Cockatoo Island is a 17.9 hactare (44 acre) island on Sydney Harbour. It was called Wa-rea-mah by the Aboriginal Indigenous Australians who traditionally inhabited the land prior to European settlement.

From 1839 to 1869, the island operated as a convict penal settlement, usually for secondary punishment for convicts that may have re-offended once sent to Sydney for original conviction.

Cockatoo Island was one of Australia's largest shipyards from 1857 to 1991. It is now listed on the National Heritage List as a site of significant importance to Australian history.

UNESCO proclaimed Cockatoo Island as a World Heritage Site in 2010.