Sculptures at Scratchley is a planned annual sculpture exhibition held for the first time this year in the grounds of Fort Scratchley, a historic fort at the entrance to Newcastle Harbour in New South Wales, Australia. Held for the first time in 2023 the exhibition showcases a selected number of international, national and local artists’ works, with a variety of styles and materials.
The exhibition is open to the public with free entry and the chance to nominate a sculpture for the main prize of People’s Choice Award, which is a non-acquisitive award of $25,000. The exhibition also has a peer-judged award, also non-acquisitive, of $15,000. For anyone interested, non-acquisitive means that the operator of the exhibition does not purchase the winning piece. Instead, the winner is able to sell it on the open market. The exhibition ran from May 13 to May 28, 2023.
The variety of sculptures was great and the backdrop of the fort and surrounding beaches was a great setting. Hopefully this will be an on-going annual event, like the Sculptures at the Sea at Bondi.
First Prize Winning Sculpture Bleaching by Michael GreveThe Miss Fits by Geoff HarveyThe Miss Fits by Geoff HarveyJuno by Ulan and RachelWarrior by John LynchTipping Point by John LynchLearning to Fly by John LogvynPersistence by John LogvynThe Leadlight Garden Shed with Glass and Timber Tools by Lee and Zac HowesPrancer by Nicole O’ReganAdvance by Nicole O’ReganStretching the Imagination by Susan Dorothea WhiteFollowing Orders by Anthony XerriThe Messenger by Kylie Gardner
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Located in the Royal National Park, near Sydney the Palona Cave Walk is a short and easy bush walk. It takes you through beautiful temperate rainforest to a large limestone cave and a cascading waterfall.
Getting There
We drove to Royal National Park, arriving just after sunrise, so that we could catch the sunrise. Parking at the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive and Sir Bertram Stevens Drive was easy as only two other cars were there. On our return though, it was full, and many cars were parked along the road. Access to the National Park is charged per vehicle and you can pay at the entrance gate or main office. If you plan to visit several parks during the year, an annual pass is available from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Entrance near the carpark
The Track
Starting at the car park the historic Lady Carrington Drive trail leads into the forest. This is a wide and well-maintained dirt trail that follows the course of the Hacking River. Originally a road, it was closed and is now a dedicated bike and hiking trail. The trail takes you through temperate rain forest and our early morning start meant that it was quiet and peaceful.
After about 750 m, we reached the junction with the Forest Path, which is another scenic walk in the park. From here we continued along Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave track.
Sunrise at the start of the trackToadstools and moss growing in an old tree stumpLady Carrington Drive Trail
Palona Cave
After another 1 km, a sign for Limestone Cave on the left side of the track points off to the right. Unfortunately, a tree now obscures it, so keep a look out as the path to the cave is easy to miss, being very narrow. If you reach the Palona Brook crossing, you have gone too far. From here you leave the main trail and follow a narrow bush track that leads uphill to Palona Cave. The track is rough and rocky in places, so watch your step. When we visited it was also very overgrown and disappeared in several spots.
Palona Cave is a large overhang with stalactites and stalagmites formed by water dripping through the limestone rock. You can explore the cave and see the different shapes and colours of the formations. There is also a small stream that flows next to the cave and forms a waterfall. We were lucky it had rained recently because this creek is often dry.
This was a great walk with the reward of a waterfall and cave at the end. Remember to wear good boots as the second part of the track is rough. At around 5.3km return, it took us around two and a half hours, with plenty of stops for photos and cave exploring.
Sign to the cave track. Hidden behind the tree.A fallen tree on the walkGymea LilyRock overhang on the trackEntrance to the caveCave EntranceThe back wall of Palona CaveWaterfall near the cave
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
This took place on 29 and 30 April 2023 in Maitland, New South Wales. Maitland Steamfest 2023 was a festival of steam and industrial heritage. The festival celebrates Maitland’s rich steam and industrial history, which dates back to the 19th century when the city was a major coal mining and railway centre. Featuring a diverse program of family friendly entertainment, with a steam theme (well generally but not always) it was a great day out.
Train Rides
Several historic steam engines made their way to Maitland for the festival, providing rides around the Hunter Valley’s nearby towns. Starting at the Maitland train station, we arrived just in time to see the Garratt 6029 leaving. The photo below shows how well maintained the train is despite its age. It was great to be able to get close while it was running, but the noise when it let off steam was deafening.
Steam Locomotive Beyer Garratt #6029
The Rally Ground
Across the road from the train station, the rally ground had displays of antique machinery such as traction engines, portable engines and steam rollers. Most of the steam engines were running and demonstrating how they operated. Several were also driving around a loop track outside the rally ground.
Foden steam truckTraction engine giving joyridesTraction engine doing loops around the other displaysJoyrides on a traction engineSteam traction engineLine up of steam engines
Steampunk and Town Crier
We found several steampunk enthusiasts wandering through the grounds, along with a town crier who were all happy to pose to photos. They also had a display tent selling steampunk themed merchandise. They all seemed to be having a great time and staying in character.
An area was set aside where blacksmiths demonstrated their skills, which apparently are in high demand again and is a growing in popularity as a profession again.
Steampunk ladySteampunk gentlemenTown Crier
Vintage Military Display
One of the not quite steam related display was a large collection of military equipment in the middle of the rally ground. They were a great addition to the other displays and had a huge crowd looking at them. With no barriers, we were able to get very close and see inside most of them.
Willys JeepFerret armoured carVolkswagen Type 82 KübelwagenHumvee
What Did We Think of Maitland Steamfest 2023?
We had a great day out at Steamfest because of the relaxed atmosphere and variety of thing to see. All things steam from trains to traction engines and steampunk people.
