Destination's Journey

Tag: Sydney

  • North Head Quarantine Station Sydney

    North Head Quarantine Station Sydney

    North Head Quarantine Station

    An important part of Sydney’s past, North Head Quarantine Station once protected the city from disease by acting as the quarantine station from early in the colonies founding until 1984.

    Although now disused, and renamed Q Station, it contains accommodation and a restaurant, while preserving the historical significance of the area.


    Getting to The Quarantine Station

    Driving

    Located outside the Visitor Centre is a car park, which makes driving yourself a convenient option.

    Public Transport

    From the Manly Ferry Wharf, bus 135 takes 10 minutes to drive to Q Station. This bus runs every hour and connects well with the ferry arriving and departing Manly. Located outside the main entrance, the bus stop is easy to find.

    Ferries to Manly run from Circular Quay, taking around 30 minutes for the trip. Alternately, the Manly Fast Ferry takes 20 minutes, but is more expensive. There is a Fast Ferry service to Q Station Wharf, if you want to start here instead of in Manly.

    Walking

    Taking 30 minutes, the shortest walk winds through Manly’s streets, to the Q Station car park.

    Shuttle Bus

    A shuttle bus operates from the main entrance, down to the wharf area, removing the need for a steep walk. Running all day, the bus makes getting around far quicker than walking. Walking from the entrance to the wharf area takes around 10 minutes.

    The Stairs Down to Q Station
    The Stairs Down to Q Station
    The Stairs Down to Q Station
    The Stairs Down to Q Station

    An interesting walk connects Q Station to North Head winding through coastal Australian bushland. This is a well structured path with lots of signs. The path also passes the third quarantine station cemetery which is an interesting place to walk around and view the old grave sites.

    Guided Tours of the Quarantine Station

    Tours of the historical buildings are available and can be booked online. The meeting point for the tour is near the wharf at the visitor centre. If you are not staying on site this means that you will walk though other old buildings on your way giving you a great overview of what is there (alternately, you can catch the shuttle bus).

    You get to walk around the hospital, grounds, decontamination rooms, fumigation rooms and various other areas. The walk to the hospital at the top of the hill is very steep.

    Starting at the wharf, the guide explained the use and history of the station before showing us the plaques carved into the rock face by ship’s passengers, many of which are quite artistic.

    RMS Lusitania Carving North Head Quarantine Station
    RMS Lusitania Carving
    Ship Carving North Head Quarantine Station
    Ship Carving
    RMS Niagara Carving North Head Quarantine Station
    RMS Niagara Carving

    Our first stop was the decontamination rooms where patients were showered before entering the facility. We then saw the fumigation rooms where their belongings were placed in larger chambers and decontaminated. Several old suitcases and trolleys are set up to show how they were used.

    Shower Cubicles
    Shower Cubicles
    Fumigation Chamber
    Fumigation Chamber

    Our last stop was the hospital at the top of the hill, where the sick were cared for.

    Hospital
    Hospital
    Hospital Ward
    Hospital Ward

    Wharf Precinct

    There is a little museum at the wharf, which is where you will find the ship’s plaques. This was a really interesting tour, and the guide had a lot of knowledge about the working and history of the fascility.

    The area provided several magnificent views over Sydney Harbour and towards the city. Quarantine Beach sitting next to the wharf is a nice area with views back to the wharf and across the harbour to the city.

    Quarantine Beach North Head Quarantine Station
    Quarantine Beach
    Door Decoration Q Station
    Door Decoration Q Station
    Door Decoration Q Station
    Door Decoration Q Station

    The Third Quarantine Cemetery

    At the end of the guided tour, we walked to the Third Quarantine Cemetery where the headstones are still standing amongst the Australian bush with views over the harbour.

    Headstones in the third Quarantine Cemetery
    Headstones in the third Quarantine Cemetery
    Headstones in the third Quarantine Cemetery
    Headstones in the third Quarantine Cemetery

    Our photos are available for purchase on

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

  • Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes

    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes

    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes

    Set in lovely gardens on the banks of the Parramatta River, the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk is a great tribute to this important part of the defence of Australia in World War 2. With ample parking and Rhodes Station under a 10 minute walk away it is very easy to get to.

    The tropical like rain forest of the gardens represents the conditions the soldiers fought in New Guinea. As you walk along the track, information boards explain the battles that took place, adding to the understanding of the events. When you are looking at each of the boards, there is an automatic voice over explaining each section.

    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes
    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes
    Wreathes at the Myola Ridge Memorial
    Wreathes at the Myola Ridge Memorial
    Milne Bay Information Board, Similar to the Others Found on the Track
    Milne Bay Information Board, Similar to the Others Found on the Track

    Located in the centre of the walk is a memorial to those who fought on the Track. The centre piece comprises a striking series of granite walls on which images of the New Guinea Campaign have been sandblasted. There is also a water feature which cascades over the granite walls and areas surrounding the walk. It forms a fitting tribute to those who fought and died there.

    Kokoda Track Memorial Setting
    Kokoda Track Memorial Setting
    Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Memorial Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes
    Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Memorial

    We found it to be an easy and informative walk, in a beautiful setting. There is a Kokoda Track Cafe in the park where we had a coffee before returning to Rhodes Station.

    The Brays Bay Shipbuilding Memorial

    On the waterfront and next to the memorial walk is a tribute to the ship building that operated here from 1939 to 1945. Ships’ names are set in a walkway down to the water and a sculpture representing a ship sits nearby. This made an interesting addition to the memorial walk while teaching us a little about the wartime industry in the area.

    Ship Building Memorial
    Ship Building Memorial
    Ship Building Memorial
    Ship Building Memorial

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

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  • Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    Located near the North Turramurra Gate and the Lady Davidson Private Hospital, the Sphinx Memorial commemorates the fallen soldiers of World War One. Restored and rededicated in 1995, the memorial now has had a new lease of life.

    Made from local sandstone by 5756 Private W. T. Shirley as a memorial to fallen A.I.F. comrades, the Sphinx is approximately 1/8th the size of the Great Sphinx, located on Egypt’s Giza Plateau. William Shirley was a patient of the Lady Davidson Convalescent Hospital for returned World War One Australian veterans. Not only suffering from gassing, he had the complication of tuberculosis.

    Only able to work one to two hours a day due to his condition, the Sphinx took one and a half years to complete. William Shirley laboured at creating his personal memorial to his fallen A.I.F comrades from 1926 to 1928.

    • The Sphinx Memorial
      The Sphinx Memorial
    • The Sphinx Memorial
      Side View of The Sphinx Memorial
    • The Sphinx Memorial
      The Sphinx Memorial
    • Carvings on the Memorial
      Carvings on the Memorial
    • Carvings on the Memorial
      Carvings on the Memorial
    • The Sphinx Explanation Plaque
      The Sphinx Explanation Plaque

    What did We Think?

    This was a very interesting monument to visit, because it is a personal tribute to fallen comrades. The subject of the sphinx is also unusual but relevant to all the servicemen who fought in the desert.

    Sydney Morning Herald Tribute To the Sphinx Memorial

    Mr. William T. Shirley, creator of the rock carving, “The Sphinx,” in Kuring-gai Chase, died at the Prince of Wales Hospital on Tuesday. The carving stands as a permanent memorial to the skill and patience of a brave sufferer, who contracted tuberculosis, following on war service.

    Mr. Shirley was a stonemason before he left for the war. At the Lady Davidson Home, Turramurra, which he entered for treatment, the ordinary hospital occupations did not seem to appeal to him. As he was not strong enough to return to his trade, it was suggested that he should carve a rock in Kuring-gai Chase on the model of the Great Sphinx of Giza, which guards the entrance to the Nile Valley. He had seen the Great Sphinx before he went to France, and eagerly set about carving one of much smaller dimensions. On account of his health, Mr. Shirley was not allowed to work more than a couple of hours a day, sometimes less, but he made excellent, progress in cutting down the great rock, and within several months the form of The Sphinx took shape.

    The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), 29 August 1929

    The Gosford Petroglyphs or Hieroglyphs

    For another story about Australia’s connection to Egypt, read about the Gosford Glyphs. Located an hour’s drive from the sphinx the glyphs are interesting, along with the many other attractions around Gosford.

    Mainmast of HMAS Adelaide

    Sitting next to the Sphinx Memorial is the mainmast of HMAS Adelaide. It is dedicated to World War Two soldiers, sailors, and airmen who died as a result of tuberculosis. The nearby Lady Davidson Repatriation Hospital treated returned servicemen with this condition.

    A dedicatory plaque and a plaque explaining the role played by HMAS Adelaide accompany the mast. The plaque makes the presence of the mast clearer as it provides interesting information.

    • HMAS Adelaide (I) Mast
      HMAS Adelaide (I) Mast
    • Dedicatory Plaque For HMAS Adelaide Mainmast
      Dedicatory Plaque For HMAS Adelaide Mainmast
    • HMAS Adelaide Mainmast Plaque
      HMAS Adelaide Mainmast Plaque

    The Ship’s plaque reads:

    The IMPROVED TOWN Class light cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 5th August 1922. Built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, HMAS ADELAIDE was active with the Australian Fleet until paid off into reserve in 1928. During the ship’s first commission, HMAS ADELAIDE participated in the 1924/25 world cruise as part of the Royal Navy’s Special Service Squadron and in 1927 proceeded to the Solomon Islands on a peacekeeping cruise.

    During 1938/39 the cruiser was modernised to meet the threat from more capable aircraft and recommissioned for service on 13 March 1939.

    In the Second World War, HMAS ADELAIDE operated along the Australian eastern and western coasts. During September 1940 she proceeded to the French colony of New Caledonia to help in the transfer of formal control from Vichy to Free French forces and on 28 November 1942, the cruiser sank the German ‘blockade runner’ Ramses.

    HMAS ADELAIDE provided gunfire support to landings in Ambon in 1944, before returning to Sydney for duties as a submarine depot ship. On 26 February 1946 HMAS ADELAIDE paid off from naval service and on 21 March 1947 was sold to be broken up in Port Kembla.

    The ship’s mainmast was erected adjacent to the Sphinx Memorial in Ku-ring-gai National Park in about 1950.

    To commemorate the end of the Second World war as part of the ‘Australia Remembers’ year, the mast was restored and on 9 November 1995, rededicated at an official ceremony.

    The Ship’s Plaque

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