed to be done Chair, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust PAGE 2 Acknowledging Country Cockatoo Island / Wareamah The Harbour Trust respectfully remains a place of significance acknowledges the Traditional to First Nations Peoples from Owners of Cockatoo Island / Sydney and other regions, believed to be a sacred women's Wareamah. place. It holds a significant geographic position in Sydney Cockatoo Island / Wareamah connects Harbour — at the mouth of the Parramatta to the waterways and homelands of the and Lane Cove Rivers, intersecting with Wallumedegal, Wangal, Cammeraygal multiple First Nations. It is a unique place and Gadigal people. We pay our respect not exclusively associated with one particular to Elders past, present and emerging. clan group, but rather a place visited and used by many. PAGE 3 Connecting to Country There are different pathways to Cockatoo Island Developing cultural Connecting with Country which / Wareamah, has awareness is key. depends on the context and traditionally been history of place, the state of the a meeting place lands and waters, the community and women’s Connection to Country refers to the ways in which resides there and, most importantly, place. This which we exist in relationship to the lands the traditions and values of the Traditional Country has been and waters on which we live and work on. Custodians of that place. a place between the boundaries Dr Danièle Hromek says that: Connecting with Country can also of four different // ‘Country’ has a specific and significant meaning include supporting or reclaiming cultural clans (Wangal, for First Nations peoples. In the First Nations expressions (including performance, Wallumedegal sense of the word, Country relates to the nation or ceremony, dance, song and language), Cammeraygal and cultural group and land that we belong to, yearn building a relationship with Country Gadigal), where for, find healing from and will return to. However, (e.g. through using ecosystems thinking land meets sea Country means much more than land, it is our to reduce stress on our environment), and sky. place of origin in cultural, spiritual and literal terms. reawakening memories of cultural It includes not only land but also skies and waters. landscapes (engaging with places through Country incorporates both the tangible and the our senses) and knowledge–sharing intangible, for instance, all the knowledges and (integrating First Nations’ knowledge cultural practices associated with land. People are systems with Western scientific knowledge). part of Country, and our identity is derived in a large way in relation to Country. // DRAFT CONNECTING WITH COUNTRY FRAMEWORK NSW GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT IMAGE: NEARMAP TURRANBURRA River Cammeraygal Wallumedegal River MOOCOOBOOLA GONG–UL WAREAMAH Ocean Tide AR–RA–RE–AGON Wangal ME–MEL Gadigal PAGE 4 Creek Country as Meeting Place Our vision for Wareamah is to connect future with past and merge divergent cultural histories; for the island to be a healed and rejuvenated landscape where people meet and come together, celebrate, share IMAGE: ARCHER KING knowledge, learn from, and experience Country. We will work closely with Traditional Owners in creating this vision. Before 1822 Archer King Sydney, 2021 A M A H R E Aerial imagining of A Wareamah prior to W settlement as a penal colony, using aerial photographs of Sydney Harbour and the 1822 survey of Port Jackson by John Septimus Roe. FIRST NATIONS DESIGN PRINCIPLES Community engagement Reawakening memories of Providing space for ongoing Designing with Country requires cultural landscapes and creating cultural expression that Traditional Owners and other opportunities to care for Country Facilitating contemporary First First Nations community members There is a strong desire from the Nations performance, art and and stakeholders are central to the Traditional Owners and the First storytelling through permanent design process, for the life of the Nations community of Wareamah installations, collaborations, pop–ups project. Early consultation with to be ‘cleansed’ from the significant and potentially site–walking apps First Nations communities has toxic residues from previous use. will allow for cross–cultural learning informed design thinking for this We see multiple opportunities and ongoing connection with project, and we will continue to be to remediate parts of the island, Country. Contemporary First Nations guided by the aspirations of the removing disused buildings and cultural expressions (as opposed to community. concrete in favour of rewilding, memorialisation) express the living native plantings or bush tucker and dynamic nature of Country. gardens more closely resembling what the island would have previously looked like. PAGE 5 1822 Survey of Port Jackson 1822 John Septimus Roe London, 1826 One of the oldest survey maps available of Spectacle Island Cockatoo, Spectacle and Snapper Islands. on a 2021 aerial photograph. (Appears incorrectly labeled Banks Island, as Cockatoo is seen on Goat Island to the east). Cockatoo Island Snapper Island Changing Form Parramatta Wharf 1907 SURVEY Overlay of island 1822—1945 shoreline, docks and 1822 SURVEY wharfs 1822—1945 1945 WW2 EXTENTS Since first European occupation of the island, and commencement of quarrying and cut and 1857 PLATEAU filling of the foreshore, the overall land area of the island has grown by 50,000 m2 (5 ha) to the present day 179,000 m2. As the island grew the upper sandstone plateau Slipway No.1 area continued to shrink 1942 PLATEAU as new lower apron areas were constructed Slipway No.2 Bolt Shop Wharf to accommodate new buildings, wharfs and slipways, and stone was Chimney quarried for building and sea walls. The original plateau was Fitzroy Dock around 10 ha, which was Sutherland Dock reduced to around 6 ha by Slipway No .3 1857 when Fitzroy Dock was completed. Further Sutherland Wharf blasting and quarrying Slipway No .4 occurred for dockyard expansion in WW1 and WW2, leaving the plateau at around 3.5 ha in 1942, Camber Wharf Fitzroy Wharf which is similar to its current day arrangement. As the island grew in size by an additional 50% the upper island plateau reduced by around 66% over a period of 100 years PAGE 6 After 1788 Small scale shipbuilding began in the 1870s. In 1880 work began The island has had dramatic on the construction of the larger changes in form and use Sutherland Dock. In 1913 Cockatoo Island became the dockyard of the Royal Australian Navy, and during World War I up to 4,000 Cockatoo Island / Wareamah is the largest men were employed building warships and island in Sydney Harbour at the confluence converting merchant ships for war service.