About the building

During WWII, North Head was one of the most heavily fortified sites in Australia. Two heavy 9.2 inch calibre guns were positioned in Gun Emplacements 1 and 2 as part of North Head Battery. The guns were connected by underground tunnels and were prepared to fire on enemy ships or inland targets. Gun Emplacement 2 was the North, or No. 2 gun, of the Battery. This emplacement, just like its No. 1 counterpart, had a round concrete upper gun floor, with a central pit containing the pedestal for the mounting of the gun itself. Underneath the gun floor, the Shell Store was built to hold up to 250 TNT-filled shells – each weighing 172 kg.

These enormous guns had a firing range of more than 28 km at maximum charge (that’s the distance from Manly to Palm Beach), with a rate of fire of two rounds per minute. Primary targets were ships at sea, but secondary landward targets - such as road junctions, bridges and significant landing points - were also designated in the event of a successful enemy landing and subsequent overland attack.

Virtual tour experience