Mighty plans for small island

Cockatoo Island could soon attract adventure and thrill seekers with a new aerial park.
The development application for a sophisticated high-ropes course would occupy 13,000 square metres or approximately one tenth of the island.
The historic shipyard has served as an entertainment venue, artists’ studios and temporary exhibitions.
The creative director of Mighty High Pty Ltd, Marcus Jackson, said he envisaged the park over a year and a half ago.
“We wanted to make something truly unique, something that confronts your fears, because everyone is scared of heights,” he said. “But when you confront that, it really gives you this positive charge; a great feeling and a high sense of achievement.”
His vision for the project was instigated by a desire to provide his autistic 16-year old son, Shelby, with a safe form of recreation whereby children could challenge themselves and grapple with their fears.
“When Shelby’s doing these courses, he looks like a legend,” Mr Jackson said. “He knows he’s different and braver than the rest of us … and that’s what makes him special.”
Mighty High on Cockatoo Island would provide “an interactive physical adventure system” that would utilise fascinating, historic machines as anchors of the course. Those include the restoration of an existing crane on the island, as well as a replica bow of the HMAS Success naval ship.
The vessel was the largest ever built in Australia for the Royal Australian Navy and the last ship to be constructed on Cockatoo Island.
The amusement park would combine a rope-climb structure with a constant-delay system and full-body harnesses for optimal safety. Mr Jackson said he wanted to find a location in close proximity to the city centre.
Cockatoo Island is named on both the National and Commonwealth Heritage Lists, possessing what the Trust calls “aesthetic, historic and social significance for current and future generations of Australians”. In July 2010 it was one of 11 former convict sites added to the World Heritage List.
The Trust is now considering Mr Jackson’s proposal, maintaining that “the Parkland needs to be considered in its totality” in order to convey “the original shoreline and historical uses” of Cockatoo Island.
While not a consenting body for the development, Leichhardt Council will make a submission to the Trust. The DA is available for public inspection until January 13 at the Cockatoo Island Visitors Centre, Leichhardt Council Chambers and Balmain Library.

By Daniel Paperny