[3] The first attempt at fortifications were erected here in July 1788, when Lieutenant William Dawes was directed to build a small redoubt there.

[3] Lieutenant William Kent and crew were assigned to man the battery which purportedly consisted of guns taken from HMS Supply.

In 1817 Governor Lachlan Macquarie directed that a new fort be built on the site at Bennelong Point and this was completed in February 1821.

Its square design meant three of its faces were open to the sea to ensure a clear line of fire for its cannons.

[1] In the early years the fort was separated from the main spit of land by a narrow passage of salt water crossed by a drawbridge, this was later filled up to make a roadway.