Dawes Point Battery remains

Statement of Significance

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Description

Assessed significance: State

Item type: Built

Current use: Recreation

Former use: Artillery

Group: Defence

Category: Battery

Designer/Maker:

Builder/Maker: William Dawes, Robert Ross, Francis Greenway, George Barney, SHFA

Construction Years: 1791 - 1925

Physical Description: The archaeological remains of the Dawes Point Battery (1791-1925) have been excavated during the past few years. They include the floor of the original powder magazine, the circular battery with evidence of 4 gun emplacements (5th emplacement probably under the path), underground magazines, a stone ramp and the footings of the officers' quarters.Five cannon, muzzle loading, one on replica wooden carriage installed on an original emplacement the other four are not in situ and without carriages. Manufactured in 1843-1844, as indicated by date stamps on metal work. For more information on Cannon see item 4500491Military (See also: AM037; AM086; AM092-093).; Built By: 1788

Property Description

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Historic Notes and Themes

Historical notes: Dawes Point Tar ra is the name given to the peninsula that separates Sydney Cove and Walsh Bay, on the southern shores of Port Jackson, it is located at the narrowest Point of Sydney Harbour. Historically, it has been known as 'Tar ra' (its Aboriginal name), Point Maskelyne and Slaughterhouse Point.Unlike The Rocks, Dawes Point Tar ra has contained a large area of relatively undeveloped land since the arrival of the First Fleet to Australia in 1788. This was primarily due to its military use. The Dawes Point Battery was built up as a military defence compound from 1791 through to the early twentieth century. This ensured that the Battery was spatially separated from both The Rocks and the rest of Sydney, largely because visitors to the site were restricted until 1878. The construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge piers and pylon on the site in the 1920s further alienated this area from the rest of The Rocks. ObservatoryLieutenant William Dawes (1762-1836) arrived with the First Fleet in 1788. Dawes had served in the American Revolutionary wars, and subsequently pursued studies in engineering and surveying before being dispatched aboard the First Fleet with instructions from the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, on behalf of the Board of Longitude, to observe Halley's Comet from the penal colony. Maskelyne had read a paper before the Royal Society in 1786, indicating that Halley's celebrated comet of 1682 would re-appear in September 1788, and would be first visible in the southern skies. By August 1788, Lieutenant William Dawes had erected a wooden observatory on the western Point of Sydney Cove (in the vicinity of the southern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge). Dawes named this peninsula Point Maskelyne in honour of the Astronomer Royal, but the name 'Dawes Point' was the one used and it stuck.Dawes oversaw the construction of an observatory and hut at the point between 1788 and 1791. It was here that he befriended a young Eora woman, Patyegarang. They learned to communicate: she taught him her language and he taught her to speak and read English. Dawes recorded the Eora words and their English translations in his notebooks, which survive as some of the first anthropological studies of the language and customs of the Australian Aboriginal peoples. They are the most complete set of information about the language spoken by the people around Port Jackson. The meeting between Dawes and Patyegarang was one of the earliest recorded instances of cultural interaction in the Colony of NSW. It reflects Dawes' philanthropic nature, which through his championship of the abolition of slavery in England, was later to win him the Governorship of the freed-slave colony of Sierra Leone.Burial GroundThere have been numerous suggestions as to where Sydney's dead were interred prior to the establishment of the Sydney Burial Ground in 1792, on the site of today's Sydney Town Hall. There was considerable need for a cemetery at Sydney Cove as the Second Fleet, which arrived in 1790, suffered a particularly high mortality rate with 405 deaths out of some 1000 convicts embarked. Two hundred and eighty one of those died on the voyage, while the remainder died on arrival in Sydney. The earliest physical evidence of a burial ground in the area was discovered in 1871, the headstone of First Fleeter George Graves, a seaman who arrived aboard the Sirius. The headstone, dated 10 July 1788, had been used as a paving stone in Bethel Street. Another headstone was discovered in 1875, it was for the grave of John Jones, 'a worthy', who died in 1792. Jones was either a marine who arrived on the First Fleet, or a convict who arrived on the Second Fleet. The headstone had been used as coping for a wall at the rear of Robert Campbell's warehouse: 'the wall at the back of the wharf, which enclosed what we knew as Campbell's garden'.On 5 February 1827, George Worrall was convicted of the murder of Frederick Fisher at Campbelltown. Worrall was hanged and his body 'burned in quicklime at what was then known as "Slaughterhouse Point", but better known as Dawes Point. The account of Worrall's burial raises the questions about why Worrall's body was brought to Dawes Point for disposal and to what extent this was general practice of the time (or if it happened at all). The military execution of Private Thomas Brennan by firing squad took place at Dawes Point in 1832. Brennan allegedly fired a loaded musket at his superior, Sergeant Millwood, at Emu Plains. Brennan was buried on the site, although the exact location was not recorded.Battery and Powder MagazineA powder magazine and a second, replacement sandstone observatory was constructed in 1789, then in December 1790, word arrived by a Dutch ship from Batavia that a dispute had arisen between England and Spain over the British presence in the Pacific. A permanent fortification to protect the settlement in the event of an attack from another European colonial power in the region was required. The Battery was completed in 1791, armed with guns taken from the ship Sirius. From 1791, ceremonial salutes were fired from there to mark celebrations such as the arrival and departure of early Governors, Royal birthdays, the overthrow of Governor Bligh and the arrival of ships in the harbour.By 1798, the Colony was under threat of an attack from the French. Napoleon Bonaparte had tried to block England's access to its Asian and Pacific possessions, and the defences of Sydney were scrutinised for improvement. Captain Edward Abbott (1766-1832) of the New South Wales Corps was appointed engineer and artillery officer with responsibility for the batteries of Dawes Point and Georges Head. Abbott arrived in the colony in 1790 but in his first official report on the state of the colony's defences, he was critical of the Dawes Point Battery. Abbott was given the task of improving the batteries and in 1801 Governor King was able to state that Dawes Point Battery: 'Has been reconstructed and is now capable of annoying any vessels with effect'.Minor improvements continued to be made to the battery until 1816, when Governor Macquarie ordered the convict architect Francis Greenway to redesign it. Greenway designed Fort Macquarie at Bennelong Point as a square-planned 'castle with circular bastions at each corner and a castellated square tower in 1818. Greenway continued the castellated Gothic theme in his upgrading of the Dawes Point Battery in 1816-1819. Although the original plans have not been located, early depictions and the 1995 archaeological excavations provide evidence of the structure. The convict-built guardhouse took the form of a central 'tower' with two projecting walls, each terminating in a small room, the whole castellated and producing the illusion, when viewed coming up the harbour, of a grand castle in a stage setting. The guardhouse was one in a series of Greenway's picturesque structures built in Sydney and similarly to the others, this structure was criticised for many reasons including:- th e final building differed from Greenway's plans;- it was decorative rather than strategic; and- set high above the battery, it was an easy target in the event of an attack.The 1995 archaeological excavations revealed that the 1789 magazine had been incorporated into the guardhouse. Greenway constructed this building on an artificial mound, using the former magazine as a basement. During the demolition of the building in c1925 the foundation stone for the magazine was discovered inscribed 'R. R. 1789'. The initials were probably those of Deputy Governor Major Robert Ross. The stone was given to the State Library of NSW.Britain's involvement in the Crimean War (1854-56) aroused fears of a Russian naval attack on the colony. In response, the batteries at Bennelong Point and Dawes Point were reinforced and Fort Denison was constructed. The Dawes Point Lower Battery (for field artillery) was built to the east of the main battery. Images and maps from the late 1800s record the position and construction of these ramparts. Although archaeological excavation in the Lower Battery area has not been carried out, it is possible that evidence exists at a lower level as the ground level in this area has now been significantly raised.Detachments of the Royal Artillery were sent to Sydney in 1856 and Officers' Quarters were built to the north of the Greenway guardhouse. This was a single-storey building made of large blocks of sandstone, with a large verandah on the eastern side. On the western side of Lower Fort Street, a barracks was built to house the artillerymen and the five extant 42lb mounted cannon on traversing platforms were installed at the Upper Battery. Further improvements to the Dawes Point Battery under the supervision of Lieutenant Colonel George Barney of the Royal Engineers and Surveyor General of NSW were carried out from 1856 to 1859, including two subterranean powder magazine rooms which were uncovered during the archaeological excavations in 1995. As no historical plans or other records for the construction of these magazines has been located, the physical evidence provides the only detail of their construction.The last remaining Imperial (British) troops departed Australian shores in August 1870. Under the Military and Naval Forces Act of NSW 1871, the Government was empowered to raise and maintain permanent naval and military forces in the colony. The NSW Artillery was raised on 1 August 1871, with its headquarters at Dawes Point. By 1876, new buildings had been erected at Dawes Point including a blacksmith and stables at the northern end of the Point, and a second barracks, a guardroom and a large public baths to the west of Lower Fort Street. In 1878 the authorities decided to build a public promenade along the foreshore, permitting public access to the military compound for the first time. Dawes Point ceased to have a military function after 1904 although some personnel remained on site until 1908, at which time the land was vested in Council of City of Sydney. The ceremonial use of the cannon at Dawes Point continued from the early twentieth century through to 1975. Prior to 1906, for example, a shot was fired from the Dawes Point Battery each day at 1.00pm for Sydney-siders to set their clocks by. Salutes were fired from the current cannon between 1945 and 1975 on ceremonial occasions such as Australia Day and the 1970 Cook Bicentennial celebrations.The presence of the military at Dawes Point during the nineteenth century made the adjacent areas of the Rocks and Millers Point a 'Garrison Town', with the Military Hospital and the Garrison Church supporting this function. This was in contrast to the administrative role of the eastern side of the Macquarie Street at that time. Due to its strategic position on the harbour, Dawes Point was an integral link in early communications between the colonial settlements from 1788 until the 1840s. A signal station and flagstaff were established at Dawes Point in 1790 to relay messages received from South Head upriver to Parramatta where the Governor sometimes resided. Early illustrations of Sydney Cove show that the Union Jack hoisted on the flagstaff at Dawes Point dominated the inner harbour from 1790. The area became the symbol of British presence in Australia, and when the flagstaff was removed in 1925 for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it was the subject of much nostalgia.The Sydney Harbour Bridge constructionThe Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed in 1932, its construction resulted in the demolition of Dawes Point Battery and Greenway's guardhouse. On completion of works in 1932, the ground levels were built over the foundations of the Battery. When the Greenway guardhouse was demolished in the second half of 1925, the site became an important part of the bridge construction. In order to support each half of the bridge arch until the construction met in the centre, 'U' shaped anchoring tunnels were excavated to depths of some 40 metres on either side of the harbour. The inlet for the southern shaft was situated on the site of the former guardhouse. The Officers' Quarters were used as offices by the bridge engineers Dorman and Long until completion of works, when it was also demolished. The five 1843-44 cannon and gun carriages were removed to Taronga Park Zoo in 1925, where they remained until they were returned in 1945.In 1995 archaeological investigations were carried out at the Battery site and the findings were incorporated into a new interpretive park. This was opened in 2000 and the new duel name was adopted for the point.Dawes Point Tar ra has had a range of uses over the past 120 years, including the military, navigation and astronomy, and more recently, for leisure. Compared to the rest of The Rocks and Millers Point, it was kept relatively free of development due these uses, and as the site of the abutment towers for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Historical significance: The importance of Dawes Point tar ra to the history of NSW and for its association with key NSW historical figures and groups is well founded. Dawes Point tar ra holds a significant place in the history of Australia. It is one of the first places where the contact between the Aboriginal and European people was recorded. Dawes Point is the site of the earliest recorded instance of European-Eora cultural interaction when Patyegarang, an Eora woman and First Fleeter, William Dawes attempted to understand each other's language and culture. With the assistance of Patyegarang, Dawes compiled the first "dictionary" of the Eora language between 1788 and 1791. This record provides the most complete set of information about the language spoken by the Eora people around Port Jackson.Dawes Point is the site of Australia's first scientific station, the Observatory. It was established by August 1788 by Lieutenant William Dawes for the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, on behalf of the Board of Longitude, in order to observe Halley's Comet.Dawes Point was the terminus of the first formal road in the colony. Originally a track beaten out in 1788 along a ledge of conveniently flat land, it later became known as George Street North.From the Waterman's Steps (currently Ives Steps) between c.1830 and 1842 the infamous Jamaican ex-convict, Billy Blue ran the first regular Passage Boat across the narrowest part of the harbour. The steps were later named after the Sydney City Council Mayor Isaac Ellis Ives (1.1.1839-7.12.1906). In c.1896. Ives was a political and industrial leader in Sydney the late nineteenth century. He was a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 1885-1889, representing St Leonards, Mayor 1896-1997 and Alderman of the Sydney City Council from 1893-1898, and Chairman of the North Shore Ferry Company.The remains of the Dawes Point Horse and Vehicular Ferry Wharves are the only reminder in the Sydney CBD of the busy inner harbour ferry trade carrying horse drawn carts, drays and motor vehicles across the Harbour prior to the opening of the Harbour Bridge in 1932.Until the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from 1925, Dawes Point tar ra was a place with strong associations with patriotism, a national flag flying there from 1790, proclaiming the British colony and later the Nation to all those who sailed on Sydney Harbour, for a long time a primary means of arrival in Australia and transport to other parts of the Colony. Ceremonial salutes were fired from the Dawes Point cannon to mark celebrations in the colony between 1791 and 1975.The construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge between 1925 and 1932 confirmed the important position of Dawes Point tar ra in the history of Sydney's transport system and the changing technologies in urban transport. The remains of the 1820s Watermen's Steps, the c.1896 Ives Steps, Horse Ferry and later Vehicular Wharf from the 1890s, together with the Bridge, demonstrate a sequence of historical transport modes contributing to the northerly development of suburban Sydney across this narrowest Point of the Harbour.Internationally the Bridge holds an important position in the history of civil and structural engineering, recognised as a National Engineering Landmark by the Institution of Engineers and as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark 70 Dawes Point tar ra by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The bridge was designed by Dr J. J. C. Bradfield, one of the most important Australian engineers of the twentieth century. The history and method of its construction continues to inspire pride in Australia's engineering abilities. Physical evidence of this masterpiece of engineering construction remains in the 'U' shaped cable tunnel buried in the sandstone bedrock beneath Dawes Point tar ra Park. The 128 anchorage cables each side of the Harbour restrained the Bridge arches before they met mid-span.The recreational use of the Point, formally recognised in 1878, is representative of Sydney's strong association with its Harbour, beyond its transport and industrial uses. As public open space Dawes Point tar ra is strongly linked to the twentieth century Rocks and Miller's Point communities as an oasis of green in an increasingly urbanised society.

Historical association: The importance of Dawes Point tar ra to the history of NSW and for its association with key NSW historical figures and groups is well founded. Dawes Point tar ra holds a significant place in the history of Australia. It is one of the first places where the contact between the Aboriginal and European people was recorded. Dawes Point is the site of the earliest recorded instance of European-Eora cultural interaction when Patyegarang, an Eora woman and First Fleeter, William Dawes attempted to understand each other's language and culture. With the assistance of Patyegarang, Dawes compiled the first "dictionary" of the Eora language between 1788 and 1791. This record provides the most complete set of information about the language spoken by the Eora people around Port Jackson.Dawes Point is the site of Australia's first scientific station, the Observatory. It was established by August 1788 by Lieutenant William Dawes for the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, on behalf of the Board of Longitude, in order to observe Halley's Comet.Dawes Point was the terminus of the first formal road in the colony. Originally a track beaten out in 1788 along a ledge of conveniently flat land, it later became known as George Street North.From the Waterman's Steps (currently Ives Steps) between c.1830 and 1842 the infamous Jamaican ex-convict, Billy Blue ran the first regular Passage Boat across the narrowest part of the harbour. The steps were later named after the Sydney City Council Mayor Isaac Ellis Ives (1.1.1839-7.12.1906). In c.1896. Ives was a political and industrial leader in Sydney the late nineteenth century. He was a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 1885-1889, representing St Leonards, Mayor 1896-1997 and Alderman of the Sydney City Council from 1893-1898, and Chairman of the North Shore Ferry Company.The remains of the Dawes Point Horse and Vehicular Ferry Wharves are the only reminder in the Sydney CBD of the busy inner harbour ferry trade carrying horse drawn carts, drays and motor vehicles across the Harbour prior to the opening of the Harbour Bridge in 1932.Until the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from 1925, Dawes Point tar ra was a place with strong associations with patriotism, a national flag flying there from 1790, proclaiming the British colony and later the Nation to all those who sailed on Sydney Harbour, for a long time a primary means of arrival in Australia and transport to other parts of the Colony. Ceremonial salutes were fired from the Dawes Point cannon to mark celebrations in the colony between 1791 and 1975.The construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge between 1925 and 1932 confirmed the important position of Dawes Point tar ra in the history of Sydney's transport system and the changing technologies in urban transport. The remains of the 1820s Watermen's Steps, the c.1896 Ives Steps, Horse Ferry and later Vehicular Wharf from the 1890s, together with the Bridge, demonstrate a sequence of historical transport modes contributing to the northerly development of suburban Sydney across this narrowest Point of the Harbour.Internationally the Bridge holds an important position in the history of civil and structural engineering, recognised as a National Engineering Landmark by the Institution of Engineers and as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark 70 Dawes Point tar ra by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The bridge was designed by Dr J. J. C. Bradfield, one of the most important Australian engineers of the twentieth century. The history and method of its construction continues to inspire pride in Australia's engineering abilities. Physical evidence of this masterpiece of engineering construction remains in the 'U' shaped cable tunnel buried in the sandstone bedrock beneath Dawes Point tar ra Park. The 128 anchorage cables each side of the Harbour restrained the Bridge arches before they met mid-span.The recreational use of the Point, formally recognised in 1878, is representative of Sydney's strong association with its Harbour, beyond its transport and industrial uses. As public open space Dawes Point tar ra is strongly linked to the twentieth century Rocks and Miller's Point communities as an oasis of green in an increasingly urbanised society.

Aesthetic significance: William Dawes' detailed record of the weather at Dawes Point from 1788-1791 provides a strong foundation upon which the climatological and meteorological history of Australia is based and is of great historical significance to the international community. It was the first major site in the defensive strategies of the British colony (1791-1900).Due to its strategic position on the harbour, Dawes Point was an integral link in communications in the colony. Between 1790 and 1840 the Dawes Point Signalling Station enabled rapid transfer of advice on approaching ships and general communications between the South Head Signal Station and Parramatta where the Governor at times resided. Signalling was an important part of Government in the early colony informing of approaching ships of the current stability of the settlement. After 1840 a new Signal Station was established at Observatory Hill. The Cable Hut is associated with early communications industry and continues to mark an access point for the submarine cables across the harbour to the North Shore. The Cable Hut, possibly designed by James Barnet, Colonial Architect, is a rare finely detailed sandstone cylindrical structure that is a landmark on the harbour foreshore.Aesthetically, Dawes Point tar ra contributes to the magnificent landscaped setting for the internationally recognised icons of Australia - Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and Sydney Cove. The sheer size of the Harbour Bridge and its massive construction components are awe-inspiring when viewed from Dawes Point tar ra. The whole Bridge composition remains remarkably unaltered since its completion in 1932. The Bridge and Harbour as viewed from Dawes Point tar ra continue to be the inspiration for works of art. The Bridge is one of Australia's major internationally recognised icons. Dawes Point tar ra combines a range of urban design features from the early twentieth century, exemplary of the changing tastes throughout this period. The unpainted, rendered retaining walls and pilasters of the Hickson Road retaining wall (1920s) are particularly distinct, intact examples of Inter-War Stripped Classical civic design. The Bridge Abutment Towers and Piers (1925-32), designed by Thomas Tait of the prominent British firm, Tait and Burnet, make an important ensemble of Art Deco design. The simple, relatively open landscaping of the majority of the Dawes Point tar ra Park is representative of park designs of the early twentieth century and results partly from the need for a simple setting for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Canary Island Palms on the harbour promenade and an avenue of Fig Trees in the Park are indicative plantings of the 1910s and 1940s respectively. The open space is representative of the pressure placed on Sydney Council from the late nineteenth century to provide "promenade" access to the Harbour in the vicinity of Sydney. The Botanic Gardens and Mrs Macquarie's Point had already set this trend for waterfront pedestrian access and this continues to be a dominant theme in the planning of inner Sydney to this day.

Social significance: The contemporary social values of Dawes Point tar ra are well founded:- Recognised by many Australians as part of Sydney Cove and the Rocks - the first settlement and the first contact. - Valued by the local Miller's Point / Rocks community as a place for recreation. - As part of Sydney Cove and as a setting for the SHB Dawes Point tar ra has strong visual qualities recognised locally and internationally. Dawes Point tar ra, as part of Sydney Cove and the setting of the international icons of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, is revered by the majority of Australians.Dawes Point tar ra is important for its cultural values to several identifiable groups within NSW society including present and former residents of the Rocks and Millers Point; people involved in the fight to save the Rocks in the 1970s; descendants of the many artillerymen and their families who were stationed at Dawes Point tar ra; and Bridge construction and maintenance workers, their families and descendants. Dawes Point tar ra, as a setting for the Harbour Bridge, is valued for its aesthetic and engineering significance by several identifiable groups including the Institution of Engineers (Australia) and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.

Research significance: The technical/research values of Dawes Point tar ra are well founded:- The archaeological potential has been demonstrated in the 1995 excavations. The remains of the Dawes Point tar ra battery remain exposed awaiting conservation and interpretation. The site still contains a significant archaeological resource unexcavated. - The possibility exists for visitors to experience and learn from the layering of history of this area of government land from 1788 until today. The post 1788 archaeological remains at Dawes Point tar ra revealed to date are extremely important for their research potential. Such archaeological sites from the 18th century are exceedingly rare with the remains of First Government House and parts of the Dockyard on the western side of the Cove being some of the few examples bearing witness to the first 10 years of European settlement at Sydney Cove. Only a handful of the colonial architect Francis Greenway's structures survive. With the excavation of the semi-circular battery an interesting part of his work has been rediscovered. Likewise, Greenway's quarry on the site is the only example of the careful mining of stone from this period in Sydney. The archaeology of the Battery floor and underground magazines also reveals elements constructed under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel George Barney, one of Australia's most important Colonial Engineers in the mid nineteenth century, such as the 1850s gun emplacements. Together with the presence of the cannon from this time, on their original timber block supports the Battery is an important archive of military history. The archaeological remains also have a strong aesthetic appeal as evocative ruins of Australia's colonial past. The Cable Hut may have Technical/Research potential for its ability to reveal information about the development of early submarine cabling. The Sydney Harbour Bridge has been declared a National Engineering Landmark by The Institution of Engineers, Australia and an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The quarry associated with the construction of the Conservatorium of Music (Greenway's Government House Stables) in 1817 appears to be for ground levelling rather than building stone, although further investigation is needed to clarify this Point. The pre-1820s quarry on the Cumberland Street site exploited the narrow bands of stone for rough foundation work.There is likely to be maritime archaeological evidence associated with both the former Horse and the Vehicular Ferry Wharves at Dawes Point tar ra.

Rare assessment: Dawes Point tar ra is an integral part of Sydney Cove with its strong historical associations as the site of the first European settlement and the first contact between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans. Dawes Point tar ra was the site of the Colony's first Observatory and the termination of the Colony's first road. The Dawes Point Fort was the first substantial fortification and major element in Sydney Harbour nineteenth century defences, appearing in many early maps and views of Sydney as the developing heart of a new colony. Dawes Point, has been the site of continuous European occupation since the first months of settlement for government (mainly defence), transport, recreation and as an early, possibly the first, colonial/aboriginal burial site. Dawes Point maintains vestiges of all periods of its occupation. Since 1788 the Point has been terraced and filled with each successive land use. All of these land uses have been closely linked with the site's unique position, occupying a prominent headland with vistas up and down the Harbour. Dawes Point Park still encompasses more than 90% of the area set aside for military purposes in the late 18th century. Very little of this area has been alienated from public use, providing potential for interpretation of the layers of history since 1788.

Representative assessment: Dawes Point is the narrowest part of the drowned river valley, Sydney Harbour. It is a modified landscape that retains evidence of the original Hawkesbury sandstone landform.Dawes Point, The Rocks and Millers Point areas, are particularly notable for their evidence of the early colonial settlement and cemetery as well as convict workmanship.The structure of the Bridge effectively tied the north and south shores together, and in conjunction with the remains of the Horse Ferry Wharf, demonstrates the northerly development of urban and suburban Sydney.

Intact assessment: Archaeology partly disturbed, however a significant archaeological resource remains on site.

Physical condition: The first known building on the site was Dawes' observatory built in early 1788. A powder magazine was constructed in 1789 followed by the Battery in 1791. It was expanded substantially in 1819. Further buildings were constructed in the 1850s and at the end of the century. The site had also been used as a cemetery for prisoners executed at Old Sydney Gaol (1797-c1830). All buildings were levelled between 1925 and 1932 during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.The archaeological remains revealed to date are unparalleled in Australia because they represent a broad range of significant historical periods. Archaeological sites from the 18th century are exceedingly rare with only the remains of First Government House and parts of the Dockyard on the western side of the Cove bearing witness to the first 10 years of white settlement in the Sydney CBD. Only a handful of the colonial architect Francis Greenway's structures survive. With the excavation of the semi-circular battery floor an interesting part of his work has been rediscovered. Greenway's quarry on the site is a good example of the careful mining of stone from this period in Sydney. The archaeology of the Battery floor and underground magazines also reveals elements constructed under the direction of George Barney, one of Australia's most important Colonial Engineers in the mid 19th century, such as the 1850s gun emplacements. Together with the presence of movable heritage associated with the site , the Battery is an important archive of military history. The archaeological remains also have a strong aesthetic appeal as evocative ruins of Australia's colonial past.Battery exposed in 1995, along with remains of Officers Quarters (1856) and parts of Guardhouse (1819-1830s). Some remains of 1789 magazine and pre-1819 battery also revealed. Remains subject to conservation and interpretation 1997-8. Interpretive park opened 2000. The lower battery has not been excavated and represents a significant archaeological resource.

Listings

References

Type	Author	Year	Title
Management Plan	Government Architects Office	2011	Dawes Point Battery remains CMP
Written	Johnson, A.W. and Zarmati, L.	1995	Dawes Point Battery, The Rocks. History, Preliminary Archaeology and Research Design. Report Prepared for SCA.
Written	SHFA	1999	Dawes Point Conservation Management Plan Final Draft Oct. 1999
Written	O.H.M. Consultants, 1998	1988	The Dawes Point Battery Guns: Condition Survey
Written			HRA, I, X, 687
Written			Collins, I, 38, 45
Written	Conybeare Morrison International	2005	Dawes Point Tar ra (Vol 1 & 2)
Written			Watson, "Early Fortifications", JRAHS, 1916, 398.

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