RAN Heritage Centre

 NB Centre may be still be closed

Sydney.com: 'The RAN Heritage Centre is currently closed due to council wharf redevelopment and will remain closed until further notice. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Navy Heritage at navy.heritage@defence.gov.au. '

Only a seven minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, is The Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre, Garden Island. The Main Building, former 1922 Gun Mounting Workshop, houses the exhibition gallery and the 'Salthorse Cafe'.

 

The centre holds over 3000 artifacts, including the conning tower of one of the three Japanese submarines that penetrated Sydney Harbour in 1944.  (above right - diving air supply equipment)

Krupp Field Gun (circa 1889) captured in Rabaul in 1914

 A fully operational Oberon Class submarine periscope has been installed. which allow visitors an unusual view of Sydney Harbour.               Photos from our previous visit to Garden Island
 

Taronga Zoo to Clifton Gardens

We started this harbour side walk by catching a ferry to Taronga Zoo wharf. We first walked part of the Curlew Camp Artist's Walk in Sirius Cove Reserve, before retracing our steps.           Location map 

          

From the wharf we followed the path past the lower Zoo entrance to Bradley's Head. A 'Memorial Mast' dominates Bradley's Head. The mast was removed from Sydney (I) when decommissioned in 1928, and was erected at Bradley's Head in 1934. The memorial represents a mark of respect and recognition of the Australian officers, sailors and ships lost at sea and in combat

HMAS Sydney (II) Memorial plaque

Fig tree, Bradley's Head

     Bradley's Head also has stonework from old military fortifications (see info at Mosman CEFE)

Taylors Bay, Sydney Harbour

Clifton Gardens Reserve, Chowder Bay

This is a 5 Km walk took us through part of Sydney Harbour National Park (map and audio tour). At Cliffton Gardens we caught a 244 bus back from Chowder Head Bay Road to the City. You could also return to the Zoo wharf, see WildWalks.

My thanks to our leaders for this very picturesque walk. While this post is another Sydney walk, we have not stopped walking in the Blue Mountains, having recently walked at Springwood, and revisited the Witches Leap walk at Katoomba.

Garden Island

The photo below shows the RAN Huon class Minehunter HMAS Yarra, passing Garden Island Dockyard.
Garden Island Dockyard is a primary Navy repair and refit centre which has supported naval activities since 1788.
The giant Hammerhead Crane, seen in the background below, was the largest in Australia, with a lifting capacity of 275 tonnes. In August 2013 the Federal Government announced it's removal.

Like other visitors to the northern precinct of Garden Island we arrived by Sydney Ferry from Circular Quay, on the route to Watson’s Bay. There is no public access from the mainland except on a booked tour coach.

The National Corvette Memorial honours the Navy Corvettes of WW2 and the Australian sailors who sailed them.
The memorial "symbolises a shipyard with the bow of a Corvette emerging through a wave and thrusting seaward"





Nearby is the RAN Heritage Centre in two renovated National Estate listed buildings, housing a huge collection of Navy artifacts with displays of the Navy’s history from colonial times to the present day.

View from roof top lookout Garden Is.

We were impressed by the spectacular views of Sydney Harbour from the former Main Signal Building, which has a viewing platform on the roof (accessed by stairs).

Looking towards Sydney Harbour heads

Garden Island wharf