The Paddington Reservoir Gardens are a hidden gem in the middle of Sydney. You will find them next to the Paddington Town Hall on Oxford Street. Well sign posted they are difficult to miss. We caught the number 440 bus from Central Station and got off near Town Hall, making it an easy trip.
Previously a major water reservoir for the area they fell into disrepair after being superseded. With the roof now mostly gone the interior and support columns are visible, providing a unique setting. With the previously underground reservoir now exposed, it has been turned into an amazing sunken garden. Stairs and walkways provide access to the lower section.
Wandering around the lower section is surreal, because of the structures surrounding you. The archways appear to be from an ancient ruin overgrown by the gardens. Cleverly designed modern stairways and viewing platforms blend in with the older construction.
Looking Down From the Street
Paddington Reservoir Gardens
Columns and Archways
Columns and Archways
The Gardens
The Gardens
Columns and Archways
Looking Down From the Street
What Did We Think?
A fantastic spot to visit and something different to the usual garden and attractions. Very peaceful with a surreal atmosphere in the centre of the city.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Located in the Wollemi National Park the Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk takes you through the decaying ruins of a once thriving shale oil processing plant. Established in 1902 and closed in 1932 due to the availability of cheaper crude oil, all that remain are decaying buildings and processing plant.
Getting There
The drive from Lithgow to the ruins takes a little over an hour. Road quality varies from excellent sealed road, narrow winding road down to the Wolgan Valley and dirt road for the final 12km. The views from the road as you descend from the top are amazing but, unfortunately there are few spots to stop and take advantage of them.
If your car is a two-wheel drive, it must be left just past the Newnes kiosk, as the creek crossing is passable by four-wheel drives only. Stepping stones allow hikers to cross the Wolgan River and continue to the start of the walk. Allow an additional 30 minutes if you have to hike the extra distance. It is flat and well graded, so an easy walk.
Stepping Stones Over the Wolgan River
The Walk
A locked gate is at the start of the walk along with a detailed map
of the industrial ruins. The first ruins are the most interesting, a row of
brick bee hive kilns. There are still 13 kilns in good condition with the other
80 odd kilns in various states of decay.
Also in the area are the remains of retaining walls and ruined
buildings. It takes about two hours to walk around and take in the atmosphere
of the place.
Bee Hive KilnBee Hive Kilns
What Did We Think?
A totally different type of walk in the Wollemi National Park. Who would expect to find industrial ruins here? The beehive kilns are something unique and worth seeing in themselves. Even the narrow winding road in and the dirt road add to the experience of being here.
If time had permitted, this would be a great place to stay overnight and enjoy the national park for a bit longer.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
The train to Luxembourg leaves from Brussels Central hourly and takes about three hours fifteen minutes. Tickets are purchased on the day of travel from the ticket office and cost us 25 Euros each. The staff were friendly and told us what times the train was leaving and from which platform. Luxembourg Central Station is located away from the old part of town we wished to visit, but there is a taxi rank next to the entrance and for ten Euros we were taken to the central square (Place Guillaume II) near the Ducal Palace.
Train Brussels to Luxembourg
What Did We Do in Luxembourg?
Located around the square are many coffee shops. After a long train trip a coffee was in order along with cake for a morning snack.
Walk Around Luxembourg
After refuelling, we walked to the Ducal Palace. This is quite an impressive building. After admiring the outside and taking some photos we moved on to the main attraction, the city walls (Casemates du Block). Large sections are still largely intact and their sheer size is impressive. We spent a lot of time walking around the battlements, as there are many lookouts where you get alternate views.
The Ducal Palace in Luxembourg
Luxembourg Casements du Block
Luxembourg Casements du Block
From the Casements, we walked along Chemin de la Corniche. This walkway gives fantastic views over the city, particularly St Jean du Grand monastery. The walk is nice and easy with some lovely spots to stop and take in the fantastic views.
View From Chemin de la Corniche
View From Chemin de la Corniche
Luxembourg St Jean du Grand monastery
Our walk took us to the Monument du Souvenir, Luxembourg’s War Memorial. From here there are more views of the Casements and restaurants. We stopped here for lunch.
Walking back into the city we stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Far smaller and intimate than many of the cathedrals we had already seen, it had a charming appeal.
Luxembourg Notre Dame Cathedral
The last stop was the Monument National de la Solidarite, Luxembourg’s Monument to the victims of World War II.
Monument National de la Solidarite
This wrapped up our day trip to Luxembourg. We caught a taxi back to the Central Station for the three-hour trip back to Brussels.
What Did We Think
Something a little different to the other cities we visited. With much of the walled fortifications still visible, the old city is confined in a small area. We enjoyed walking between everything with no real traffic to contend with. Total walking time around the city was under and hour, even though we spent most of the day there.
Getting there was easy. The train journey was comfortable, even if it was long. Leaving early and spending the whole day there meant we did not really lose much of the day.
Overall a great day to see something that little bit different.
