Australia has a number of disused military forts, armament depot and bunkers scattered along its expansive coastline and further inland. Imagine discovering that a handful of these are close to where you live and that they are easily accessed if you know how. There’s no doubt that you are likely near a few!
Last year we visited Middle Head Fortifications and Bare Island which sparked our curiosity about the local military history. We have since discovered that there is an underground bunker in Bankstown (but haven’t figured out how to access it – any ideas?) and recently learned that Newington was used as one of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Armament Depots up until the Sydney Olympics. Of course we had to visit.
The Newington Armory, formerly the Royal Australian Naval Armament Depot (RANAD), is within the expanse of Sydney Olympic Park. It’s European history starts back in 1807 when the Blaxland Family were provided a colonial land grant. It was, and still is, the traditional lands of the Wann clan, known as the Wann-gal. By 1897 the RANAD started operation and by the mid 1990s it covered over 250 hectares. By this time the site had expanded to feature 185 buildings, a wharf and a narrow gauge 2 ft (610 mm) electric railway.
With the Sydney Olympics looming, the state government decided to redevelop the land and transform it into the Olympics Athlete’s Village and the suburb of Newington. The Navy vacated the land in December 1999. With the Olympics over, the site now features over 100 heritage buildings on 52 hectares. We recently discovered that you can book a Heritage Train ride around the historic buildings and just knew we had to go.
Arriving bright and early on a Sunday morning we were able to purchase a family ticket for the 9.30 am tour for $45.00. We were reminded (as you will see on the website) that the tour is not recommended for young children. The guide suggested 10 years and over as it runs for 75 minutes and talks in depth about the history of the site. Our kids usually enjoy tours so we took the gamble and decided to see how they went.
Whilst the train ride does last for 75 minutes it does include a stop at Building 39 which houses an armament exhibition. The exhibition features an array of ammunition, bombs and missile replicas. It’s incredibly fascinating and the highlight of the trip. It is only accessible via a tour.
Interested in taking the Heritage Railway Discovery Tour? Tours are available every Sunday from 9.30 am-10.45 am. Bookings are essential. Full details can be found by heading to the tour website here.
