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The
entrance to the old gun emplacement tunnel system, which
was recently opened for public tours.
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Above:
Navy has strong historic links with Steele Point, near
the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.
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Steele
Point, on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour near Vaucluse,
has a long history with the military.
Even today it is the site of the Royal Australian Navy’s degaussing
range. More formally known as Sydney Harbour DG Range Facility,
it provides measuring, data processing and analysis of magnetic
fields associated with steel hulled vessels, submarines and
mine counter measure vessels.
The Defence civilians who operate the range today work in
a surface control room.
However beneath the headland is a system of tunnels and rooms
which in yesteryear formed part of the protection for Sydney
Harbour.
Today the tunnel system is under the control of the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service and was recently opened for public
tours.
Some interesting results evolved from those early public inspections.
The need to protect Sydney Harbour came to the fore in 1839
when several American warships slipped undetected into the
Harbour overnight and were only noticed when the sun rose.
According to the Director General of the Department of the
Environment, Lisa Corbyn, the Steele Point Battery was built
in 1871 as part of a new Harbour Defence System but its gun
emplacements and underground tunnels were filled with sand
last century.
“Last year they were excavated by the Department of Defence,
who unlock their doors for a day of tours by the National
Parks and Wildlife Service,” she said.
Ms Corbyn pointed out the interesting history of the harbour
foreshore. “The reservation of these areas for defence by
the colonial Government has produced one of the most spectacular
and people-friendly harbours in the world,” she said.
“It has also produced a rich history that is tied up in the
story of Sydney itself.
“Fort Denison, in the middle of Sydney Harbour, was accidentally
shelled by an American cruiser during the Japanese submarine
attack in WWII.
“And also in WWII, a searchlight installed at Steele Point
was manned by women.”
