The Rothbury Riot Memorial, is located at Rothbury, in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. This memorial is small, but stands out and is easy to see, sitting just off the road as you drive towards the vineyards. Worth a quick look, it commemorates the 1929 coal mine lockouts and riots.
Rothbury Riot Memorial
Monument Inscription
During The Northern Coal Lockout
March 1st 1929 – June 3rd 1930,
Miners And Police Clashed
On Monday, December 16th 1929,
Over The Use Of Non-Union
(Scab) Labour
At Rothbury Colliery.
One Miner – Norman Brown – Was Killed
An Unknown Number Of Miners And Police
Were Wounded.
This Monument Is Dedicated By The
Northern District Miners Womens Auxiliary
To Honour All Of Those Who Endured The Lockout
And Who Were At Rothbury
Monday, December 16th, 1929
We usually attend ANZAC Dawn Service in our home town of Singleton. However since our daughter joined the RAN and was marching in Sydney we travelled down to see her.
By far the biggest parade in the state if not Australia (we haven’t seen Melbourne’s parade so cant compare). It was impressive for its sheer size.
Getting There
Travelling down by train we arrived at Central Station in plenty if time to walk into the city a grab a coffee along the way. We could have caught a train to Hyde Park but wanted to stretch our legs after a 2 hour train journey.
We picked a spot near Bathurst Street and staked our place at the barriers so that we could get the best view. This turned out to be a good plan as the crowd was soon several people deep.
The ANZAC Day Parade
The parade started with the cavalry horse being led with no rider but with boots placed backwards in the stirrups to represent its deceased rider and extending this to all of those killed in battle.
For Fallen Comrades
Veterans who were no longer able to walk or march followed in cars. These all received huge cheers as they went past. Veterans then passed marching behind their unit flags, some interacting with the crowd, all receiving huge cheers.
Ford Falcon Taxi For Veterans
Plymouth Taxi For Veterans on the March
Once the veterans had passed currently serving personnel marched passed.
World War 1 Flags
Royal Australian Navy
Interspersed with the marchers were bands from around the state with the Scottish bands with pipes and drums providing some great sounds. The parade goes on for 4 hours, and provides a lot of history to today’s society. Once the parade is over, there is the opportunity to play two up, or eat and socialise throughout a huge area.
Scots Band on Anzac Day
The march ends at the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park, where the ceremony is held.
ANZAC Memorial Hyde Park Sydney
If you are in Sydney on April 25, it is highly recommended that you go and visit the parade. If you live in Sydney, this is something worth doing, to remember those how have and do serve Australia.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Newington Armory was originally a storage facility for the Australian Army and Navy’s explosives and weaponry. Now disused, many of the buildings have been re-purposed and the whole site is part of a museum and national park.
If you are travelling with children, there is a huge playground, just before you reach the entrance to the Armory. This looks like a great place to let them work off some excess energy either before or after your visit.
Wharf Area
The wharf area is now quiet, but this was where explosives were shipped from. Some old cranes and buildings are still present, giving a great backdrop to the area. The old wharf office is now a small cafe, which is where we started our day, sitting on the wharf having a coffee in the morning sunlight was very peaceful.
Crane at the Old Wharf
Armory Buildings
The armory site itself is extensive and it is free to walk around examining the old buildings and going into those that are open. Many of the buildings are locked up, but you can walk around the outside and examine them and take the photos.
It’s interesting to see the precautions that were set up to protect each building in case of an explosion. Surrounded by concrete walls or large earthworks to contain any mishaps, many buildings are partially hidden.
Buildings near the
entrance are in use so you can go inside. Make sure you go around the back and
between them to see the explosion protection.
Concrete Blast Protection
Blast Protection
Buildings Behind Earth Bunds
Armory Train
The train tracks that were set up to move items around of the armory are still in place and on Sunday a train runs so people can travel and have a look around the site while enjoying a ride.
There is a bird sanctuary discovery area in the centre of the park, where you can learn about the bird life in the area. If the birds interest you, there is a great bird watching area not far away in the wetlands.
Nearby are the train loading stations which are still in place and make a good photo opportunity. You can also walk over the old explosives’ magazines with their earth coverings but can’t go inside.
Explosives Magazine
A throw disc golf course has been set up which visitors can use. Rules are provided and although we didn’t play it looked like fun. Something families would enjoy.
Golf Course
From the Newington Armory, we walked to the Homebush shipwrecks before catching the ferry from Sydney Olympic Park Wharf to Circular Quay.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
