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Category: Vehicles

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Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks

SS Ayrfield


Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks

Hidden in plain sight are some fantastic shipwrecks on the Parramatta River right in Sydney not far from Olympic Park. We walked to the Homebush Bay ship wrecks from the Newington Armory, but driving or using public transport would also work fine. We left the area using the ferry to circular quay, which took an hour.  From the water you get an amazing view of both sides of the river, good picture opportunities!

Access

There is a walk and bike track that leads to the shipwreck lookout. This side track is a dirt path and very easily overlooked. If you are not sure, there is s a large metal plaque at the start of the track. We also found that  google maps was very accurate in this area.

The Wrecks

The lookout track has a small side path about half way along on the right hand side. This takes you to a small lookout platform over the river to a shipwreck (the tug Heroic) in the mangroves.

  • Tug Heroic Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks
    Tug Heroic
  • SS Heroic in Mangroves
    SS Heroic in Mangroves
  • SS Heroic in Mangroves
    SS Heroic in Mangroves

At the end of the track there is a well constructed viewing area with a telescope where you can see the wrecks of the SS Mortlake Bank and SS Ayrfield. Two wrecked wooden barges are also located at the end of the viewing platform, so look out for them too.

  • SS Mortlake Bank Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks
    SS Mortlake Bank
  • SS Ayrfield Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks
    SS Ayrfield
  • SS Ayrfield
    Now Overgrown with Trees SS Ayrfield
  • SS Ayrfield
    SS Ayrfield
  • Wrecked Barges Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks
    Wrecked Barges
  • Wrecked Barges Homebush Bay
    Wrecked Barges Homebush Bay

Returning back to the main walkway and continuing on it for about 20 minutes, you will find a sign board for the HMAS Karangi. It is visible through the mangroves and looks amazing, being overgrown with trees. Unfortunately trying to get a clear photo from the shore proved too difficult with the trees in the way

  • HMAS Karangi Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks
    HMAS Karangi

As the SS Mortlake Bank and SS Ayrfield are clearly visible, we walked around to the far side of Wentworth Point to take photos from a different perspective.

Getting Back To Sydney CBD

From here we walked to the ferry wharf, where there is a small shopping centre with several eateries and a supermarket, which was  convenient to grab some snacks for the ride . The ferry trip takes an hour to get to Circular Quay.

The Homebush Bay ship wrecks are great to visit for something a bit different to see. Make a day of it and go to the Newington Armory as well.

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

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Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland

Traction Engines Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland

Hunter Valley Steamfest is an annual event held at Maitland in the Hunter Valley. Although focused around steam trains it also includes a large number of stalls selling local produce. There were also plenty of options for refreshments from stalls and shops to pubs and restaurants. 

The main attractions are the steam locomotives 6029 “The Garrett” and 3642 along with the diesels Red Rattler and Tin Hare. During the event you can purchase tickets for a ride in the carriages. It is suggested that you purchase them beforehand so that you don’t miss out.

Red Rattler Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland
Red Rattler
Steam Locomotive 3642 Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland
Steam Locomotive 3642
Locomotive 6029 "The Garrett" Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland
Locomotive 6029 “The Garrett”

There is a large display of steam traction engines, which are down on a field next to the train station.  Several steam engines were driving around the outside of the arena. Seeing these huge machines driving past was a great experience. There were also a large number of stationary steam engines most if which were working. The engines were constantly tended by their owners to make sure they kept working properly.

Traction Engines Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland
Traction Engines

Near the traction engines was a steam powered car something we didn’t know existed until we saw this one. It was in immaculate condition and would have been great to see drive around, but unfortunately, not while we were there.

Steam Powered car at Hunter Valley Steamfest in Maitland

As a related interest there were a large number of steampunk cos-players attending which added a lot of character to the festival as they walked around. For those interested, they had stalls selling steampunk related merchandise which was interesting.

Steampunk Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland
Steampunk
Penny Farthing Steampunk Hunter Valley Steamfest Maitland
Penny Farthing Steampunk

A great day out at Hunter Valley Steamfest seeing steam locomotive history live. A great atmosphere from everyone attending as they were obviously enjoying themselves.

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

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New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere Sydney

D55 Class Locomotive 5595 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere

How to Get There

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 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
Oldest Loco E18
Locomotive E78 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
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 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
Old Carriages
Rail Pay Bus New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
Rail Pay Bus
D55 Class Locomotive 5595 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
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 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
Old Departure Time Board
New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
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 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere
Thirlmere Station
Boom Gates at Thirlmere New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere

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 Piction New South Wales
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.