Cockatoo Island is the largest and most historic in Sydney Harbour – in the distant past it was a former Imperial prison, but from the late 19th century through most of the 20th century it became one of Australia’s largest shipyards. The prison was added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 2010 but the decay of the docks has been difficult to halt. 

The development of an urban street art project, Outpost, bringing in renowned graffiti artists from around the world to decorate the walls of abandoned buildings created a major stir. Artists include local ones such as Beastman