Fort Denison

Fort Denison is one of the most interesting sights of Sydney. Previously, this place was a maximum security prison, which contained the most dangerous criminals. The inhabitants of the island were notorious scoundrels sentenced to death, and gallows were installed on the island specifically for execution in 1796.

When the island was a prison, there were no buildings. Towering 15 meters above the sea and consisting of sandstone, the island was a rock. The prisoners, under the command of Captain George Barney, were engaged in the mining of sandstone for the needs of the colony.

After the incident with the American warships surrounding the island in 1839, the authorities decided to build a fortified fortress and strengthen the harbor defenses. It was decided to build on a prison island. The construction of the fortifications began in 1841, but was never completed. Only in 1855, fear and fear of the Russian Navy fighting in the Crimean War, began the second stage of construction. The fortress was completed in 1857 and was named after Sir William Thomas Denison, who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861.

Now the fort is located on the territory of the harbor National Park, the attention of visitors is presented to the exposition of the cannon museum, the bell tower, as well as the tide meter.