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Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour

Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com

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 Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
Guard House
Historical Building Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
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 Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
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 Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
Old Machine Shop
Disused Workshop Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
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 Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
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 Cockatoo Island Sydney Harbour www.destinationsjourney.com
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″]

Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum

Fleet Airm Arm Museum Coat of Arms www.destinationsjourney.com

Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra

The Royal Australian Navy has its Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra NSW. It is adjacent to the naval base HMAS Albatross.  When we arrived at 2:00 PM there were only four other people visiting. Effectively we had the whole museum to ourselves.

Propeller From HMAS Sydney Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Propeller From HMAS Sydney

The Collection

The museum has an almost complete collection of the aircraft operated by the RAN.  This ranges from the early 1950s when HMAS Sydney and Melbourne were acquired to a recently retired Seahawk helicopter.  A purpose-built air-conditioned building houses all of the displays. Inside a raised mezzanine floor provides an excellent overhead perspective of the displays.  This is something that many aviation museums are lacking.  There is also plenty of space between each display so that they can be seen easily without the crowding that some museums use.

The 1950s

The Hawker Sea Fury, Fairey Firefly and Fairey Gannett represent the 1950s. All three are camouflages in Dark sea grey with sky undersides.  The Firefly is also wearing Korean War black and white stripes.

RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5
RAN Fairey Gannet AS.1 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
RAN Fairey Gannet AS.1
Hawker Sea Fury Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Hawker Sea Fury

The Modern RAN Fleet Air Arm

The jet age is represented by the Douglas A4G Skyhawk, de Havilland Sea Venom FAW Mk.53 and Grumman S2G Tracker..  Training aircraft from this period include the Macchi 326, Vampire T.22 and Skyhawk 2 seat trainer.

De Havilland Sea Vampire MK T.22 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
De Havilland Sea Vampire MK T.22
De Havilland Sea Venom F.A.W. MK 53 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
De Havilland Sea Venom F.A.W. MK 53
McDonnell Douglas A4G Skyhawk Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
McDonnell Douglas A4G Skyhawk
Grumman S-2G Tracker Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Grumman S-2G Tracker

Drone Collection

Drones have formed an important part of the Fleet Air Arm, removing the risks involved in towing targets for Royal Australian Navy Ships. On display is an old Radioplane MQM-33 propeller driven drone. The Australian designed Turana (based on the Ikara anti-submarine missile) and the Jindivik are also on display.  The more recent US designed BAE Kalkara is located next to the Skyhawk.

BAE Kalkara MQM-107E Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
BAE Kalkara
Radioplane MQM-33 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Radioplane MQM-33
GAF Turana Target Drone Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
GAF Turana Target Drone
GAF Jindivik Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
GAF Jindivik

Fleet Air Arm Museum Helicopters

There is an impressive helicopter collection, which includes a large display to the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam.  In line with the rest of the museum, the helicopter displays are well set out and have explanatory boards. This provides you with a thorough history of the types use within the Fleet Air Arm.   

Bell UH-1B Iroquois Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Bell UH-1B Iroquois
Bristol 171 Sycamore HR.50 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Bristol 171 Sycamore HR.50
Bell 47G Sioux Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Bell 47G Sioux
Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Bell UH-1H Iroquois
Aerospatiale AS350 Squirrel Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Aerospatiale AS350 Squirrel
Westland Wessex Mk31B Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Westland Wessex Mk31B
Westland Sea King Mk 50 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Westland Sea King Mk 50
RAN Bristol 171 Sycamore HR Mk 51 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
RAN Bristol 171 Sycamore HR Mk 51
Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk

Other Displays

In addition to the aircraft of the FAA, the Fleet Air Arm Museum has some other excellent displays. A Sopwith Pup fighter from World War Two shows the beginnings of aviation.  Nearby two six-inch guns from the original HMAS Sydney (a cruiser) illustrate what the aircraft have replaced.

HMAS Sydney the aircraft carrier, is represented by its bell, 32 foot cutter and a propeller (outside near the entrance).

A unique aircraft in the CAC Winjeel is also on display.  This particular aircraft is the prototype for the design that went on to become the primary trainer for a generation of Australian military pilots.

An unusual inclusion is a MiG-15 UTI in Polish colours. A very interesting aircraft to see, but its inclusion here seems out-of-place.

Sopwith Pup Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Sopwith Pup
6 Inch Gun From HMAS Melbourne (I) Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
6 Inch Gun From HMAS Melbourne (I)
HMAS Sydney Bell Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
HMAS Sydney Bell
CAC CA-22 Winjeel prototype Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
CAC CA-22 Winjeel prototype
HMAS Melbourne 32FT CutterFleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
HMAS Melbourne 32FT Cutter
Douglas C-47A Dakota Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Douglas C-47A Dakota
Aermacchi MB-326H Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Aermacchi MB-326H
Polish MiG-15 UTI Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
Polish MiG-15 UTI

 

All of the displays are accompanied by descriptions and a detailed history of the FAA is provided as you progress around the museum.

There is a gift shop that also caters to the local RAN base so there is a good selection of merchandise available.

A great place to visit if you are interested in aviation or naval history.

HMAS Newcastle Arriving in Newcastle Harbour

HMAS Newcastle FFG 06 Entering Newcastle Harbour Royal Australian Navy Warships Warship Ship Ships

HMAS Newcastle FFG 06 arrived in Newcastle Harbour today for what will probably be its final visit before decommissioning.  

We arrived early and spent a relaxing afternoon walking on the foreshore.  We had a very nice steak pie at Harry’s Cafe De-Wheels and an ice cream from across the road.  The foreshore was a very pleasant backdrop to sit and eat lunch next to.

While eating we watched the coal ships coming and going and had a great view of Nobby’s Headland.  Then we walked up to Nobby’s Surfhouse and had a nice coffee until the ship was due.

HMAS Newcastle arrived around 3:30PM, to a large crowd all along the break water and foreshore.

An in all a very relaxing afternoon.

Nobby's Headland
Nobby’s Headland
Tug Boat Newcastle Harbour
Tug Boat Newcastle Harbour
Coal Ship Newcastle Harbour
Coal Ship Newcastle Harbour
HMAS Newcastle FFG 06
HMAS Newcastle FFG 06

To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.