Created to honour fallen soldiers in World War One, the Legerwood Memorial Trees are a brilliant way to ensure their legacy remains remembered.
Following the end of World War One, many towns and cities in Australia chose to honour their fallen soldiers by planting trees to form avenues of remembrance. Planted during elaborate ceremonies, the families of dead soldiers placed trees as a permanent reminder of the sacrifice of their loved ones.
However, with time, the trees aged and became a hazard to people passing by. The thought of removing them and losing a link to the past was too much for the local community, so they came up with a unique solution. They engaged chainsaw artist Eddie Freeman to transform the trees into permanent memorials. Using historical photos of the soldiers, he sculpted the trees into wonderful artworks.
Not only do the sculptures show soldiers, but also depicts them in their civilian jobs, or with wives and fiancés. There are nine trees, in the park. They represent the seven men from the town killed in the conflict, one to remember the ANZACS and one to remember the sacrifice made at Gallipoli.
There is a plaque giving the history of the men at the base of each tree.
Getting There
Located just over an hour from Launceston along the Tasman Highway, Legerwood is easy to get to. Marked, appropriately by a sculpture, the turn-off is hard to miss. On street parking is available in the park, which also has toilet facilities and a barbeque area.
The Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees
We spent a lot of time walking around the memorials, reading the histories of the soldiers. The sculptures are great and it was wonderful that the artist used photos of the men to create each piece of art, because each one looks individual.
What Did We Think?
This was a great stop and a wonderful way to remember those who fought and died in the First World War. We loved walking around reading the men’s histories and admiring the sculptures.
Located in the Orana Region of central New South Wales, Nyngan is the home of the Big Bogan, a helicopter memorial and several interesting museums. This was our second stop on a road trip out west and our first overnight stop.
Like many outback towns. there is a nice sign welcoming you to town, along with a rest stop. Here, you will find a “small” Big Bogan, but don’t be put off by its size, because the real one is in the town centre.
Driving around town we noticed some street art, as well as some nice buildings, especially the town hall.
Welcome To Nyngan
Old Level Crossing Gates at the Heritage Garden
Centenary Fountain
Nyngan Town Hall
Street Art at the Museum Car Park
Street Art at the Museum Car Park
Nyngan Main Street at Night
Nyngan Museum
Our first stop was at the Railway Station which is now the town museum and also acts as a tourist information centre. Passenger trains no longer stop here, although the line is still used for freight, so the platform is blocked off to stop people wandering onto the tracks.
The museum’s displays cover all of Nyngan’s history, from pre-colonial to recent, including World War One and railway heritage.
View of the Nyngan Museum From the Rail Overpass
Nyngan Museum Railway Platform
Old Waiting Room at the Railway Station
Old Switch Board
Kitchen Display
Old Kitchen Display
World War One Honour Roll
Wilcox and Gibbs 1871 Sewing Machine
Shearing Shed
Located across the rail line from the museum, the Shearing Shed captures the history of the wool industry that once dominated Australia. The original pulleys that powered the shears are still in place, making a great and authentic backdrop to the museum. Covering the walls are photos of past shearers, competition winners and champion sheep. We found this all very interesting, even more so when the volunteer working there turned out to be an old shearer. He told us all about life as a shearer and what the items on display were used for.
Railway Overpass Connecting to the Museum
Entrance to the Shearing Shed
The Displays
The Old Kitchen
Old Shearing Machinery
Photos of the Shearing Industry
Inside the Shed
Shearing
A photo on the wall shows how the shed used to look when operating. Many others showed champion sheep like Gothic and Dudley from Mullengudgery Stud.
How the Shearing Shed Used to Look
Champion Sheep Gothic From Mullengudgery Stud
Champion Sheep Dudley From Mullengudgery Stud
Helicopter Flood Memorial
A stunning sight in the middle of town is a helicopter displayed on a pole Not something you expect to see on the main street, but relevant to Nyngan, because of the role they played during a flood.
In April 1990, unusually heavy rains caused major flooding in the town, despite a massive effort by local people to raise the levee walls using sandbags. With the town almost completely flooded, all the residents had to be evacuated by helicopter from the railway station, the highest point of the town, which was not flooded. Air Force helicopters, TV news helicopters and private helicopters all co-operated in the airlift.
Bell UH-1 Iroquois Helicopter
Nyngan Coach House
Sitting next to the Big Bogan, the Coach House is hard to miss. A large car park makes access easy, so you don’t have to park on the street. The two coaches on display are under cover but behind wire mesh. This doesn’t restrict viewing, because the mesh is wide spaced and allows the carriages to be seen from three sides.
Make sure you plan to see them before 5:00PM, because the roller doors are shut and locked to protect the displays overnight.
Cob & Co. Royal Mail Stage Coach
Cob & Co. Royal Mail Stage Coach
Rear of the Cob & Co. Royal Mail Stage Coach
Cob & Co. Royal Mail Stage Coach
Wagon at the Nyngan Coach House
The Big Bogan
Adjacent to the Coach House, the Big Bogan is another “Big” thing we came across during this trip. Another one to cross of the list if you’re into seeing them all. For those who don’t know, a bogan is a derogatory word for an uncouth, unsophisticated person (like the American ‘trailer trash’).
The local shire council (The Bogan Shire) has made the most of having their name used this way and used it to attract tourists with the Big Bogan.
The Big Bogan
Early Settler Memorial
On the edge of town, a memorial pays tribute to the early European settlers in the area, who established the agricultural industry. It features a grazier, with his sheep dog and a flock of sheep.
Early Settler Memorial
Early Settler Memorial
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Located near Balmain Ferry Wharf, the easiest way to get to Ballast Point Park, is ferry. When you arrive, check out the old ferry wharf building, which is now a community library. Originally a fuel storage area, Ballast Point is now a beautifully rehabilitated public space on Sydney Harbour. Intended for sale to developers but saved by a community action group, which resulted in its current use as a public park.
Balmain Ferry Wharf
Mort’s Dock
Walking from the ferry to the park, we walked past a memorial to one of Sydney’s ship building docks. Now filled in, Mort’s Dock was the first dry dock in Australia, operating from 1855 until its closure in 1959. Between 1940 and 1945, Mort’s Dock constructed fourteen of the sixty Bathurst-class corvettes built in Australia during the war, as well as four of the twelve River-class frigates. The memorial commemorates their construction and service in the Royal Australian Navy.
Mort’s Dock
Mort’s Dock Plaque
View of Mort Bay
Sandstone Wall on Mort Bay
Ballast Point Park
Deriving its name from colonial times, when ships returning to England empty would source ballast here, Ballast Point Park is now a beautiful park overlooking Sydney Harbour. Previous owned by Texaco, it was planned to develop the area for housing, but a local action group convinced the State Government to retain it for public use.
The site required decontamination because of its industrial past. Retaining walls in the park re-used rubble from the demolished buildings. Several old fuel tanks remain, as a reminder of the area’s past use, along with information boards describing the fuel depot. Scattered throughout the park, shade structures, provide great places to sit and relax, while admiring the views over the harbour.
We enjoyed walking around here, especially the old tanks and the conversion of tank 101 into a huge piece of artwork.
View of Sydney Harbour From Ballast Point
Tank 101 which symbolises the site’s working harbour history