Non-commissioned officers of the
Southern Tasmanian Artillery
From the time of the first official white settlement of the Derwent at Risdon Cove in 1803, there was concern over the possibility of attack by sea. By 1836, it was thought that mutually supporting batteries on both sides of the Derwent could turn Hobart Town into a fortress. Kangaroo Point, with its steep bluff, was an ideal site located on the eastern shore.
At the close of 1840, arrangements were made to purchase the land. However, it took almost forty years of re-cast plans, financial delays and further land purchases before excavations commenced.
The Kangaroo Bluff site was built to support the Queens Battery (located at the Domain in Hobart) and the Battery Point battery.