Near the top car park at the 'entrance' to Bradley's Head section of Sydney Harbour National Park, before the road does a 'hair-pin' to the lower car park, are three circular, sunken, sandstone-lined pits that had been used in the earliest fortification of Bradley's Head. The coordinates are for a marker that describes
DEFENDING SYDNEY HARBOUR
'Bradleys Head was established as part of the Inner Harbour Defence Strategy. The fortifications date from 1839 to World War II.
'At 3 o'clock on the afternoon of the 23rd of August 1870 - after some eighty-two years of continuous service in Australia - the last British troops departed, leaving the colony to consider its own protection and to the formation of two commissions into the state of the colony's defence.
'These commissions, combined with several unexpected appearances of foreign ships in the harbour led to an extensive building program including the construction of new fortifications at Bradleys Head.
'The original fortification constructed in 1839 at the tip of the headland was never completed. The battery was so close to sea level that the range of the guns was reduced to minimum effect and the battery itself was within range of grape shot and small arms fire from shipping. Its proximity to the shore also made it vulnerable to landing parties.
'A new battery was placed at a higher elevation than the original battery which increased the range of its guns and placed it out of range of small arms fire.
'Construction of the new battery took place between 1871 and 1874.
'The battery consists of three circular gun emplacements connected by open trenches. There is a series of underground rooms which served as a magazine and shell store. The gun emplacements had three 68 pounder guns mounted on traversing platforms; meaning the projectiles each weighed 68 pounds. At a later date two of the 68 pounders were replaced by 80 pounders.
'A loop hole wall was constructed at the same time as the fortification to protect the western approach. It was built with fifteen openings to place rifles in and was used as a last line of defence against landing troops.
'A defensive ditch was also constructed to help protect the eastern side of the battery which is the most likely area from which a landing party attack would occur. The ditch measure approximately six metres wide and four metres deep.'
Access: Sydney Harbour National Park is open from sunrise to sunset (except Bradleys Head on New Years Eve), with car parking a flat $8, payable at meters for a ticket to display on your dashboard - unless you have an 'all-encompassing' National Parks 'All Parks', or 'Multi Parks' Car Pass: which gives up to FOUR hours free parking/day.
[Info from National Parks website: Bradleys Head]
Address: Bradleys Head Road, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia
Visited: 0650-2, Wednesday, 4 September, 2019