“Shipwreck” well, it sounds too scary and spooky isn’t it? But on my tip to this shipwreck strangely I didn’t find anything spooky but it was the other way around, it was magnificent. Yes, the ruins of the ship SS Ayrfield have such an immense beauty. It looks like it’s a floating forest. It is located in Australia. There are a number of shipwrecks in Sydney’s Home bush Bay, which is near the Olympic village, but none of it is quite like the SS Ayrfield, as mentioned it is also known as “The Floating Forest” as the blossoming mangrove vegetation that is dense and it is stuck in the calm waters now covers its rusty hull.
The SS Ayrfield (originally launched as SS Corrimal), was a collier ship which was built in England in 1911 and was made use by the Commonwealth Government at the time of World War II to transfer supplies to American troops which were in the Pacific. It was traded in the year 1950 and was operated as a collier on the sixty-miler run involving Newcastle and Sydney, till 1972 when the ship was sent to its final destination or resting place at the Homebush bay when the registration was canceled. The hull is situated at the mouth of Haslams creek which is close to the Bennelong parkway. On my Trip to SS Ayrfield, I also found that prior to the Olympics in 2000 this place was made the breaking area and many shipwrecks which are still present constantly remind the history. As it is a ruin there are some people who say theta there is something creepy about this place but the localities refer to it as the Floating Forest. As the ship is floating in the water there is an abundance of mangrove trees on the ship which makes the ship a touristy attraction and most of the photographers from all over the world come here to capture the beauty.
If you are a person who gets excited to see places that are old, and antique this place homebush bay is the place to visit. It also has some peculiar birds that can be found at this place. The calm waters with greenery and the sweet chirps of the birds make the place more pleasing. The homebush bay is a hub for the Olympic stadium today though the ship is sometimes called spooky and with the history. Most of the people are drawn to the attractiveness of the ship alone and they travel so far just for a glance of it.
From my experience of Trip to SS Ayrfield the homebush bay the path to get there is from the From Bennelong Parkway through the homebush bay drive moving to Australia Ave, crossing the Bicentennial Park main entrance, take a right at Bennelong Parkway, go behind the signs to the Archery Centre turning right and over a little road bridge, the parking is to your left opposite the public housing block at the corner at Wentworth Point. After crossing the road, follow the footpath (that is on the left of the apartment block), this will take you to the water’s edge, on your right you will notice a white footbridge and the astonishing SS Ayrfield floating on the water in the midst of the mangroves.
The east lying position of the SS Ayrfield makes it special and the best tourist attraction which the photographers want to capture. At the sunset and the sunrise when the light is present at the backdrop the exquisiteness of the ship comes alive it no more looks like a ruin or a wrecked ship.