Tag: Shipwrecks

  • Sydney Olympic Park Area Things to Do

    Sydney Olympic Park Area Things to Do

    Sydney Olympic Park Area Things to Do

    How to Get There

    Access to Sydney Olympic Park is well designed as the whole area was redeveloped for the 2000 Olympics. Public transport either by bus ferry or train will get you to the area, or parking is well catered for with many car parks available.

    Sydney Olympic Park

    As the name implies, this was the location of the 2000 Olympics and the area is still strongly connected to sport. Several of Sydney’s major stadiums are located here as a legacy of the Olympics and regularly feature major sporting or entertainment events.

    To cater for the influx of people to the area, several hotels can be found here, ranging from budget to five star. Even when there are no events on, restaurants and cafes are open, because many companies operate in the district.

    One of the largest events held here is the Royal Easter Show which operates for two weeks, showcasing New South Wales agricultural as well as sideshows and rides to the kids. For the full story of our visit to the show, click here.

    Memorials to the Sydney 2000 Games can be found around the main stadium, with the Olympic Cauldron and a forest of 480 poles with volunteers’ names on them easy to find.

    ANZ Stadium and a Forest of Poles
    ANZ Stadium and a Forest of Poles

    Bay Marker

    The Bay Marker contains the remnants of construction material from the Homebush Area, which instead of being an ugly eyesore has been shaped and revegetated into a fun walk and lookout.

    Next to the Bay Marker is Wentworth Common, which has sporting grounds and a playground. A great place to stop and watch the local teams competing on a weekend, while the kids can enjoy the playground.

    Bicentennial Park

    Treillage Tower

    Located in the centre of Bicentennial Park, the Treillage Tower is a viewing platform that allows great views over the rest of the park. Made of lattice, the tower has a three story high viewing platform 17m above ground level. This was a fun place to visit on our walk through the Park.

    Brick Pit

    In many places something like the Brick Pit outdo be covered, or filled in. Instead, it has been preserved as a heritage site to show where and how the bricks were made. A huge elevated walkway has been constructed inside the rim of the old quarry, enabling visitors to view the old pit from every angle. At intervals around the walkway displays show how people worked here and how it was operate.

    Hidden away and out of view this is a great place to visit if you are in the Homebush area.

    Homebush Bay Shipwrecks

    The area where the shipwrecks are located was originally used as a breaking yard for old ships. Those that are left have now been heritage listed and are great photography subjects with several being overgrown with trees. To read our full story click here.

    SS Ayrfield
Sydney Olympic Park Area Things to Do
    SS Ayrfield

    Newington Armory

    Originally housing a major Australian Defence Force magazine, the site is now repurposed into art galleries, sports and a wildlife refuge. Our full story cab be found here.

    Buildings Behind Earth Bunds Newington Armory Sydney Australia
    Buildings Behind Earth Bunds

    Badu Mangroves

    If you are interested in birds or would like to have a look at what lives in the wetlands around Sydney, this is a great place to go. There are purpose build bird hides and viewing platforms where you can observe from and information panels on the local birdlife.

    Bennelong Pond in the Badu Mangroves
Sydney Olympic Park Area Things to Do
    Bennelong Pond in the Badu Mangroves

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

    Our photos are available for purchase on

  • Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks

    Homebush Bay Ship Wrecks


    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.

    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.

    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

    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.

    Our photos are available for purchase on