The Signal Hill Battery was constructed in 1892-3 at Watsons Bay and is adjacent to the Signal Hill Lighthouse on Old South Head Road. The Battery was one of a set of three coastal defense fortifications in Sydney, Australia, the other two being the Ben Buckler Gun Battery at Bondi, and the Steel Point Battery in Vaucluse. Each battery consisted of a gun pit that incorporated a BL 9.2 inch (234 mm) Mk VI breech-loading 'counter bombardment' British Armstrong 'disappearing' gun.
Pictured is the above portion of the fortification. This is one of two on this site.
The Australian government bought nine such guns and an extra barrel. The Signal Hill gun bore Serial Number 7318 and its barrel survives on public display at the Royal Australian Artillery Museum at North Fort, North Head.
This tunnel lies below ground and once led out to Old South Head Road
heading in direction of Gap Park.
These fortifications were the last link in Sydney’s outer defense perimeter, which was intended to defend Sydney from bombardment by an enemy vessel standing off the coast.
This tunnel is also part of the underground bunker
The fortifications built in the 1890's around Sydney's eastern suburbs were the culmination of some twenty years of construction of harbor defense installations that reflected the changing policy of the time to meet new technologies, threats and styles of warfare.
Above ground gun emplacement
The 9.2 inch (234 mm) breech loading gun was fired for the last time in 1933. It was removed and replaced in 1937 by two 6 inch (152 mm) Mk XI guns placed in each of two outer gun emplacements; these guns were removed after WWII. The fortification also has an underground complex that runs beneath Old South Head Road. It contains a maze of rooms and corridors including a mess room, elevator shaft and gunpowder magazines.
Ladder leading into the underground bunker
The entrance from the street has been tack welded and sealed. A memorial was placed there in November, 1992 by the Royal Australian Signal Corps Association on behalf of its members and two plaques were also placed on March 30, 1993 placing the reserve in proper historical perspective.
This tunnel is also part of the underground bunker
The fortifications built in the 1890's around Sydney's eastern suburbs were the culmination of some twenty years of construction of harbor defense installations that reflected the changing policy of the time to meet new technologies, threats and styles of warfare.
Above ground gun emplacement
The 9.2 inch (234 mm) breech loading gun was fired for the last time in 1933. It was removed and replaced in 1937 by two 6 inch (152 mm) Mk XI guns placed in each of two outer gun emplacements; these guns were removed after WWII. The fortification also has an underground complex that runs beneath Old South Head Road. It contains a maze of rooms and corridors including a mess room, elevator shaft and gunpowder magazines.
Ladder leading into the underground bunker
The entrance from the street has been tack welded and sealed. A memorial was placed there in November, 1992 by the Royal Australian Signal Corps Association on behalf of its members and two plaques were also placed on March 30, 1993 placing the reserve in proper historical perspective.
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