Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
about 22 hours ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
2 days ago
Beneath downtown Minneapolis, Schieks Cave has surprisingly warm groundwater, evidence of a subterranean heat island.
Schieks Cave Below Minneapolis Contains a Lake of Warm Sewage
3 days ago
Athenaeus described various kinds of Greek drinking vessels, like the deep, rounded skyphos and wide, flat kylix.
The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Mosman Georges Head Battery

Georges Head Battery

The yawning remains of a complex naval fortress still haunt this Australian shore.

Mosman, Australia

Added By
anomalous
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Georges Head Battery   Adam.J.W.C. on Wikipedia
Georges Head Battery   Adam.J.W.C. on Wikipedia
Georges Head Battery   Adam.J.W.C. on Wikipedia
Georges Head Battery   Adam.J.W.C. on Wikipedia
Georges Head Battery   Adam.J.W.C. on Wikipedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Resting on one of Sydney, Australia's "Heads," as various points along the Sydney harbor are called, is the Georges Head Battery, a sprawling concrete military fortification that now sits abandoned.

Built in the late 1800's after a much earlier (and smaller) gun placement had sat on the site, the much larger Georges Head Battery was to be an impenetrable bulwark. The exterior of the fortress was outfitted with a quartet of massive guns that had been retrofitted and transported to the site by simply rolling the giant barrels across the country over a series of months. Unfortunately when the guns were installed, they were done so in seeming haste, placing the weapons at such angles that they were likely to fire on one another. Eventually, large piles of dirt placed in the firing lines between the guns so that they no longer posed a threat to each other. The fortress was also built with a network of concrete tunnels running beneath the outer defenses.

The site never saw any action during its lifetime but was repurposed a number of times overt the years, used for storage and as a hospital space. However, the battery was finally decommissioned in 2002.

Today the fortress is maintained by a private group and the grounds are open to the public. Now the battery mainly protects the shoreline park from being uninteresting.

Related Tags

Military History Abandoned Fortresses Military

Community Contributors

Added By

anomalous

Edited By

Blindcolour, EricGrundhauser

  • Blindcolour
  • EricGrundhauser

Published

December 23, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Head_Battery
  • http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/sydney-harbour-national-park/georges-head/historic-site
  • http://nswforeveryone.com.au/city/manly/historic-forts/georges-head-fortifications/
  • http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/visit/georges-heights-headland-park
Georges Head Battery
Georges Head
Mosman, 2088
Australia
-33.836607, 151.260157
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Beehive Casemate

Sydney, Australia

miles away

The Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens

Sydney, Australia

miles away

Manly Quarantine Station

Manly, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Nearby Places

Beehive Casemate

Sydney, Australia

miles away

The Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens

Sydney, Australia

miles away

Manly Quarantine Station

Manly, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Related Places

  • Just the sight of the arrow-shaped fortress intimidated would-be attackers.

    Šibenik, Croatia

    St. Nicholas Fortress

    Large, airy hallways hide within an impenetrable fortress that beckons urban explorers.

  • A bunker in the Kreuzberg Pass

    Italy

    The Alpine Wall

    A line of abandoned, alien-like fortresses dot the mountains of North Italy.

  • Outside view.

    Sarasota, Florida

    The Last Defense of Fort Juan Ortiz

    A lone gunner's station is all that remains of a replica Spanish Fort in Florida.

  • Brod Fortress

    Slavonski Brod, Croatia

    Brod Fortress

    This abandoned Croatian stronghold never saw a great deal of conflict but it is still a beloved relic nonetheless.

  • Castellum from above.

    Utrecht, Netherlands

    Castellum Hoge Woerd

    This recreated Roman outpost stands above its buried predecessor.

  • These fighter jets are a relic of a darker time.

    Bitola, North Macedonia

    Abandoned Yugoslavian F-86E Fighter Jets

    These dilapidated planes are now a canvas for graffiti artists.

  • Fernandina Beach, Florida

    Fort Clinch

    Used as a military post in three different engagements, this fort has remained incomplete and unfired upon for nearly 200 years.

  • A fortress has resided on this location since the 13th century.

    Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Doboj Fortress

    A military fort has guarded the surrounding area from this key position since the 13th century.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.