An access track to one of Sydney Harbour’s first defences, the historic 1801 Fort at Middle Head in Sydney Harbour National Park has now been opened to the public.

The fort remains as one of the earliest defence structures in Australia.

Work on access to the historic fort was part of a three year $1.3 million program to improve the network of foreshore walking tracks along the Harbour and cement Sydney’s place as one of the great walking destinations of the world.

The Sydney Harbour Scenic Walk is an iconic walk around the harbour foreshore and the green headlands of Sydney Harbour.

It’s part of a truly monumental route that walkers can follow from Palm Beach in the north down to Royal National Park in the south.

Parts of the walk attract as many as one million visitors a year, others at times are so quiet you could be miles from anywhere yet just a stones throw from our suburbs.

The new access to the 1801 Fort highlighted just how interesting and diverse walking in Sydney could be.

Construction of the 1801 Fort or Battery was commissioned by Governor King during the Napoleonic Wars in 1800.

This remarkable structure was hewn by convicts from the local sandstone and is a reminder of how fearful the fledgling colony was of invasion – particularly from France.

The original battery is in pristine condition and it is in the same magnificent bushland setting it was when the site first inspired Governor King. It’s another of the treasures that help make Sydney Harbour so inspiring and the envy of cities around the world.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service had spent $1.3 million over the past three years upgrading tracks along the northern shore of Sydney Harbour National Park between Manly and Taronga Zoo.

Works so far have included restored track surfacing with sandstone block steps, timber boardwalks, vantage point railings, barriers, a viewing platform, new stonework, and signs – often taken to the site by helicopter.

Major works have focussed on Dobroyd Head, and the Bradleys Head to Chowder Head
sections.

Key Facts:

• Work on the historic 1801 Fort Access Track was carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
• It was funded by the NPWS and the NSW Department of Planning’s Sharing Sydney Harbour Access Program.
• The NPWS has so far spent $1.3 million between 2008 and 2010 on improvements to foreshore walkways on the northern side of Sydney Harbour National Park.
• The track is in Sydney Harbour National Park at Middle Head and is easily accessed from the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust car park on the corner of Chowder Bay Road and Middle Head Road.
• It is an important part of a walking route identified by the NSW Government and the Sydney Walking Volunteers in 2009 known as the Harbour Scenic Walk.
• When complete the walk will take people along public land foreshore land from North to South Head with optional routes in some places.
• It is part of the larger Walking Coastal Sydney program – a network of routes and maps taking Sydney from Palm Beach to Royal National Park. http://www.walkingcoastalsydney.com.au/.
• The historic 1801 Fort is a cut rock battery that forms part of a network of tunnels, gun emplacements and beehive shaped casement at Middle and Georges Head.
• The defences reflect the fears Sydney’s fledgling colony had of waking to find enemy shipping take up positions within the Harbour.
• Governor King’s direct descendant Jonathan King, now an author and historian will be present and speak at the opening.
• Members of the NSW Marine Corp in full historic uniform will escort the Governor and mark the occasion with a musket salute, in recognition of the fort’s’ significance in Sydney’s history.
• Local interest from groups such as the Mosman Historical Society and the Headland Preservation Group – who have been instrumental in helping local NPWS see this work through today.
• For more information on walking in Sydney Harbour National Park or tours of the forts call Cadmans Cottage on 9247 5033 or go to www.environment.nsw.gov.au.