Division: Repaint
Region: NSW
Type: Government

As Sydney wakes and the sun rises from behind the bridge, the Service Painting team is dropped off on a small island. Over 150 years ago it was convicts, in the early 1900s it was shipbuilders and now it is our painters left to labour in the harbour.

Cockatoo Island is today a popular tourist destination with café, unique ‘inner-city’ camping ground and a spectacular Sydney panorama so the time our team spent on its isolated shores was a far cry from the tough grind experienced by our forefathers.

Managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and owned by the Federal Government, heritage-listed Cockatoo Island is undergoing considerable revitalisation. A 5-month major repaint in late-2007 was an exciting challenge for Service Painting entrusted with working on a series of historic multi-use buildings.

Strict guidelines and specifications were thoroughly adhered to by the team with all materials, equipment and staff transported to and from the island by ferry. While the project required a lot of special planning and co-ordination, Service Painting didn’t mind the early morning harbour ‘cruises’ one little bit.