Middle Head near Mosman will be revamped with a new headland walk, food and beverage options, music events and a postcard wedding spot in a bid to attract visitors and breathe life into one of Sydney’s most significant lookouts.
A draft master plan released on Tuesday proposes to demolish several derelict dormitory buildings at the former military site, and reconfigure or resurface the concrete car parks to open up the site for community festivals, sporting events, concerts and conferences.
Middle Head, with the 10 Terminal buildings in the centre, the oval to the right and HMAS Penguin behind the oval.Credit: Nick Moir
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, a federal government agency that manages former defence land around the waterfront, admits the headland’s natural, Indigenous and military significance is difficult to appreciate because it is hard to access and unwelcoming.
“At the moment you don’t get that experience,” says Trust executive director Janet Carding. “It’s a bit fragmented as a site. Some things you can pick up and other things you can’t.”
Middle Head, or Gubbuh Gubbuh, is on the lands of the Borogegal and Cammeraygal peoples. The HMAS Penguin base, run by Defence, and parkland managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) cover much of the area – as well as two clothing-optional beaches, Cobblers and Obelisk.
The Trust looks after the plateau, including Middle Head Oval (leased to Mosman Council) and the old 10 Terminal military buildings. From 1923 until World War II, the site was a nine-hole golf course. The far end of the headland, beyond the defensive ditch, is managed by NPWS.
Derelict former dormitories for soldiers, which have no heritage value, will be removed under the draft master plan.Credit: Nick Moir
Visitors currently arrive at a roundabout just past HMAS Penguin with no clear welcoming point. The master plan would install a “welcome to country” and largely pedestrianise the area beyond the roundabout, “so that it doesn’t feel that you’ve arrived at a car park, but you’ve arrived somewhere special,” Carding says.
The precinct’s heart would be a new overhead structure linking the two “garage buildings” within the old 10 Terminal, and a food and beverage operation in building three, which backs onto a south-facing lawn that could be used for weddings, ceremonies and “small picnic-style music events”.
The master plan envisages medium-sized events at Middle Head, including festivals, sports and concerts, for between 500 and 2000 people per day, or small activations such as farmers’ markets visited by up to 250 people a day.
One of the main features of the refreshed headland is a walkway which is under construction by NPWS. As part of the master plan, the Trust would complete the loop with a new path running around the north side of the oval. The “iconic Sydney walk” would take approximately an hour.
The south-facing lookout, in the foreground of this photo, would be used for weddings, ceremonies and small concerts.Credit: Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Data collected by the Trust said 1,148,000 people visited the Headland Park in 2021-22, but this included nearby Chowder Bay, Georges Heights and other areas. The number of visitors to the barracks precinct is believed to be much lower.
Carding says the proposed changes are “small and careful” but will inject the lookout with new life and purpose.
“We’d like people to be able to stand here on the plateau at Middle Head and understand that they’re on a promontory, and they’re surrounded by water,” she says.
“At the moment they have to work hard to understand the significance of this place, and they have to work too hard to be able to understand its natural values.”
The new heart of the precinct will be inside the old 10 Terminal buildings, including food and beverage and more offices for community organisations and charities.Credit: Nick Moir
The master plan is on exhibition until mid-April, with feedback to be incorporated into the final version later this year. The Trust is due to present master plans for two more of its nine sites this year: North Head Sanctuary near Manly, and Cockatoo Island.
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