Only a short ferry ride from Sydney’s CBD is Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbour’s largest island (40 acres / 18 hectares) and one of Australia’s most fascinating historical sites.

Formerly a convict jail and Australia’s foremost dockyard and ship building site for over 130 years. A UNESCO World Heritage listed site, Cockatoo Island offers a multitude of opportunities for filmmakers and photographers seeking an inspirational range of different settings in the one location.

The island’s spectacular location provides incredible views of Sydney Harbour while its distinctive mix of convict-era sandstone buildings and gritty industrial spaces make an unforgettable backdrop. The remnants of a convict prison, houses dating back to the 1840s, a sheer cliff face, cavernous warehouses and workshop spaces, dry docks and sculptural cranes are just some of the locations available.

For filmmakers and photographers, Cockatoo Island’s evocative heritage and industrial spaces offer a virtual blank canvas for the imagination. In Angelina Jolie’s film Unbroken, the island’s Docks Precinct was transformed into a WWII Japanese POW camp. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the industrial precinct became the location for the character Stryker’s science laboratory.

Cockatoo Island is easily accessible by boat (for people) or barge (for vehicles and equipment). Once on the island, it is easy to get around to various locations and we can provide parking options for essential vehicles. Set-building locations, back-of-house production areas and power are all available on site.

Cockatoo Island holds a vast array of facilities and spaces: immense industrial workshops, clusters of courtyards, the prison barracks precinct, underground grain silos, houses on the hilltop, a powerhouse, cranes, water towers, rail tracks and tunnels, and two docks.