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Picton New South Wales

The Picton Viaduct

Picton New South Wales

Stopping at Picton on our way south to Jarvis Bay, we spent some time looking around town to break the driving and get a coffee. Picton’s Main Street contains several old and historic buildings which we stopped to take photos. There was also a variety of cafes and restaurants to choose from if you wanted something to eat and drink. There is plenty of parking.

Picton Viaduct

Not far from the Picton railway station is the viaduct, a huge sandstone bridge spanning a gully and small creek. Parking is limited as no dedicated car park is available, but we found parking in a side street.

There is a walkway down to the creek where you can cross to the other side of the viaduct from a different perspective.

The Picton Viaduct From Stonequarry Creek
The Viaduct From Stonequarry Creek
The Picton Viaduct
The Picton Viaduct

The Mushroom Tunnel at Picton

Another rail related attraction 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. The dirt road into the tunnel can be rough so drive carefully. The tunnel itself is quite interesting,  having been repurposed from a train tunnel to a mushroom farm (hence its name) and now a tourist attraction. We drove though it in the car, then turned around and drove back before walking through it. Remember to take a torch.!

Mushroom Tunnel Piction New South Wales
Mushroom Tunnel

New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere

How to Get There

Only a 10-minute drive from Picton is the NSW Rail Museum 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 Collection

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 open 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.

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

Penrith White Water Stadium

White Water Rafting

Penrith White Water Stadium

One of the many great legacies of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, is the Penrith White Water Rafting Stadium, which still caters for elite athletes, but also has given locals the opportunity to experience the thrill of rafting.

Penrith White Water Stadium Entrance
Penrith White Water Stadium Entrance

Booking

Booking beforehand is essential, so phone and book well in advance on (02) 4730 4333. The staff member will give you all the information you will need, and send a confirmation email, which also contains the necessary details for this thrill.

Arriving a half an hour beforehand gave us the opportunity to complete the necessary paperwork and grab some wetsuits and to see the local kayak club training, which was great.

The stadium provides all of the required safety gear, helmet and life vest. If needed, wet suits are available for hire, but not essential, as t-shirts and shorts are acceptable. However, for safety, closed in shoes are essential. Bring a change of clothes as you will get wet, even if you don’t fall in. The bathrooms are huge and have a big area for changing. There are also lock up areas to store your bags and valuables until you have completed rafting.

The trip starts with a safety briefing and a description of the next hour’s events, as well as life vest and helmet fitting. Safety is their priority, and the briefing made us feel very safe. We did not start our lap until everyone was happy that we were ready to do the course. It is also emphasised that you can get out at any time, so if you feel unwell or are not enjoying the experience, the guide will stop at the next safe stop and you can get out of the raft.

The Course

The course starts at the loading ramp where we carried the raft into the water, followed by instructions from the guide in how to paddle the raft. Once they are satisfied that you are OK, the fun begins with a trip up a conveyor belt, that transports the raft to the upper pool. From here, you follow a circular route through rapids, back down to the starting location. We managed about eight trips in our allotted time, each one becoming more difficult at our request. The guide decides how difficult, each trip is, depending on how your party is going.

We had a great time and highly recommend this for anyone looking for a more adventurous experience while being in a safe environment.

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

Nepean Belle Paddlewheeler

The Nepean Belle Paddlewheeler

Nepean Belle Paddlewheeler

A great way to experience the Nepean River at Penrith is to take a cruise on the Nepean Belle Paddlewheeler down the 50 million year old gorge. This gives you a nice relaxed environment, while viewing the river and enjoying morning tea or lunch.

We chose the morning tea cruise, giving us an early start, but being able to enjoy the whole day in the Penrith area. Arriving early, we grabbed a coffee from one of the cafes across the road from the Nepean Belle carpark. There was ample car parking available near the Paddlewheel. We just needed to provide our ticket and have our names ticked off, making the boarding process easy.

The Nepean Belle Paddlewheeler Tour

Once we boarded the Paddlewheeler, we were allocated a table on the upper level by a window, giving us great views over the river. This tour was 1.5 hours, but there are quite a few tours to choose from including twilight dinner tours etc.

The Nepean Belle is very stable on the water and once underway, you can walk around freely, admiring the views natural flora and native wildlife around the river. There was a lot of birdlife on the water and we were pleased to have seen a few eagles as flying overhead. The captain gave ample information about the area. There were people kayaking on the river and enjoying water sports as well.

Morning Tea

Morning tea was tea/coffee and delicious fluffy scones with home-made jam and cream, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The staff were exceptional and the captain a wealth of knowledge. It’s nice to be able to go on this cruise with so many staff who were so welcoming and really appeared to love what they do!

It was a relaxed way to start the day on a nice old boat while getting to see the Nepean River.

We spent the afternoon at Knapsack Bridge, Lennox Bridge and Mt Schoenstatt Spirituality Centre.

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