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

            

Narrabeen to Mona Vale Headland

We started this coastal walk from the beachside suburb of Narrabeen, around 20Km north of Sydney CBD.

Narrabeen Lagoon

Narrabeen Lakes from headland

                 North Narrabeen, Narrabeen, South Narrabeen and Collaroy beaches

View from North Narrabeen Headland

Turimetta Beach

Looking south from Mona Vale Headland

We caught a bus from, and returned to Railway Square

Narrabeen map                           Mona Vale location map                                 Lake or Lagoon? 

Charles Darwin Walk Revisited

One of my favorite walks in the Upper Blue Mountains, in a beautiful little gully, leads from a park not far from the Wentworth Falls village centre, down to the falls. 'The swamps of Jamison Creek filter and clean the water that flows over Wentworth Falls, helping to protect rare species.'

Jamison Creek

Weeping Rock

You can see more photos of this walk on my earlier post. A little further than Weeping Rock, you reach a junction, with tracks to lookouts and the picnic ground. This is the starting point for other walks such as the National Pass walk.

        Walk info from Wild Walks                                 Location Map

Charles Darwin Walk heritage info

Sydney Excursion - Maritime Museum

Australian's National Maritime Museum, in Darling Harbour, has a large fleet of historic vessels, including a destroyer and a submarine, HMAS Onslow. The Oberon Class submarine was recently moved to dry dock for maintenance, and is due to return on 1st June.

 I especially enjoyed being able to go on board these vessels*, and hope to visit again and attend a guided tour with one of the volunteer guides. The museum website includes virtual tours of some of these exhibits.

The destroyer, HMAS Vampire was the last of Australia's "big gun ships" and is the museum's largest exhibit. It was built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyards and was commissioned in 1959.
The Navy last used Vampire as a training ship, and it was decommissioned in 1986.

The Maritime Museum also has permanent exhibitions, as well as special exhibitions indoors.





*Link to the Museum's admission details