This metal sign at the West Head lookout is to interpret what happened in this area during World War Two. It reads:
WWII FORTIFICATIONS
"Whilst West Head Lookout is known for beautiful sweeping views to the north, it was once used by the army to defend Sydney from foreign invasion via Broken Bay.
West Head Battery
"The battery was built during World War II and comprised two, 4.7 inch ex-naval guns, an observation post, ammunition storage and two searchlight posts. The site was very important to protect the Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge and to prevent raiding partied entering Pittwater and Cowan Creek.
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"The guns of the battery were at the bottom of the headland while the road access to the site and battery administrative area was at the top. The top of the headland was set up as a full scale military camp with large sleeping quarters, mess hall, adminsitrative block and a parade ground.
"All the fortifications, equipment and stores had to be transferred from the top of the headland to the bottom by an inclined railway where they were offloaded onto a railway that ran behind the gun positions and also serviced the ammunition magazine.
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"Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong were fortified ports during WW2. West Head Battery formed the outer defensive position denying access to the Hawkesbury River, and Pittwater."
Hawkesbury Defences were situated at:
* Hawkesbury River Rail Bridge
* Woy Woy Tunnel (then the longest rail tunnel in Australia)
* Brooklyn, one 18 pounder gun
* Juno Point, two 18 pounder guns
* Brooklyn, Dangar Island and Little Wobbly Boom Net
* Underwater mine field and electronic detection loop Midway to Hungry Beach
* Pittwater boom net
* West Head, two 4.7 inch guns
* Planned Photoelectric Beam
"There were numerous anti-aircraft gun installations in and around Pittwater and the route the Hawkesbury River Rail Bridge."
To the right-hand side, of the left plaque is a lot of details, with diagrams outlining the functions. Some of those are:
50 DEGREE INCLINED RAILWAY
The railway worked without engines, motors or winches, it worked on a counter-weight system. The load trolley was stacked with the weight of enough equipment so that when the breaking (sic! probably, actually Braking) system was released the load would be taken to the bottom. When unloaded the counter-weight would bring the load trolley back up to the top.
"The railway system was controlled by a 2 metre grooved wheel at the top of the rail lines.
"To gain sufficient friction or 'grab' the wire rope went around the 2 metre diameter wheel 2½ times.
"The inclined counter-weight system using two parallel railway tracks with the load trolley on the north line and the 3 ton concrete counter-weight on the south line. The southern line was half the length of the northern line.
"The cable being attached at the top and passing around a pulley on the couner-weight trolley provided a 1:2 ratio, therefore the counter-weight trolley had to travel half the distance as the load trolley.
"The system was controlled by a braking system of four wooden brake pads applied to the 2 metre main wheel by turning a 30 cm hand wheel."
The right-hand panel has an 'Orientation Table' of West Head, but I'm not sure if it from Barrenjoey Headland, or from a boat. It also has numerous historic photos. Some of the details of that sign are as follows:
LOCATION OF WEST HEAD BATTERY
Photo from Barrenjoey Headland, with sites marked.
PEOPLE WHO WORKED AT WEST HEAD
[Picture] The 'Gang of Four' (Bill Tolhurst, Lyndsay McDonald, Norm Cox and Bluey Mercer) marching together on ANZAC Day 1947. Lyndsay, Norm and Bluey also worked together at West Head.
[Picture] Michael Carrodus, Secretary RAA Association NSW and Rohan Walter, WHAT - West Head Awareness Team, in the battery Observation Post, September 2012.
Take a boat around Pittwater to see the structures from the water, or watch the YouTube video: "A HISTORY OF PITTWATER - PART 4: WEST HEAD FORTRESS" - West Head #4
VOLUNTEERS
Two NPWS volunteer groups work at West Head, the West Head Awareness Team (WHAT) and the West Head volunteer bush regeneration group. A 2014 NSW Heritage Volunteer Award recognised their efforts in bush regeneration and historic heritage research, videos, models and diagrams.
A key member of the WHAT team is war veteran Jack 'Bluey' Mercer, who helped construct the FOrts in 1942 and celebratd both his 18th and 90th birthday (in 2011) at the lookout.
To get involved in a volunteer group please contact 1300 361 967.
Visited: 1550 Monday, 30 April, 2018
[Back in the late 1960s my family would regularly head out to here for picnic on a Saturday afternoon, and while my Dad didn't serve in WW2, he was in one of the 'Protected Industries' as a fitter and turner. I don't particularly remember him talking about the gun placements below. He did live 20 km away, and didn't have a car in those days.]