Considering its intriguing past, Goat Island beckons with stories etched in sandstone and whispers carried on the sea breeze. This heritage-listed island resides in Port Jackson. It is northwest of Sydney’s central business district. Goat Island is at the junction of Darling Harbour and Sydney Harbour’s main channel.
Known as Memel or Me-Mel by the indigenous Eora people, Goat Island means “the eye.” Bennelong, an Eora elder, held a deep connection to this land. He considered Goat Island his property.
But how did Goat Island get its unusual name? Some say that from above, its shape resembles a poorly formed goat. Confusingly, Goat Island was once called Cockatoo Island on old maps. The current Cockatoo Island was named Banks Island. By the late 1820s, the names of the two islands stabilized.
Initially, Goat Island served as a sandstone quarry in 1831. This began a series of disputes between the local government and the military. Major Thomas Mitchell opposed the quarrying. He believed it compromised the island’s defense.
Governor Bourke proposed an arsenal on Goat Island. Its location, isolation, security, and accessibility made it ideal. Convicts began quarrying stone in 1833. By 1839, the bomb-proof powder magazine was complete. Legend says convict Charles Anderson was chained to a rock here for two years. A stone couch, said to be his shelter, remains.
In 1836, an Act regulated gunpowder storage. The Officers of Ordnance became responsible for its safekeeping. Construction finished in 1839. A magazine, cooperage, barrack, and convict housing were erected. Most of these structures still stand on Goat Island.
The Water Police relocated to Goat Island in 1837. Colonial Architect Mortimer William Lewis designed the station. It was built at the northeastern tip of the island. A water-level ditch separated the police domain from the military magazine. This “cut” is still visible.
The Queen’s Magazine stored gunpowder for the British government and the Colonial administration. By 1847, private gunpowder storage became problematic. Many owners went bankrupt during the 1840s depression. This left deteriorating gunpowder. Colonial Architect Edmund Blacket designed a merchants’ gunpowder magazine in 1850.
In 1854, a new Colonial Magazine was constructed. The existing magazine became the Queen’s Magazine. In 1864, the police station transformed into a cartridge laboratory. The Water Police moved to Kirribilli. By the 1870s, dynamite magazines were built on the east side of Goat Island. Most propellant powders and cartridge manufacturing moved to Spectacle Island.
The Colonial Secretary worried that the gunpowder on Goat Island could destroy Sydney. New blasting preparations increased concerns. By 1875, a magazine was erected southwest of the cut. Another followed by 1878. The laboratory had to be relocated again.
In 1900, all explosives were removed from Goat Island. It briefly became a bacteriology station. By 1901, it was the depot for the Sydney Harbour Trust. A harbor master’s house and fireboat crew cottages were built.
Between 1925 and 1931, Goat Island became a shipyard. The Colonial Magazine was recycled as a shipwright’s workshop. The Queens Magazine became a general store. The Maritime Services Board replaced the Trust in 1936.
During World War II, Goat Island housed the Board’s Fire Brigade. Plans for a community hall were drawn in 1941. Tennis courts were erected earlier.
The Maritime Services Board relinquished control in 1995. Administrative control transferred to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in 1994.
In 2016, the state government announced plans to return Goat Island to Aboriginal hands. In 2022, the NSW Government announced that Goat Island would be returned to Aboriginal ownership within four years.
Today, Goat Island stands as a testament to Sydney’s layered past. It is a place where indigenous heritage, colonial ambitions, and maritime endeavors converge. As you explore its shores, remember the stories etched in its very foundation.