Cockatoo Island
Sandstone island dockyard where convicts carved a dry dock and one prisoner swam to freedom and outlaw fame.
Location
About this audio guide
Cockatoo Island's guide follows Frederick Ward, a convicted horse thief serving hard labour in the island's sandstone quarries, and his 1863 escape with fellow prisoner Frederick Britten through a hundred metres of dark harbour water toward the lights of Woolwich. It traces the dry dock and quarries convicts carved by hand, and the outlaw name, Captain Thunderbolt, that followed Ward once he reached the mainland. Look toward Woolwich from the shore to trace the swim yourself.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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