Today we went to Goat Island, one of the many islands in Sydney harbour, and one of the many islands people hardly ever get to. This is because the harbour and its islands are strictly controlled by various government authorities, and visitors are limited. This is quite sensible as a lot of history resides in these islands and this needs to be preserved.
So it was with some excitement we boarded our 1920s ferry that took us the short distance to Goat Island. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Sydney's shiny high rise buildings, the island is anything but 21st century. This is where convicts were brought in the early 1800s to hack away at the sandstone rocks to build a large gunpowder production and storage facility. They worked in shackles and were housed in small mobile huts. Their overseers were housed nearby in barracks. One can only imagine the kind of life that was lived here. Convicts, worked to the bone, and soldiers ready with the lash at the smallest misdemeanour. We heard of one convict who was apparently so difficult, that he was made to live outside, chained to a rock.
Today there are only the remnants of this rough and wretched existence. Buildings made more beautiful by the passage of time sit in landscaped gardens, with stretches of lawn and graceful old trees. The gunpowder magazine still stands as do the barracks.
