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Category: Building

Building

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Sydney Jewish Museum

Pictures of Children Killed in the Haulocaust Sydney Jewish Museum

Sydney Jewish Museum

The Sydney Jewish Museum not only maintains the memory of the Holocaust, but also celebrates the contribution of the Jewish community to the development of Australia.

Getting There and Access

Security is understandably very tight, with buzzer access to the building and strict bag searches enforced. This is done in a friendly but very professional manner. Once inside, there is a friendly greeting by staff who explain the Museums layout and displays. There is usually a guided tour available and a PA system announces when is is about to commence.

Displays

Displays begin with a timeline and history of the Jewish people and moves on to their diaspora and treatment throughout Europe. There is then a very interesting section on Jews in early Australian colonial society and their involvement in the First and Second World Wars.

  • Jewish Contributions to Sydney Sydney Jewish Museum
    Jewish Contributions to Sydney

The Holocaust

As expected a large section explains the holocaust. It documents the destruction of Jewish communities, the murders of the concentration camps and also shows the bravery of the ghetto uprisings. The saddest part is devoted the the children killed, with a memorial wall of photographs and a sad pile of little shoes.

  • Pictures of Children Killed in the Haulocaust Sydney Jewish Museum
    Pictures of Children Killed in the Haulocaust
  • Shoes of Children Killed in the Haulocaust Sydney Jewish Museum
    Shoes of Children Killed in the Haulocaust

What Did We think?

A genuinely educational place worth a visit to make sure no one forgets.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk

Bee Hive Kilns Newnes Industrial Ruins Wollemi National Park

Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk

Located in the Wollemi National Park the Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk takes you through the decaying ruins of a once thriving shale oil processing plant. Established in 1902 and closed in 1932 due to the availability of cheaper crude oil, all that remain are decaying buildings and processing plant.

Getting There

The drive from Lithgow to the ruins takes a little over an hour. Road quality varies from excellent sealed road, narrow winding road down to the Wolgan Valley and dirt road for the final 12km. The views from the road as you descend from the top are amazing but, unfortunately there are few spots to stop and take advantage of them.

If your car is a two-wheel drive, it must be left just past the Newnes kiosk, as the creek crossing is passable by four-wheel drives only.  Stepping stones allow hikers to cross the Wolgan River and continue to the start of the walk. Allow an additional 30 minutes if you have to hike the extra distance. It is flat and well graded, so an easy walk.

Stepping Stones Over the Wolgan River Newnes Industrial Ruins Wollemi National Park
Stepping Stones Over the Wolgan River

The Walk

A locked gate is at the start of the walk along with a detailed map of the industrial ruins. The first ruins are the most interesting, a row of brick bee hive kilns. There are still 13 kilns in good condition with the other 80 odd kilns in various states of decay.

Also in the area are the remains of retaining walls and ruined buildings. It takes about two hours to walk around and take in the atmosphere of the place.

Bee Hive Kiln Newnes Industrial Ruins Wollemi National Park
Bee Hive Kiln
Bee Hive Kilns Newnes Industrial Ruins Wollemi National Park
Bee Hive Kilns

What Did We Think?

A totally different type of walk in the Wollemi National Park.  Who would expect to find industrial ruins here?  The beehive kilns are something unique and worth seeing in themselves. Even the narrow winding road in and the dirt road add to the experience of being here.

If time had permitted, this would be a great place to stay overnight and enjoy the national park for a bit longer.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Bowenfels Gun Emplacements

QF 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft Gun Bowenfels Gun Emplacements Lithgow NSW

Bowenfels Gun Emplacements

The Bowenfels Gun Emplacements were constructed during World War 2,  to protect the Small Arms Factory and coal production at a Lithgow. These industries were important to Australia’s war effort.  The potential of an attack due to improvements in aircraft technology led to the construction of air defenses.

Placed around Lithgow, two anti-aircraft batteries defended the town and its infrastructure during the early 1940s. Three dummy sites, intended to confuse attackers were built nearby. The Bowenfels site is the only one preserved. Well presented with information panels describing the area and its function, it is great to walk around. Several panels were from World War 2, like the one below on how to recognise Japanese planes.

  • Aircraft Recognition Chart Bowenfels Gun Emplacements Lithgow NSW
    Aircraft Recognition Chart


 QF 3.7” Anti-Aircraft Guns

A huge bonus is the presence of three 3.7” anti-aircraft guns, placed as they would have been during the war. These are mobile units, not the static ones used here, but are very similar. This gives the site a realistic feel, unlike many other disused fortifications where no guns are present.

  • QF 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft Gun Bowenfels Gun Emplacements Lithgow NSW
    QF 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft Gun
  • QF 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft Gun Bowenfels Gun Emplacements Lithgow NSW
    QF 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft Gun

The concrete structures are all in good condition and visitors can enter them all and inspect the guns. Panels detail the uses of the different types of structures. Some were for the guns while others housed range detectors and command bunkers.

  • Bowenfels Gun Emplacements Lithgow NSW
    Bowenfels Gun Emplacements Lithgow NSW

Access to the Gun Emplacements

Access is easy, and a small visitors’ car park is available next to the site, which is only a short walk away. Now surrounded by modern development on three sides, the site itself is in a grassy field.  Walking over the field is easy, but no pathways are present, so be careful and watch your footing.

A great piece of Australian war time history hidden away in the outskirts of Lithgow. After visiting the Small Arms Factory, it was interesting to visit its defender only a few kilometers away. Worth visiting if you are in the area because it’s the only inland one known to exist.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.