Goat Island, west of the Harbour Bridge, was once the fledgling colony's gunpowder store and the source of the sandstone used in some of Sydney's finest buildings. This 13 hectare island was also the headquarters for the Sydney Water Police who kept an eye out for smugglers and escaped convicts.
Quarried by convict labour, the stone was also used in the island's own structures, including the superb magazine with walls so thick the temperature inside remains steady, whatever the season. Grisly relics of Goat Island's convict origins remain, including a seat carved out of stone by Charles Anderson, who was sentenced to be tied to the rock for two years. Scratchings made in the guardhouse by bored sentries are also in excellent conditions.
A number of tours of the island are available including: Goat Island Heritage Tour - Wednesday at 12.45pm to 3.13pm Saturday at 12.45pm to 3.30pm. Goat Gruesome - Saturday at 5.45pm to 9.30pm (EST), 6.45pm to 10.30pm (during daylight saving) Picnic Day - Sunday at 11.30am to 3.00pm.
Purchase this DVD that captures the sweeping contrasts of New South Wales. Includes footage of the Great Dividing Range to Bathurst, Goulburn and Albury, through the rich grazing lands.
Marvel at Dubbo's Western Plain Zoo and discover the rare opal at Lightning Ridge. Explore the Ghost Towns and outback city of Broken Hill and admire the splendour of the Menindee Lakes in the Kinchega National Park.
Investigate the Minnamurra Rainforest and enjoy the waterfalls of the Illawarra Plateau. Explore the snowfields of the Snowy Mountains, Mt Kosciusko and traverse the Murray River from the Alpine headwaters to Lake Hume. Moving on to the Southern Coast of New South Wales and the panoramic vistas's of Jervis Bay, the famous Blow Hole at Kiama and north to Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay.
PLEASE NOTE: The New South Wales travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for New South Wales Holidays can be found on the main New South Wales Holidays location guide.
