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This development saw the construction of a limited number of residential buildings, including dwellings that survive to this day and are now maintained as holiday accommodation by the Harbour Trust; namely, the Garden Riverview Apartment, Harbour View Apartments and Heritage Holiday Houses.
Constructed between 1915 and 1916, these dwellings were built in the Federation Arts and Crafts architecture style and many of their original features are still intact, including fireplaces, leadlight windows, picture rails and architraves.
The Harbour View Apartments (23A and B) are symmetrically built, semi-detached dwellings that offer views across the Eastern Apron towards the Sydney harbour Bridge.
These apartments initially housed personnel that reported directly to the General Manager of Cockatoo Island’s Naval Dockyard; namely, his personal driver and launch coxswain (the equivalent of a boat chauffer).
At this time, the General Manager was Captain Julian James King-Salter, a naval engineer who had been seconded from the British Admiralty – a department of the UK Government then responsible for the Royal Navy. His initial three-year appointment commenced in 1914 and his contract afforded him an annual salary of £1,750 as well as a furnished house on site, where he lived with his wife and at least one child. King-Salter’s contract was renewed for a further three years in 1917; however, his appointment was not extended beyond 1920 due to criticisms levelled at his administration of the dockyard by the Commonwealth Economy Commission .
King-Salter oversaw the dockyard, including a workforce of 3,000+, during a period of expansion and industrial unrest. When his second contract expired, his colleagues gifted him a luxury suitcase and a solid leather travelling trunk. His position was considered very prestigious and his encounters with Sydney’s social elite were reported in newspapers as well as Vice-Regal notices. The identities of his coxswain and driver – and whether they were distinct roles or a dual position – is unknown.
