Free
45 to 60 mins approx. (excluding Q&A)
Minimum 15 attendees
In-person, with virtual opportunities available to regional groups on a by request basis.
There are 5 free talks to choose from (details below). Each is presented by a knowledgeable volunteer speaker and provides information about our extraordinary places, including Cockatoo Island / Wareamah, Middle Head / Gubbuh Gubbuh, North Head Sanctuary and Woolwich Dock and Parklands .
Not sure what talk to choose? Our Extraordinary Places Talk offers an in-depth overview of the Harbour Trust and is a great place to start.
Interested in becoming a volunteer speaker? Learn more here.
Our speaker will paint a vivid picture of our visitor destinations, including North Head Sanctuary (Manly), Headland Park (Mosman), Cockatoo Island (Sydney Harbour), Sub Base Platypus (North Sydney), Woolwich and Macquarie Lightstation (Vaucluse). Plus, you’ll gain fascinating insights into convict life on Cockatoo Island, the role of North Fort’s military fortifications during the Second World War, and more!
Our speaker will delve into the history of this one-time convict penal establishment, reformatory school and shipbuilding yard. Hear how the island’s convicts were shaped by harsh living and working conditions, how vulnerable boys were gathered from the streets of Sydney and taught trades, and how shipbuilders made Cockatoo Island the major shipbuilding and dockyard facility for the South West Pacific in WWII.
Our speaker will offer an in-depth look at North Head Sanctuary in Manly, delving into the military and quarantine history of this stunning coastal site as well as its unique flora and fauna. Hear tales of the soldiers who defended Sydney during World War II as well as the people who succumbed to the ravages of small pox, the plague and other epidemics and were interred at Third Quarantine Cemetery.
Australia’s Memorial Walk is located at North Head Sanctuary and is a dedicated war memorial. Pavers are laid in the walk to commemorate loved ones who have defended Australia from colonial to modern times. This presentation will cover the history of Australia’s Memorial Walk and then delve into some of the fascinating stories of unusual military units, families and individuals commemorated with pavers laid in the Memorial Walk, including Victoria Cross recipients, military nurses and those who are remembered for incredible acts of bravery.
The Third Quarantine Cemetery at North Head Sanctuary, together with the nearby Quarantine Station, is included on Australia’s National Heritage List as a significant example of the nation’s evolving quarantine practices. The cemetery is probably Australia’s largest, most well-preserved quarantine cemetery. More than 240 people were buried here between 1881 and 1925. Hear the stories of those interred here including brave nurses, soldiers & locals who succumbed to the ravages of influenza, the bubonic plague, smallpox and scarlet fever.
General information
Once a booking has been made, one of our speakers will contact you to confirm logistics, including travelling to your location for the talk. [Note: Sydney metropolitan area only.]
Talks run for approximately 60 minutes after which there will be time for a 15-minute Q&A with the speaker.
Please provide our speaker with the necessary information regarding your AV system and projectors. If you require a projector screen, notify the speaker when they contact you.
Our presentations are shared via the speaker’s laptop, so we require organisers to have both the necessary equipment at the venue and knowledge of its use.
By delivering engaging talks, you will not only share enigmatic historical stories that will help foster a deeper connection and appreciation of Sydney Harbour’s unique intangible and tangible heritage, but you will help inspire visitation to our sites through community connection.
The Harbour Trust has just completed a recruitment drive for volunteer speakers. However, if you'd like to express your interest, please click the below button to email engagement@harbourtrust.gov.au.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and Owners of the lands, waters and sky of Sydney Harbour, including the extraordinary places we manage and protect. Today, the homelands of the Borogegal, Birrabirragal, Cammeraygal, Gadigal, Gayamagal, Wallumedegal and Wangal peoples host destinations under our stewardship. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.
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