Plans proposed to transform Cockatoo Island in Sydney

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A plan to re-vamp Sydney Harbour's Cockatoo Island has been released to the public for feedback. Under the proposal, a hotel, high-end restaurants and a public swimming pool could soon be built to encourage more visitors to the heritage site.

Transcript

00:00 Here at Cockatoo Island or Wareemah on Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

00:07 is launching a new vision today to turn this place into an international tourist destination.

00:13 Now that means hotels, restaurants, night time displays, as well as cabins and relocated

00:19 camping facilities.

00:21 Just behind me this slipway under that vision could turn into a public swimming spot.

00:26 Now this slipway was used to launch boats which were built on the island more than 100

00:30 years ago.

00:31 All of these elements of that vision are hoping to entice more local families and international

00:36 visitors to come and visit this place.

00:38 Now Cockatoo Island is often used for major events like the Sydney Biennale and music

00:44 and comedy performances.

00:46 But there's an argument recently that it hasn't quite been utilised to its full potential.

00:51 Now Alison Page from the Sydney Harbour Trust is hoping to use this vision and this public

00:57 consultation process to bring more people on board to get more out of this island.

01:02 What I love about the Master Plan is it's sort of taking that story from the dreaming

01:06 of our connection to sea country and our connection to watercraft and pulling it right through

01:12 to a place where all Australians can come here and canoe on the harbour, maybe in a

01:17 traditional canoe, go swimming here, camp here, connect to sea country I think in a

01:24 way that my people have for millennia.

01:26 Now the Trust says the full vision for this could take more than 15 years to fully realise

01:32 which is why they're getting started now with those consultations, hoping to get the community

01:36 on board to have their say as to what Cockatoo Island could be in the future.

01:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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