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Harbour Trust: The SitesHeadland Park (Middle Head, Georges Heights, Chowder Bay): About the Site
"Headland Park" is one of Sydney's newest parklands, incorporating Harbour Trust lands across Middle Head, Georges Heights and Chowder Bay.
Location Map
Visitor InformationAccess Aerial
photo of Middle HeadHeadland Park is open to the public every day from sunrise to sunset and a walking track links Chowder Bay to Georges Heights and Balmoral. Pedestrian access to Middle Head is also available through the former School of Pacific Administration and 10 Terminal site. The Lower Georges Heights artist colony is open, and pedestrian access through this area is also made available via walking paths. Guided ToursGuided tours are operated by the Harbour Trust every month and provide an overview of the history of the area and its spectacular features. Tours by special arrangement can also be accommodated. Click here to find out more about these tours. Sydney's Walking TracksAs well as the walking tracks within Headland Park, you can also visit the site as part of Sydney's coastal walks. Download brochures from the Walking Coastal Sydney website to find out about the continuous walking track that allows you to explore Sydney's beautiful coastline. Headland Park TenantsA number of cafes, restaurants and other businesses operate on the site. Find out more about Headland Park businesses. Dogs in Headland ParkWe invite dog owners to walk their dogs in Headland Park. A reminder though that we want all our visitors to enjoy the park. This beautiful urban park is growing in popularity as people discover its walking tracks, lookouts, regenerated bushland, cafes and activities. For the safety and comfort of all park users, especially children, it is important that dogs are on a leash at all times. For more information, talk to a Harbour Trust ranger or call our office during business hours on (02) 8969 2100.
 New
bus stop outside the Bacino Bar, Chowder BayNew Bus Service to Chowder BayNOW RUNNING
It is now even easier to get to Chowder Bay. The State Transit Authority has extended the route of the 244 bus service to the bay during week days. The new bus stop is opposite the Bacino Bar in building no. 2. The 244 service will link Chowder Bay with the city. Buses depart from Wynard Station. For further information and the new timetable check the Sydney Buses website. Natural Features
Headland Park - the newest urban parkland in Sydney - covers the former defence lands at Middle Head, Georges Heights and Chowder Bay. These lands are characteristic of the landforms around Sydney Harbour. Stratified sedimentary Hawkesbury sandstone layers have weathered into stone terraces down to the waters edge, with gentler slopes to the North forming natural amphitheatres. A volcanic dyke runs through Middle Head, providing resistance to weathering and hence the formation of such a prominently jutting headland. The river valley they surround was flooded after the last Ice Age (about 6,000 years ago) to create Sydney Harbour. Native Flora and Fauna A
Eucalypt at sunset: Headland ParkAround Middle Head-Georges Heights are remnants of sandstone coastal heath and woodland that provide a home for many animals including:
There are also a variety of marine plants and animals at Chowder Bay. The flora of Headland Park includes rare and endangered species such as:
Below these trees grow a vast range of native grasses, scramblers and climbers. Environmental ChallengesThe water mould, Phytophthora cinnamomi, is affecting plants at Middle Head-Georges Heights. The Harbour Trust is taking measures to appropriately manage it and prevent its spread. Click
here to learn more about Phytophthora by downloading
a brochure (PDF, 133kb You can learn even more about Phytophthora at the Australian Museum website.
History of the sitePre-1788: Indigenous CultureAboriginal people have lived around the Middle Head-Georges Heights area for thousands of years, fishing in the bays and inlets. This is evidenced by the many rock carvings and middens by beaches which can be seen today along the foreshore. The area was chiefly home to the Borogegal people. On 29th January 1788 Captain Hunter landed upon and camped on Middle Head, after being hailed and directed from the cliffs above to a safe landing site by local Aborigines. This was the first recorded contact between Indigenous and Europens peoples in this area. 1788-1815: Early Colonial DefencesSydney Harbour is a natural fort and from the earliest days of the colony the northern side of the harbour was seen as providing an ideal location for defensive batteries to protect Sydney Cove. In 1801 a fort was built above Obelisk Bay to protect the new colony from a possible French attack. For the next 200 years the military had a significant presence on the headland. 1815-1822: Bungaree Farm Experiment “Bungaree,
a native chief of New South Wales”. Hand coloured lithograph by
Augustus Earle, 1830. Source: National Library of AustraliaThe area is important for the role it played in an attempt by Governor Lachlan Macquarie to encourage Aborigines to engage in farming and to adapt to the European way of living. In 1815 Macquarie reported to London that he had succeeded in getting 16 adult Aborigines to settle on a small farm on the north side of the harbour. The families were given implements and clothing and convicts were appointed to teach them how to farm. These Aboriginal settlers were not members of the local Borogegal clan, they were from the Broken Bay area and Macquarie appointed one of them, Bungaree, “to be their chief”. Bungaree has been described as witty, intelligent and something of a diplomat and is recognised as an example of significant collaboration between Aboriginals and Europeans. Macquarie and Bungaree were to become firm friends and at the ceremony to mark the establishment of the farm Macquarie presented Bungaree with a metal gorget (breast plate) inscribed “Chief of Broken Bay Tribe.” The farm was not a success though, and by 1821 it had fallen into disrepair. Macquarie sought to re-establish it, but again the experiment failed. From 1825 onwards, early land grants were made to Europeans who farmed the area. 1820s-1870s: Settlement and Population GrowthChowder Bay was named after American Whalers who anchored here off the jetty that was established in 1829. The whalers made 'fish chowder' from the abundant oysters and pipis. In 1832 an American whaler, named Captain Cliffe, purchased the Government gardens and built a home called Cliffeton. By 1871 Clifton Gardens saw the arrival of a fine hotel ‘The Clifton Arms’. The popularity of Chowder Bay was enhanced in 1872 when Duncan Butters was granted a publican’s licence. This was the first of two licensed hotels in Mosman, the other being the 'Athol Gardens Hotel', which was reputed to have received up to 5,000 people a day landing at its wharf. In 1890, the site became a very popular pleasure ground, and this was followed by the construction of David Thompson’s 'Marine Hotel' in 1885 with its dance hall, wharf pool and accommodation, ‘unsurpassed in the Southern Hemisphere’. The hotel was finally demolished in 1967. 1870s-1880s: Fortifying the headland Gun
emplacement on Georges Heights c1890sFortifications were built on Georges Heights and Middle Head in the 1870s, and upgraded in the 1880s on the advice of British experts. Three sets of fortifications were built on Georges Heights in the 1870s. They were part of a network of 'outer harbour' defences designed to fire at enemy ships as they entered the harbour. Barracks were built for the 'gunners' from sandstone quarried on site. These barracks can still be found nestled in the bushland of Georges Heights with spectacular sweeping views of the harbour. 1880s-1920s: Submarine Mining and Military HospitalsBased on recommendations from a Royal Commission on the Defence of Sydney, Chowder Bay was resumed for military purposes. Military experts had recommended that a line of mines be strung across Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), using a defensive system known as "Submarine Mining". This was already in operation around the world - most notably during the American Civil War (1861-62) and the Paraguay-Brazil War (1866-67). In 1889 Chowder Bay was chosen as the site for the Submarine Mining Depot, and work began on constructing a number of buildings for this purpose that remain intact today. Mines were strung across the harbour and operational by 1894, however were never fired in anger. After the Submarine Mining Corps disbanded in 1922, Chowder Bay became a depot and barracks for Army engineers. During World War I (1914-1918) the third largest military hospital in Australia operated from Georges Heights. Many of the timber-framed hospital buildings remain today. 1930s-1940s: World War II Gun
on Georges HeightsDuring World War II, Australia was forced to redesign its defence systems. A submarine net was placed across the harbour and new quick firing guns were installed at Georges Head. Japanese midget submarines made it past these defences into the harbour in May 1942. Chowder Bay was converted into the Army's Maritime Transport Wing, and barracks were constructed for the Army Signals Unit on land that had been cleared for a golf course on Middle Head. The clubhouse became accommodation for married officers. By the end of the war, the buildings housed Italians who were interned and employed as maintenance workers. By 1944 the Army had scaled down its operations in Georges Heights as the port defence system was no longer effective. 1950s-1970s: Changes In Military and Civilian Presence on the HeadlandAfter the war, the Australian School of Pacific Administration occupied barracks at Middle Head. In weatherboard buildings connected by covered walkways and among tropical gardens, teacher training took place. During the 1960s and 1970s specialist courses were run for Australian public servants, diplomats and Pacific nationals. The weatherboard buildings were last used as the AusAid Centre for Pacific Development and Training until 1998. Over the years, fortifications were modified as technology changed and new guns were installed. The invention of aircraft and long-range naval guns led to the dismantling of fortifications along Georges Heights in the 1950s. In 1956 the stone barracks were remodelled as an Officer's Mess and the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps training school moved onto the site know known as Headquarters Training Command. The H-shaped fibro and weatherboard buildings were added. From 1958-1968 the Army Military Intelligence Unit moved into new red brick and tile-roofed buildings on Middle Head. The Unit taught aerial photo interpretation, foreign army tactics and combat intelligence. Students learnt about enemy interrogation techniques that would help them endure and resist treatment if captured. The fortification tunnels in the National Park on Middle Head were used for this purpose with a series of 'tiger cages'. The Unit relocated to South Australia in 1968 and the Army transport group, 10 Terminal Regiment, occupied the site until 1997. Chowder Bay became the Army Maritime School from the 1970s through until 1997 when the school moved to Townsville.
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Sydney Harbour Federation Trust · PO Box 607 · Mosman NSW 2088 Australia · Tel 02 8969 2100 · Fax 02 8969 2120 · TTY 02 8969 2152 Business Hours: Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm This page last modified 7 March, 2008 |
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1979-2002:
National Park and Departure of the Military