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Tag: Sydney

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Hornby Lighthouse Watsons Bay Sydney

Hornby Lighthouse www.destinationsjourney.com

The Hornby Lighthouse is located on Sydney Harbour with stunning views of the city and coastline. Parking is limited as the car park can become full but we were lucky and got a park. The start of the walk to the Hornby Lighthouse is at Camp Cove Beach. Camp Cove Kiosk serves nice snacks and drinks, so we had a relax on the beach before starting our walk.

Camp Cove Beach With Sydney in Background Hornby Lighthouse www.destinationsjourney.com
Camp Cove Beach With Sydney in Background

Southern Heritage Trail

The South Head Heritage Trail which leads to the lighthouse is all paved and although it goes uphill is not strenuous if you don’t rush. Along the path you will pass old fortifications used for the defense of Sydney in the 19th century.  You will also get great views over  Sydney Harbour and the city so admire the views and take some photos.

Old Gun Emplacement Hornby Lighthouse www.destinationsjourney.com
Old Gun Emplacement
Old Defensive Cannon Hornby Lighthouse www.destinationsjourney.com
Old Defensive Cannon

There are several beaches below the path but beware that one of them is a nudist beach so looking  down at them might cause some embarrassment.

HMAS Watson naval base is situated nearby and you will see warning signs about not entering and beware of low flying helicopters.

Light Keeper’s Cottage

Just before you reach the lighthouse you will come across the light keepers cottage a pretty and well maintained building.

Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage Hornby Lighthouse www.destinationsjourney.com
Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage

Hornby Lighthouse

The main attraction  on the walk is  Hornby Lighthouse  which is in need of a fresh coat of paint. Up close its distinctive red and white stripes are weather worn. Even so it is a spectacular sight with the ocean behind it. Be careful of the surrounding cliffs.  There are warning signs and fences, but people were still crossing them to get that perfect photo.

It’s a beautiful location with fantastic views with a great walk on your way there.

Hornby Lighthouse www.destinationsjourney.com
Hornby Lighthouse
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New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere Sydney

D55 Class Locomotive 5595 New South Wales Rail Museum Thirlmere

How to Get There

The New South Wales Rail Museum is located in Thirlmere which is near Picton to the west of Sydney. We drove there as part of a larger trip to the Illawarra which made it an excellent break from driving.

The New South Wales 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 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 working 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.

The Mushroom Tunnel at Picton

If you are in the area it is worth stopping at Picton for another rail related visit. There 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, so drove on into Piction and found somewhere to have a snack and drink. The dirt road into the tunnel can be rough so drive carefully. The tunnel itself is quite interesting,  having been re-purposed from a train tunnel to a mushroom farm (hence its name) and now a tourist attraction. We drove though then turned around and drove back before walking through it. Remember to take a torch.

Mushroom Tunnel Piction New South Wales
Mushroom Tunnel

A great place to explore if you are a rail enthusiast and a good break if you need somewhere to stop to relieve the driving boredom.

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Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre

Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre

How to Get There

The Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre is on Garden Island in Sydney Harbour. To get there you catch the Sydney Ferry to Double Bay. This stops at a Garden Island only during the Centre’s opening hours (9:30AM to 4:30PM but check their website to be sure). There is no access via the Naval Base, only from the ferry wharf.

Approaching the Heritage Centre, you pass a series of memorials to ships lost and people killed in service to the RAN. These are worth a detailed look at before entering the main building. 

Corvette Memorial Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Corvette Memorial

Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre

What You See At The Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre

Entry to the Heritage Centre is free, but you must leave before the last ferry. There is a very good display of Royal Australian Navy history inside the main building. There are items from the formation of the navy after federation to the present day. We found the staff to be friendly and approachable.

Wheel From HMAS Protector Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Wheel From HMAS Protector

Twelve Inch Shell From the Battlecruiser HMAS Australia (I)Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Twelve Inch Shell From the Battlecruiser HMAS Australia (I)

Eating

There is also a cafeteria catering for snacks and lunch. Food was great and reasonably priced.

On the Waterfront

Outside on the waterfront are some very interesting displays. These include the SeaCat anti-aircraft missile and Australian designed Ikara anti submarine system, whilst a small museum, there is a lot of great displays and history presented over the entire site.

Ikara Anti-Submarine Missile Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Ikara Anti-Submarine Missile

Seacat Anti-Aircraft Missile Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Seacat Anti-Aircraft Missile

Eight Inch Gun From HMAS Australia (II) Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Eight Inch Gun From HMAS Australia (II)

 An additional area to see there is a large garden up the back, which given some great views to the harbour.

If you have a few hours to spare, the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre is a great place to learn about the history of the RAN.

Old Tree on Garden Island Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
Old Tree on Garden Island

For other places to visit in Sydney, please have a look at some of our other posts.

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