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’s Main Street 
Old Picton Post Office
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 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.!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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