Between 1839 and 1850, a prison was established on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. The purpose was to house convicts withdrawn from Norfolk Island. By 1870, the convicts had constructed the Fitzroy Dock and a workshop to service Royal Navy and other ships. By 1930 the island had become the Commonwealth Naval Dockyard. By 1945, the island had been transformed into the major shipbuilding and dockyard facility for the South West Pacific in WW11.

In 1992, the dockyard was closed down, machinery was sold off and some 40 buildings and several wharves were demolished.

Today, the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust has control of the island, undertaken major restoration work and opened the site to the public.