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You are here: Home / Naval Heritage Sites / Garden Island NSW / 1788 – 1856

Garden Island NSW1788 – 1856

· Aug 14, 2017 ·

The name Garden Island appears to be at odds with the reality that it is not an island at all. The fact is that it was an island up until World War ll. It achieved its role in Australia’s naval history in the early days of the establishment of the Sydney settlement in 1788.

Bar-ing-hoe - a fishing place
Bar-ing-hoe – a fishing place. Garden Island before settlement

The local Aborigines called it Booroowang or Bar-Ing-Hoe, believed to mean a fishing place or an island, or even a ship. It consisted of two small hills, some scrubby vegetation and no natural water supply, but was very close to the new settlement.

However, it became part of Australia’s naval history on the 11th February 1788, just 16 days after the settlement was established at Sydney Cove, all because of scurvy. The Royal Navy was aware that fresh vegetables would help to prevent this and so it was their practice to establish simple gardens growing onions and corn wherever they were likely to be for any significant period.

A sailor’s lot…

Governor Arthur Phillip chose this little island as the site for such a garden for the crew of HMS Sirius, as it was secure from the settlement. So the entry appears in the log of HMS Sirius tells of a party of sailors being sent to the island to establish their ship’s garden – thus the name.

Log of HMS Sirius, 1788
Log of HMS Sirius, 1788

The garden was used by Sirius up until she was lost off Norfolk Island in 1790, then continued its role with other Royal Navy ships until 1807.

The island was used for various functions in those early years, including an anti-smuggling guardhouse, a gun battery, and even a residential cottage.

GRAFFITI – 1788

An early maritime requirement in a new location was the surveying of the waterways, and these were undertaken very quickly after the arrival of the First Fleet. One such survey was carried out by William Bradley, the First lieutenant of HMS Sirius. He was accompanied by a seaman, Frederic Meredith and a marine, Private Joseph Radford.

The oldest graffiti
The oldest graffiti

During their survey, they carved their initial into the sandstone on the northern hill of the island – these are still visible today and are the oldest marks made by Europeans in the Sydney area. Bradley is remembered today by the landmark Bradleys Head, on the northern side of Sydney Harbour.

1811 – 1856

Garden Island was transferred from naval use into the Governors estates in 1811, and whilst the public could visit the island, they had to make their own transport arrangements and be aware that there were no visitor facilities.

The one and only grave (Southern Hill of Garden Island)
The one and only grave (Southern Hill)

The Royal Navy ships continued to anchor in the waters around the island, but on the island, the only significant activity was the erection of the only grave ever on Garden Island. It contained the remains of wo close friends, Ellis Bent and John Ovens, both of whom had made their mark in Australia’s early history.

Australia Station

The discovery of gold in Australia and the interest this created overseas, led the Admiralty to establish the Australia Station, in 1856, basing five warships in Sydney. In conjunction with this, the NSW Government returned all of Garden Island except the Northern Hill to the Royal Navy – this to allow the establishment of some support facilities.

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Garden Island NSW

  • 1788 – 1856
  • 1857 – 1899
  • 1900 – 1939
  • 1940 – Today

Additional reading for Garden Island

  • Throwing a Party: The Naval Ball of 1899
  • A Tribute to Norman Rivett
  • Trouble with the Neighbours
  • The HMAS Parramatta Memorials
  • Kings Cross in World War II
  • Occasional Paper 70: The Ship’s Garden – GARDEN ISLAND
  • Occasional Paper 69: The Naval Garden on Garden Island, Sydney
  • Harry’s Café de Wheels
  • Letter: Villers Bretonneux Museum - Garden Island Dockyard crest
  • Garden Island Rangefinding
  • Ready to Serve
  • Naval Fuel Oil
  • Weather Signals
  • Our First Gardeners
  • Letter: The Hammerhead Lives
  • Peter Hibbs Remembered
  • Tales from the Dockyard - Lawrence Beare Westaway
  • Letter: The Hammerhead Crane
  • HMS Penguin (VII) and her 64 Pounder Gun
  • The Hammerhead Crane
  • Memories of a Garden Island Patternmaker
  • General Managers of Garden Island Dockyard
  • Garden Island and Cruise Ships
  • Letter: Garden Island Chapel
  • Tales from the Dockyard: The Silver Docket
  • Tales from the Dockyard: Dan Craig's Medal
  • Tales from the Dockyard: ‘Ingenuity Rules’
  • Periscope Repair - Defects by Fin, Friend, and Feather
  • Edward Albert Amphlett - Paymaster RN
  • Portuguese Carronades - 16th Century Explorers to Australia?
  • Garden Island - The Barracks Building
  • History of the "Consuela" Figurehead at Garden Island
  • Garden Island Rock Carvings - The Forgotten Men
  • FFG5 Builds in Two Dockyards 600 Miles Apart
  • The Chequered Career of HMAS Penguin
  • Garden Island Dockyard 1943-46
  • The RAN in Antarctic Waters
  • The Tower Building at Garden Island
View more links

World & National Heritage Sites

  • Cockatoo Island
  • HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites
  • HMVS Cerberus

Commonwealth Heritage Sites

  • Chowder Bay Naval Facilities
  • Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT
  • Royal Australian Naval College ACT
  • Garden Island WA
  • Naval Offices QLD
  • HMAS Cerberus
  • Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications
  • Beecroft Peninsula NSW
  • Spectacle Island Explosives Complex NSW
  • HMAS Penguin
  • HMAS Watson

The NHSA acknowledges support provided by the Australian Department of Environment and Energy which made these pages possible.
Greater detail on building history, the natural and Indigenous significance to these sites is available by accessing the National Heritage List.

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