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Tag: mining

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Burwood Beach Mining Heritage

Rusting Rail Wheels Buried in the Sand at Burwood Beach

Burwood Beach Mining Heritage

Located south of Merewether Ocean Baths, Burwood Beach is not only a great surfing beach, but has relics from the areas mining heritage.

There are several ways to get to the beach, each with its own benefits.

  1. The Yuelarbah Track, which winds down a Flaggy Creek, is a great hike in coastal eucalyptus forest.
  2. Hickson Street Lookout, which provides excellent views as you walk down to the beach
  3. From Merewether Baths for a walk along the beach without much up and down hill hiking.

We have walked all three and the Yuelarbah Track is the more interesting, because it winds through some beautiful bushland. However, it is also the most difficult, due to the track and need to walk back uphill when returning.

On our most recent trip we walked in from Merewether Baths, mainly because we hadn’t gone this way before. We found it to be a straightforward walk along the beach.

Several of the relics are located on the rock platforms, so the best time to visit is low tide. This ensures that you can see everything while remaining safe.

Railway Wheel on the Rock Platform

When walking from Merewether Baths at low tide, a railway wheel is visible on the rock platform. This relic is now covered in seaweed and shellfish, which have made it their home on.

  • Rusty Rail Wheel on the Rock Platform at Burwood Beach
    Rusty Rail Wheel on the Rock Platform at Burwood Beach
  • Marine Growth on a Railway Wheel Burwood Beach Mining Heritage
    Marine Growth on a Railway Wheel
  • Railway Wheel Covered in Marine Growth
    Railway Wheel Covered in Marine Growth
  • Railway Wheel Covered in Marine Growth
    Marine Growth Covered Railway Wheel at Low Tide

Railway Wheels in the Sand

Further along the beach are three rusty wheels buried in the sand, but partially exposed.

  • Rusting Rail Wheels Buried in the Sand at Burwood Beach
    Rusting Rail Wheels Buried in the Sand at Burwood Beach

Remains of the Burwood Beach Mining Heritage Rail Line

A rail line once ran along the dunes hauling coal to the copper smelter but is now decaying as nature reclaims it. Rusting rail lines and sleepers, now exposed in places where wind and rain have revealed them poke through the sand.

  • Rusted Railway Tracks Burwood Beach Mining Heritage
    Rusted Railway Tracks
  • Old Rusting Railway Tracks
    Old Rusting Railway Tracks

Rail Wheels in the Sand Dunes

Near the exposed rail lines are several railway wheels, which are abandoned and rusting in the dunes.

  • Rusty Rail Wheel in the Sand Dunes at Burwood Beach
    Rusty Rail Wheel in the Sand Dunes at Burwood Beach
  • Rusty Rail Wheel at Burwood Beach Burwood Beach Mining Heritage
    Rusty Rail Wheel at Burwood Beach

The Coal Seam

A reminder of the coal mined here exists in the cliff face, where the exposed coal seam contrasts with the lighter coloured rocks around it.

  • Exposed Coal Seam at Burwood Beach Burwood Beach Mining Heritage
    Exposed Coal Seam at Burwood Beach

What Did We Think?

We thought Burwood Beach was a relaxed place to visit, because of the few people there. The relics from the mining past were a great addition to the day, as they lie exposed and readily visible.

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Newcastle Museum New South Wales

Newcastle Tram 284

Newcastle Museum

Founded in 1988 and relocated to its current building in 2011, Newcastle Museum preserves the history of Newcastle. Situated in Honeysuckle and occupying old railway workshops, the museum opens Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Mondays, except in school holidays, the museum is a great place to visit There is no cost to visit the museum.

How To Get There

Car parks on Wright lane and Honeysuckle Drive provide a convenient place to leave the car. These are pay-for-use parks, with ticket machines to buy tickets from. IF you are using light rail, the closest station is Civic.

Newcastle Museum Displays

Outside Displays

Several of the Museum’s displays are located outside the main building. They are easy to find, one being a camel sculpture and another a huge dragline bucket. The building itself has historical importance, previously used as a railway workshop.

Camel Sculpture Outside the Museum
Camel Sculpture Outside the Museum

Link Gallery

Located between the old Boiler Shop and Erecting Shed, the Link Gallery holds some of the larger exhibits in the museum’s collection. These include “The Buck” an 1870 J&A Brown Locomotive No4 and the 1890 pipe organ formerly installed in St Augustine’s Church, Merewether.

The Buck an 0-6-0 Saddle Tank
The Buck an 0-6-0 Saddle Tank
The Buck an 0-6-0 Saddle Tank
The Buck an 0-6-0 Saddle Tank

Fire and Earth

Illustrating Newcastle’s industrial past, this gallery has exhibits from the old BHP Steel Works and coal mines. The multi-level displays allow you to view them from different angles and appreciate these industries and the people who worked them.

Coal Loader (Jeffrey 44dd)
Coal Loader (Jeffrey 44dd)

Supernova

Founded by Professor Tim Roberts in the late 1970s, Supernova is a hands-on science experience for kids and interested adults. This area explores different aspects of science, allowing you to experiment and understand them with easy activities. An excellent place to learn about science while having fun.

The Globe in Supernova
The Globe in Supernova

A Newcastle Story

This area of the museum explores how Newcastle changed over time, from the original Aboriginal inhabitants, to the World War 2 shelling by a Japanese submarine to the earthquake of 1989.

Dedicated to the George and Richard Owens Collection, one room is full of colourful boxes and containers. This beautiful collection shows how brands were sold and presented in the past.

Newcastle Tram 284
Newcastle Tram 284
George and Richard Owens Collection
George and Richard Owens Collection
World War One Uniforms Newcastle Museum
World War One Uniforms
Axe Heads and Hammer Stone
Axe Heads and Hammer Stone
Fossilized Backbone Newcastle Museum
Fossilized Backbone

Model T Ford

Illustrating a problem many museums have is a rusty Model T Ford. Should it be left as found, or restored to its original condition? Would restoring it destroy its history and possibly lose important data?

Model T Ford Newcastle Museum
Model T Ford

What Did We Think?

We were surprised by the quality of the exhibits and had a great walking through the galleries. Anyone visiting Newcastle should visit the museum to help appreciate the city’s past. Well worth the visit!

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.