Bantry Bay (Garigal National Park) - Department of Environment and ...

BANTRY BAY CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
DRAFT
• The hillside behind the magazine buildings was rigorously cleared of vegetation.
• Steel covers could be lowered over external vents in the event of a fire to prevent it
spreading to other areas.
Design elements for the protection against unlawful and forcible entry.
• Both windows and doors were fixed with solid iron riveted doors.
• Solid walls and limited openings also contributed to the security of the buildings.
3.6.6 Demolished Elements
Much of the demolition at the site has largely occurred after the closure of the magazine
complex, as the various elements become dilapidated or partially collapsed. Several
elements, which were located on the eastern side of the bay prior to the establishment of the
Explosives Magazine complex, were demolished during the operation of the complex. Those
buildings and elements, which have been demolished at the site, are described below.
Precinct 1: Western Shore
• Six timber jetties located infront of Magazines Nos. 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10, three of which
were sheltered by timber and corrugated iron shed structures. These structures were
constructed with similar half gabled roofs as the main magazine buildings, and were
demolished as they had fallen into disrepair, sometime during the early 1990s, the
exact date is unknown. The jetty existing infront of Magazine No. 4 was similarly
sheltered, the roof of which has also been removed due to disrepair.
Precinct 2: Eastern Shore
• The Walter’s family cottage was located around the hillside, and it is unknown when
this building was constructed or demolished. There are the remans of the stone
footings of the cottage and an early garden layout.
• The boatshed, located at the foreshore, was destroyed by vandals and fire in 1974,
after the closure of the magazine complex. The concrete footings are all that remain.
• A timber gabled structure, which sheltered the slipway, has also been demolished,
most likely in 1974 after the fire in the adjacent boatshed.
• A former dance pavilion of the Balmain New Ferry Company, later to become a
workshop and store of the Magazine complex, was located at the foreshore, and was
destroyed by fire in the 1970s after the closure of the complex.
• A blacksmith shop located somewhere on the eastern shore, although its exact
location remains unknown, was demolished in the 1940s. This building was a brick
structure, 6 x 6 x 8 feet, with a concrete floor, flat iron roof and a single door.
• A c.1940 skillion roofed army hut located on the middle terrace, which served as a
dining room/kitchen and mess room, was demolished most likely during the 1970s.
There is evidence of the concrete footings in the ground.
• A timber building at the foreshore, which served as a lunch room/watchman’s office,
was demolished most likely in the 1970s.
GRAHAM BROOKS & ASSOCIATES, TAYLOR BRAMMER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
MARY DALLAS CONSULTING ARCHAEOLOGISTS Page 79