The New South Wales Rail Museum is located in Thirlmere which is near Picton to the west of Sydney. We drove there as part of a larger trip to the Illawarra which made it an excellent break from driving.
The New South Wales Rail Museum
The museum houses the majority of Transport Heritage NSW large collection of historic locomotives and rolling stock. The importance of this collection means that it is well protected and mostly housed under cover as well as having a modern display hall containing the most important items.
Parking is on the road outside of the museum in marked parking bays. Entry is via the new building where the staff will give you a map of the museum and answer any questions you may have.
The main building houses the historic E18 and E78 trains as well as the Governor’s train.
Oldest Loco E18
Locomotive E78
The majority of the collection is held outside under cover and away from the elements. This huge collection would take many hours to explore if you wanted to examine it all in detail. There are arrows painted on the walkways to make walking around the collection easier.
Old Carriages
Rail Pay Bus
D55 Class Locomotive 5595
As well as the trains and rolling stock, there is other memorabilia at the museum. As you walk around you will find old station clocks, time-table departure boars and baggage carts.
Old Departure Time Board
Baggage Cart
Unfortunately the on site café was not working when we visited but there are options available just a few minutes walk away at the Thirlmere shops.
Train Photographs
More photographs fro the NSW Rail Museum can be found here.
Thirlmere Station
While at the New South Wales Rail Museum have a look at the Thirlmere station and station master’s house as they are well maintained and make some great photos.
Thirlmere Station
The old boom gates where the road into Thirlmere crosses the rail tracks are also worth having a close look at.
The Mushroom Tunnel at Picton
If you are in the area it is worth stopping at Picton for another rail related visit. There is a disused rail tunnel that you can visit called the Mushroom Tunnel. We missed the entrance the first time as it is quite small, so drove on into Piction and found somewhere to have a snack and drink. The dirt road into the tunnel can be rough so drive carefully. The tunnel itself is quite interesting, having been re-purposed from a train tunnel to a mushroom farm (hence its name) and now a tourist attraction. We drove though then turned around and drove back before walking through it. Remember to take a torch.
Mushroom Tunnel
A great place to explore if you are a rail enthusiast and a good break if you need somewhere to stop to relieve the driving boredom.
Cockatoo Island has a long history from its aboriginal heritage and convict use to its ship building past. All of these are on display at the island so that visitors can appreciate its varied and important history.
Getting There
Access to Cockatoo Island is easy using Sydney Ferries from Circular Quay. The ferry terminal on the island is close to the information centre. This is a good place to make your first stop. The staff there will give you a free map as well as direct you to any specific place of interest you want to see.
Near the information centre is a café which has magnificent views across Sydney Harbour and towards the bridge. It’s a great place to sit and relax while soaking up the peace and quiet there.
Exploring Cockatoo Island
The first place we decided to explore was the upper part of the island, which we accessed by climbing a stairway. This area has old convict ruins consisting of the guardhouse and convict barracks. After looking though these we walked past some of the historic buildings there and walked through the ship building museum. This detailed Cockatoo Island’s ship building history and importance to the Australia particularly during World War Two
Guard House
Historical Building
Ship Building
Back down at the lower level of the island we saw the old slipway where ships were built and launched. Several of the old cranes are still there although looking very rusty.
Old Crane
Nearby are the remains of old workshops and machine rooms. These are large impressive buildings, now empty but a reminder of what once happened here.
Old Machine Shop
Disused Workshop
Another interesting place was the tunnel under the hill. You can walk through it from one side of the island to the other. Fully lit, it was fun to walk through.
Tunnel
Getting back to Circular Quay was easy as there is an electronic time-table at the wharf showing when the next ferry is due.
Cockatoo Island Waterfront
Entry to Cockatoo Island is free, so for the price of the ferry ticket you can have a full day’ enjoyment here.
For other ideas about what to see in Sydney, read some of our other posts.[ctct form=”41″]
Here’s a quick list of what we did in the great city of Amsterdam. Click on the links below to go straight to that section, or just start at the top and read your way through.
We travelled to Amsterdam from Brussels as part of our 30 day European tour. As they are so close, we found it easiest to catch a train. Even easier when we had a centrally located hotel in Amsterdam, so we could walk there from the train station. The train departed Brussels Central and took just over two hours to get to Amsterdam. Our trip was direct, but had a stop in Antwerp.
Amsterdam Time
We booked through SNBC before leaving home at a cost of 45 Euros each. There is no seating allocation, but as we had an early train (5:45AM) there were plenty of seats available. Travel time was around three hours, so we arrived just after 9:00AM. This gave us time to drop our bags at our hotel before setting out to explore.
Where did we stay?
As most of Amsterdam’s attractions are located around the old city, we chose a hotel in the centre. The NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen looked like a good choice, being an up-market property within walking distance of everything we planned to visit. From arrival to departure, the staff were some of the best we have met. They were attentive to our needs without smothering you. The check-in procedure is at a desk, where the guests can sit down, while the paperwork is carried out. Fantastic, as you really don’t feel like standing after your trip to get there.
The rooms were very nicely appointed. Unfortunately, street noise from parties at nearby pubs kept us awake, so sleeping was not great, even though the bed was fantastic!
Breakfast was fantastic. Great wait staff and a good selection off the menu or buffet.
Getting Around
We found the easiest way to get around central Amsterdam was to walk. When you first look at the map it looks a bit daunting, because of the canals and bridges. However, we used Google Maps and found it quite easy. When you walk you also get a better sense of the city and experience it better. Remember that bikes get right of way! If you don’t pay attention, it’s easy to get in their way.
Amsterdam Canal
To visit attractions further afield like Zaanse Schans, we used public transport. This was very easy to use, with the buses leaving from Central Station.
Amsterdam Walk
What did we do?
Dam Square
This is a large public area next to the Royal Palace and the National Monument. There are a lot of cafes around it and we grabbed a snack and a drink and watched the people walking by.
As with most attractions we visited, where possible we bought a skip the line ticket. This wasn’t really needed here as there was no huge queue out the front, but as the cost was the same, it just meant we could walk straight in.
There is a cloak room for backpacks and coats and a desk where you can get a map and an audio guide. The guides are great and give detail of each stop on the map, along with some optional extra stops if you are interested.
Not as magnificent as some palaces we have seen, but a beautiful building none the less and worth taking the time to see and have a detailed look around.
Royal Palace
Canal Cruise
This is one of the must do activities in Amsterdam. As the city is designed around canals, the historical and modern city can be seen to advantage from them. The cruise we took lasted an hour and navigated many, many canals. We saw house boats, old warehouses, modern architecture and more. Unfortunately, the boat had a closed roof which severely limited the views and photo opportunities. We thought this was a major problem. I can understand that in winter, an enclosed, heated boat would be required, but in summer, the lack of viewing areas is very disappointing. So, if you can, get an open-topped one.
Another of the must-see places in Amsterdam. I don’t use the word attraction, as that is not really its intent. There was a massive line up. Groups go through every 15 minutes. You are rushed through, no photos are to be taken, and you are going through so fast you don’t have time. However this was an amazing experience to see this.
Rijksmuseum
If you are an art connoisseur, then the Rijksmuseum is a must. The collection of Dutch masters is fanatic and no to be missed. Rembrandt, Vermeer, and many more. Even if you are not into art, a visit is worthwhile, even if just to say that you have seen masterpieces like The Night Watch and the Milkmaid.
To avoid the queues, buy you ticket online and skip straight to the entrance.
A fantastic museum containing most of the great artist’s best works. Buy your ticket online, to avoid the huge queues that can form outside. It can also be very crowded inside so don’t expect solitude to contemplate any of the art works.
No photographs allowed, although this didn’t stop a lot a people from taking them. If you do take photos, expect a stern telling off by the guards.
I Amsterdam Sign
Located near the Rijksmuseum, this is one of the must do tourist places in Amsterdam. Unless you get there very early, don’t expect to take a photo of just yourself, as the crowds can be quite large, with many people more interested in getting their own photo, than staying out of yours.
We saw the afternoon crowds, but came back at 6AM and had it all to ourselves.
I Amsterdam Sign
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans houses a collection of windmills, most of which still operate. If the wind is strong enough, they will be working as they were designed, producing the products they were designed for. When we visited, the wind was too light, but were still able to go inside them and look around.
Zaanse Schans
Entry to each windmill and museum must be paid for, so when you walk around, you do not have to go to all of them, and only one you could walk up to the roof and take a good picture, all the rest you were not allowed to do this. You can buy a Zaanse Schans card which gives you:
Free admission to the Zaans Museum
Free admission to the Weaver’s House and Cooperage
Admission to a windmill of your choice; extra windmills with a 50% discount. You can choose from: paint mill De Kat, sawmill Het Jonge Schaap, oil mill De Zoeker or oil mill De Bonte Hen.
Free access to the Zaan Time Museum (peak season + Sundays)
30% discount on admission to the Honig Breethuis and the Windmill museum
10% discount in souvenir shops and catering establishments (when you spend more than €10.00)
Parking Zaanse Schans daily rate for cars of €7.50 (instead of €10.00)
The card can be purchased for 15 Euros at the information centre.
Windmill at Zaanse Schans
We spent the morning looking around tasting cheese, trying on clogs, (which you can buy) and then had a nice lunch at one of the restaurants on site. The site is massive, but well worth the walk. You can also walk over the bridge at the other entrance to the museum area and see the amazing houses on the water front and have a nice look around.
Zaanse Schans
We travelled there and back by bus. A 50 minute trip, departing about very 15 minutes from Amsterdam Central.
What Did We Think?
Amsterdam is one of those places to visit, it has something for everyone, but there was more to see and do in other places that we visited. The old city and canals are very nice and we enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum. However, we found the city was very noisy at night and sleeping was difficult.
