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In 1913, when Cockatoo Island was transferred from the NSW Government to the Commonwealth Government to serve as the Naval Dockyard for the Royal Australian Navy, it became clear that the island's existing power supplies were inadequate. To assess the situation, a consulting engineer named George Julius was hired to evaluate the power system. His investigation revealed the power system was ineffective and that the generating plant was both obsolete and in a poor condition. Julius recommended the installation of a new power plant to replace the island’s existing pump house, which had been built in 1884 for Sutherland Dock. His report also highlighted the poor condition of the boilers, prompting the Naval Board to order the shutdown of the power plant while a detailed survey was conducted. In the meantime, two locomotive boilers were installed at the dockyard to enable operations to continue.
It wasn't until November 1915 that tenders were called to build a new powerhouse for the island. Controversy followed when, in May 1916, the Naval Board accepted a bid from an English firm over a bid from Australian company Thompson & Co (Castlemaine) Pty Ltd. Despite appeals from members of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers urging that preference be given to Australian manufacturers, the Naval Board, following the advice of a local expert and the endorsement of the British Admiralty, chose to place the order with a British manufacturer for a combination of Parsons-Crompton gear turbo generator sets.
The Powerhouse was completed in 1918, constructed on the site of the old pump house. In 1937, the Daily News and Shipping List, described the Powerhouse as “an interesting and self-contained unit,” as it supplied electricity not only for the dockyard but for the entire island, ensuring that Cockatoo Island was completely self-sufficient in electrical use. Power was generated by three turbo reduction-geared generators, with an output of 1,000 kW. Steam was provided by three water-tube boilers, which were fired by automatic chain-grate stokers. Other equipment also included hydraulic pumps and two deep-well centrifugal pumps to drain the dry dock. Ships at the wharves and those in dock at Cockatoo Island were connected and supplied electricity, which was metered and charged accordingly.
The Powerhouse served as the island's only source of power until 1937 and was the largest open-fronted DC generating plant in Australia. It remained operational until the dockyard closed in 1991, and when it was abandoned, it was left as though the workers had just walked out. In 2004, the Powerhouse was added to the Commonwealth Heritage Register. The register highlighted its significance in supporting the operations of Cockatoo Island and noted that it contains the most extensive and rare collection of early Australian electrical, hydraulic power, and pumping equipment in Australia. The building itself is recognised on the register as a good example of the Federation Romanesque style, characterised by its distinctive round-arch design, while the chimney is viewed as one of the finest remaining stacks surviving in Sydney.
In recent years, the Powerhouse has been opened to the public on rare occasions, such as during the 2018 Biennale, when Japanese artist Yukinori Yanagi installed a metal bomb casing artwork to honour his hometown of Hiroshima.
In September 2019, the Harbour Trust, which manage and protect Cockatoo Island, received a National Historic Grant to carry out initial restoration work on the Powerhouse. Although this work was completed in 2020, a significant amount of additional restoration is still needed to fully rejuvenate the building and provide safe public access.
References
- Barlass, Tim, 3 November 2022. The hidden secrets of Sydney Harbour’s little-known island treasure. Sydney Morning Herald, The hidden secrets of Sydney Harbour’s little-known island treasure (smh.com.au).
- The Daily Commercial News and Shipping List, Thursday 23 September 1937, page 5.
- The Daily Telegraph, Friday 12 May 1916, page 6.
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Pumphouse, Cockatoo Island, NSW Australia. Australian Heritage Database Australian Heritage Database (environment.gov.au).
- Jeremy, John. (2005) Cockatoo Island, Sydney’s Historical Dockyard. University of New South Wales Press Ltd. Sydney, pp 28-29.
- Pitt, Helen, 29 September 2019, The Sydney Morning Herald. 'An electrical engineers' sacred site': Island powerhouse restored (smh.com.au).
- The Richmond River and Casino Kyogle Advertiser, Tuesday 16 November 1915, page 5.
- The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 13 May 1916, p. 18.
Article was originally published on 21 February 2025.
