Goat Island, situated north-west of the Sydney CBD .    Picture: aschaf via Wikimedia Commons

Goat Island the largest
of the harbour isles

Goat Island is the largest island on Sydney Harbour and is situated north-west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, near the suburb of Balmain. There are regular group tours to the island.

Over the span of time Goat Island has served as a quarry, convict stockade, explosives store, police station, fire station and boatyard. In recent times it has been used as a film set. The island is now part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

A heritage tour of Goat Island includes a visit to Queen's Gunpowder Magazine, which was built by convicts. Visitors get to see what was once a quarry and "Bony" Anderson's couch. A night tour introduces tourists to the island's colourful and grisly past.