Sculpture Park Archives - Destination's Journey

1 March 20211 March 2021

Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park

Pensioners Hill Lookout and Sculpture Park

A beautiful place with views over Gunnedah, Pensioners Hill Lookout also has a sculpture park, which makes an even more interesting place to visit. The walkway through the park is named after Ailsa Iceton, a nurse who performed many charitable works in Gunnedah. During the Great Depression, she would bring meals to the residents of Pensioners Hill.

The park’s brick wall is constructed from bricks recovered from the demolition of a chimney used for a nearby mine, thereby incorporating its heritage value into the new park. A plaque near the entrance gate details the history of the chimney.

Pensioner's Hill Reserve Entrance Plaque — Alisa Iceton Walkway Information Board

Kamilaroi Peoples

On entering the park, the first display on your right is a series of carved trees. These are a remembrance of the Kamilaroi People and their ancestral animals totemic beings. The Kamilaroi people’s lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Australia.

Pensioners Hill Lookout and Heritage Sculpture Park

The park contains four sculptures by Carl Merten and Joan Relke, with each depicting the heritage of the Gunneda area. The sculptures show:

The Red Chief, a Kamilaroi man who lived in the area in the 18th century. He had a reputation as a warrior and wise leader of the Gunn-e-darr tribe.
The Pioneer Woman, early settlers facing harsh environments, isolation and loneliness.
Agriculture representing the rich grazing lands and crops across the Liverpool Plains.
The Coal Miner labouring underground.

Carved on the back of each sculpture is the Great Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal mythology, tying them all together.

Snake Sculpture — Sculptures on Pensioners Hill

Mining Heritage

Behind the rock sculptures is a display of three mine skips on rail tracks. This display sponsored by the CFMEU (the mine workers’ Union) pays tribute to the coal miners of the district. It not only commemorates the workers, but those who did not make it home, after working in the dangerous mine conditions.

These skips add to the mining heritage reflected in the entrance wall, which shows the importance of the industry in the districts past.

Places to Relax

Placed throughout the park are beautifully carved seats, where you can sit and enjoy the park. If you want to relax under cover, a rotunda at the top of the hill is a great place to get out of the weather.

Rotunda on Pensioners' Hill — Rotunda on Pensioners Hill

Seat With Carved Eagle Wings — Rotunda on Pensioners Hill

The View

The viewing platform gives a great view of Gunnedah. The silos and red roofed building in the photo is where the Dorothea Mackellar silo art sits. While there, look at the town from inside the rotunda, because it can be framed nicely by the entrance.

View of Gunnedah From Pensioners' Hill — View of Gunnedah From Pensioners Hill

View of Gunnedah Through the Rotunda — View of Gunnedah From Pensioners Hill

What Did We Think

If you are in Gunnedah, this is a great place to visit, because not only do you get a great view, but see great sculptures at the same time. It was nice to see the heritage of the districts tied together using aboriginal culture with the Great Rainbow Serpent.

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

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30 April 201912 May 2019

Mudgee Central West NSW

Frog Rock

Before arriving at Mudgee in the Central West of NSW, we stopped at Frog Rock to take a quick photo of this unusual rock that looks like a giant frog. Interesting for a quick stop and photo. Its also easy to find as it is well signposted.

Mudgee Regional Museum

This little museum packs a huge amount of history into a tiny building. A huge amount of artifacts from Musgee’s past are on display over two floors in the main building and in the old church out the back.

Several of the rooms are displayed as period settings while others display collections of

The shed at the back of the house contains a vast number of old tools as well as carriages

Mudgee Colonial Inn Museum
Mudgee Colonial Inn Museum
Mudgee Colonial Inn Museum
Typewriter Collection
Doll Collection
Old Mudgee Gaol Key
Old Carriages Mudgee Colonial In Museum

Mudgee Brewery

We arrived before beer serving commenced so had a coffee before exploring Mudgee and returning later. On our return we tried the sample beers of four small beers for $8.00. This was a great way to taste their products and we decided on the wheat beer was the best but unfortunately was not available in stubbies for purchase only as full size bottles. Instead we bought a six pack of the pale ale.

Sculpture Park

Sculpture Park on the banks of the Cudgegong River was a relaxing wall while looking at the sculptures the local council has placed there

Sculpture Park
Sculpture Park
Sculpture Park

Mudgee Town Centre

In the centre of town is the Mudgee Clock Tower and St Mary’s Church both worth a look. At the next intersection is St John the Baptist Anglican Church. We walked down Market Street as it has some great old buildings on both sides of the road that are well maintained and look fantastic.

Mudgee Clock Tower
Main Street Mudgee
Main Street Mudgee
Main Street Mudgee
Main Street Mudgee
Council Chambers Mudgee

Railway Station

We also drove to the old Mudgee Railway Station which is under two kilometers from the centre of town. Although the train no longer runs here the old building is very nice and has been repurposed into an art gallery.

Mudgee Railway Station
Mudgee Railway Station

Of course Mudgee’s greatest attraction for some is the wine produced in the region. There are many wineries in the area. and you can spend many happy hours driving around and sampling their produce.

Grape Vines Mudgee NSW Australia — Grape Vines

Mudgee Observatory

Only 23 km from town is the Mudgee Observatory. A great place to go at night to learn about astronomy and make your own observations of the stars.

To read about other places to visit in NSW, please read some of your other stories.

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22 April 201728 July 2022

Oslo Norway

Arriving in Oslo at the Central Train Station at 3:00PM, we made our way to our hotel. It was just across the road from the station, only a few minutes’ walk. Very handy, as we were departing by train too. The train station is very large and modern. We found it easy to find our way around.

The Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania check in was quick and easy and we liked the rooms. Nice and comfortable and importantly warm.

Tourist Information Bureau

After dropping our bags off and having a quick freshen up, we headed out to find the local Tourist Information Bureau. It is located outside the train station and is well sign posted and easy to find. The staff were very friendly and helpful. As the bus and tram public transport system is very efficient, we asked about getting passes for the next two days. They sell the passes there and showed us the best places to catch buses and which numbers to get for the places we intended going to.

Oslo Central Train Station

Outside the Visitor Centre and the Train Station is a large open public space. We took pictures of the Tiger Statue and Thor’s Hammer that are located there. During our visit the latest Star Wars movie was being released, so there was a life-sized model of a crashed Tie Fighter as well. We were very lucky and got some good photos while there were not too many crowds around.

Tiger - Oslo Railway Station — Tiger – Oslo Railway Station

Star Wars Tie Fighter - Oslo Railway Station — Star Wars Tie Fighter – Oslo Railway Station

Mjölnir Thor's Hammer - Oslo — Mjölnir Thor’s Hammer – Oslo

Karl Johans Gate

Opposite the train station is Karl Johans Gate, the main shopping street in Oslo. Most of the street is a pedestrian mall, except for the cross roads, so be careful when you cross. The road goes past the cathedral and the parliament building, but we only had a quick look, as we planned to have a better look in two days’ time.

There were large crowds at the Grand Hotel, as the Nobel Peace Prize was being awarded. The security was visible but not over the top. The one thing that we found really disturbing was the number of people begging on the streets. This would be the same in other cities we were to visit as well.

Viking Ship Museum

On the first full day in Oslo, we caught a number 30 bus to the Bygdøy Peninsular. Some of Oslo’s best museums are located here and we planned to see several of them if time permitted. We started at the Viking Ship Museum. The bus stopped right outside, and we arrived just before opening time. This enabled us to see all the exhibits without crowds. The three 9^th century ships on display are magnificent and the museum really should be a must see for anyone interested in Viking history.

Viking Ship Museum Oslo — Oslo Viking Ship Museum

Norwegian Folk Museum

A short walk back up the road is the huge open air Norwegian Folk Museum. Buildings of historical importance from all over Norway have been located here for preservation. We loved the stave church and the farming village, all set out as they used to be. It would be possible to spend a whole day here if you wanted to see everything that is available, but we were time limited, so stuck to the plan to see the attractions that interested us the most. Then we headed in from the cold and had a hot chocolate in the café.

The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History Oslo — The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Norsk Folkemuseum

Stave Church - The Norsk Folkemuseum — Stave Church – The Norsk Folkemuseum

Kon-Tiki Museum

We caught the bus outside the museum to the Fram Museum a bit further along the road. Also located here are the Kon-Tiki and Maritime Museums. If you buy multi-entry tickets, you get a 10% discount. We started with the Kon-Tiki. It gives a full history of Thor Heyerdahl’s adventures and has many artefacts from Thor Heyerdahl’s life, most importantly the Kon-Tiki.

Fram Polar Exploration Ship Museum

Moving on to the main reason for our visit to the ship museums were went in the amazing Fram Polar Exploration Ship Museum. The Fram herself is located within one of the buildings along with the Gjøa. Norway’s proud Polar exploration history is all on display here, from the ships to other artifacts and well laid out displays. Anyone interested in exploration and what these adventurers went through would love this museum.

The Fram was able to be boarded and you can wander the decks and interior to get a feel for what it was like on board.

The Fram - Polar Exploration Ship — The Fram – Polar Exploration Ship

Maritime Museum

After visiting the Fram Museum, the Maritime Museum seems quite dull. The displays are all good quality and the museum is well laid out and run, but we did not spend long there and caught the bus back to central Oslo.

Polar Explorer Statues - Norsk Maritimt Museum Oslo — Polar Explorer Statues – Norsk Maritimt Museum Oslo

Vigeland Park

On our second day, we took a tram out to the Vigeland Park (Vigelandsparken). It is full of sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, mostly depicting the various stages of human existence. A very nice park and relaxing to walk around. Early in the morning, we almost had it to ourselves.

Royal Palace

On the way back into town, we stopped at the Royal Palace and took a few photos of the building itself and of the guards that were wandering around.

Akershus Fortress

Walking back we went past the Akershus Fortress and Franklin D Roosevelt Statue. The statue is only of interest if you’re passing, but the fortress is impressive. The fortress itself was closed, but you can still wander around the extensive grounds and visit the military museum contained in it. It has a large collection, of military hardware on display. Worth a look if you are into your military history.

Opera House

We called into the Opera House and walked up onto the roof. You can get some great views of the city from there, but it was very windy.

Historical Museum

The afternoon was spent at the Historical Museum (another tram ride). There is a nice display of Viking artifacts, which we were interested in seeing. As a tourist, the rest of the museum was interesting, but not unique, with display from around the world, but really the sort of things any other capital city museum would have.

Viking Swords at the Oslo Historical Museum

National Gallery of Norway

Nearby is the National Gallery of Norway. Of interest here is The Scream by Edward Munch. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to look at the parliament building, but is was obscured by Christmas decorations (a large wooden building – not that we are complaining, the Christmas decorations were very nice).

So what did we think of Oslo? Apart from the beggars, we loved it. There was plenty to see and do. The public transport is efficient and very easy to use. The people were friendly and helpful. What more could you want?

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Tag: Sculpture Park

Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park