The Big Picture Festival 2022 in Newcastle New South Wales added ten beautiful murals to the city’s streetscapes. Sponsored by the Newcastle City Council, the event continues to add to an already impressive collection of street art.
The council produced a downloadable PDF with the location of the latest additions which also includes last years murals in case you missed them (see our post here).
We parked near Civic Park on King Street and then walked a roughly circular route taking in all of the new works. With stops along the way and a break for coffee, it took around one and a half hours to walk. If you wanted to see the older works it would probably take over two hours.
This was a fun and easy walk and a great way to see the centre of Newcastle and it’s buildings.
Map of The Big Picture Festival 2022Rosie WoodsSpray AlleyDan BiancoMichael Blackby Goya Torres
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Although now retired from from its confrontations with Japanese whaling fleets, the MV Steve Irwin still looks impressive with its camouflage and skull painted deck house. Docked at Thales Marine in Newcastle, New South Wales, the ship is now owned by the non-profit organisation Ship4Good. Tours are a great way to learn about the fight to save the whales while contributing to the preservation of the ship.
We met our tour guide at the Thales Security Gate, where we were issued hi-visibility jackets for the walk to the ship. The jackets were necessary because the Thales dock is a working area.
Ship’s History
After a safety briefing our tour started with a talk on the ship’s history. Originally serving 28 years as the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, FPV Westra, Sea Shepherd purchased her in 2006. Although originally named the MV Robert Hunter after Canadian Robert Hunter, co-founder of Greenpeace it was renamed the MV Steve Irwin following his death. Steve had been considering joining the vessel the following year before his death.
Over the next 12 years, the ship undertook 17 voyages ranging from anti-whaling and illegal fishing. These occurred in areas as diverse as the Antarctic and Mediterranean. However, she is most famous for confronting the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. These clashes occurred as close range, with activists throwing stink bombs onto Japanese ships and attempting to entangles their propellors. On several occasions, ships rammed each other, a very dangerous action because of the freezing Antarctic waters.
Tour of the Ship
Over the next hour we toured the ship from the bridge to engine room. On the bridge we were able to see where the ship and its operations were directed, with the large windows providing an excellent view of the surrounding area.
In the engine room, the two British Polar 12-cylinder 2,100 bhp Engines with their turbo chargers showed why Sea Shepherd bought this ship. The engines and the ship’s design gave it a speed able to match and overake the Japanese whaling fleet, while being relatively stable in rough seas. Along with the embarked helicopter this enabled them to find and harass the whalers.
Getting Around the Ship
Anyone intending on touring the ship should be aware of several restrictions. Several of the rooms and corridors are small and narrow. So if you are claustrophobic, this may be a problem. Moving from one deck to another is via steep stairways. If you are mobility impaired or have small children this may make getting around difficult. Remember to wear sensible enclosed shoes, because of the stairs and outside surfaces.
We had a great time here learning about the Steve Irwin’s history and seeing the inner workings of the ship.
Sea Shepherd’s MV Steve Irwin in Newcastle HarbourGangway onto MV Steve IrwinCovered walkway around the shipSome of the cruises the ship participated inSome of the cruises the ship participated inThrowing stink bombs at the Japanese whaling shipsDramatic painting of the ship at seaThe two 12-cylinder 1,600 kW enginesThe Steve Irwin’s propellor shaftThe BridgeThe Bridge
Fighter World located adjacent to the Williamtown RAAF base has an excellent display of jet fighters operated by the RAAF. Fighter world is very easy to find due to its location and parking is easy, because the museum has its own large car park.
The Collection
Main Hanger
Housed in an old hanger the collection illustrates the evolution of the jet fighter in Australian service from its beginnings with the Meteor to high tech aircraft like the F-111 and Mirage III. Also displayed are Winjeel and PC-9 forward air control aircraft because they marked targets for the fast jets.
All aircraft can be approached closely so it is possible to get a great close-up view. Many also have stairs to enable a view of the cockpit and top of the aircraft, which also gives you great views around the display hall.
If you have kids or like the interactive side of museums there is a Mirage cockpit that you can sit in, which gives you a hands-on feel for the aircraft.
Aircraft armaments are displayed around the hanger ranging from Matra R.530 missiles for the Mirage to Bomb ejector racks for the F111.
Containing the first RAAF jets, a small hanger houses a Vampire, Meteor and CAC Sabre. Also housed here are two replica Spitfires, one only consists of the fuselage, but the other is full size. Several early jet engines, the Ghost, Goblin and Nene, show how they worked, with cut-away sections revealing their interiors.
In addition to the aircraft displays is the Norm Forrester Collection. Displayed in cabinets this large collection of model aircraft covers most RAAF, British and US subjects.
Gloster Meteor F.8de Havilland Vampire A79-1CAC CA-27 SabreSupermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII ReplicaRolls-Royce Nene Jet EngineA small section of the Model Aircraft Display
Outside Displays
Located between the two hangers is a Pilatus PC-9 used until recently by the RAAF for Forward Air Control.
In front of the museum a CAC Sabre stands as a gate guardian along with a radar dish and a Jindivk target drone.
Pilatus PC-9CAC CA-27 Sabre A94-959GAF Jindivik droneRadar Antenna at Fighter World
Viewing Platform
A stairway leads to a viewing platform where the active Williamtown RAAF base and its aircraft movements can be observed. The Williamtown base is currently home to F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters (operated by No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit, No. 3 Squadron and No. 77 Squadron), BAE Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighters (operated by No. 76 Squadron), E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (operated by No. 2 Squadron) and Pilatus PC-21 forward air control aircraft (operated by No. 4 Squadron).
Because the base also has the Newcastle Airport located opposite, you can see commercial planes coming and going as well.
What Did We Think?
A great museum showcasing Australia’s jet fighter aircraft from the 1940s to the present. Located close to Newcastle NSW, this is a fantastic place to visit if you have an interest in aircraft.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
