Man O'War Steps, Heritage jetty at Bennelong Point, Sydney, Australia
Man O'War Steps is a masonry pier with a bitumen top that projects in a dog-leg to the north-west, enclosing a sheltered landing for small craft. A flight of stone steps reaches water level at its inner end. The original construction dates from 1810–20, though most of the present structure probably belongs to the Farm Cove seawall work of the 1860s.
Man O'War Steps was built from 1810 as a small private landing place for Governor Macquarie, enclosing a boat harbour briefly called Port Lachlan. By 1850 the Admiralty described it as a stone pier used for watering shipping, chiefly warships, which gave it its name. Rebuilt in the early 1970s, it reopened in 1973 and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 April 2000.
The name comes from the warships that anchored nearby to take on water, a usage recorded by the Admiralty by 1850. Memorial plaques on the stone pillars at the seawall entrance recount this naval past, including those who served in both world wars, Korea, Malaya and Vietnam; the northern plaque was rededicated on 13 April 2003.
The steps are easy to reach from the public waterfront and offer clear views of the harbor and Opera House from their location. Visitors should note that the stone surface can become slippery when wet.
The name's origin is uncertain: the Admiralty called it a stone pier by 1850, used for watering ships, chiefly warships, and the name probably arose in the late 1860s. A plaque on the northern entrance, rededicated on 13 April 2003, honours British and Australian fleet crews who landed here over 150 years.
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