Background
Construction of a Naval Stores, repair and training depot commenced shortly after establishment of the QMDF. These were built on the site of a former Kangaroo Point quarry (known now as the Kangaroo Point cliffs).
The Naval Establishment at Kangaroo Point, completed in 1887, consisted of two two-storied galvanised iron buildings, which housed a gun battery for training, work shops for repairs for the ships, a torpedo workshop, a wharf with sheer-legs and a boat slip. Whilst under construction, a flood during the completion year necessitated the raising of the floor of the battery by several feet.
The ground floor of Store No 1 contained the battery and lecture rooms used for training. The four rooms upstairs were used for stores and carpenters’ shops.
Store No 2 consisted of two large rooms on either floor, with workshops on the ground floor. The first floor storerooms included the torpedo store room.
After the 1893 floods, Store No 1 boat shed was replaced with a detached shed, a bridge linking the two stores was built, and an extension to the cliff stairs was added.
About 1900 several additions to the site included the paint store, magazine, turntable between the stores and some first floor ceilings were lined.