SASMEE PARK: An Adelaide Hidden Gem

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The South Australian Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (SASMEE) runs a variety of ride-on model steam trains at their SASMEE PARK site at Millswood, Adelaide, South Australia. I used to visit the site as a teenager, and had not been back to the park for over 40 years until I visited again with my niece, her husband, and two children, in August 2010.

As a teenager I loved to examine the beautiful steam-powered model ships, and stunning steam trains, each loving built by skilled engineers and craftsmen whose attention to detail and pride in their work was clearly evident.

First incorporated in 1927, the Society began developing the Millswood site in 1947, and have been adding to and extending the tracks and facilities ever since. The site includes a large boiler house containing various historical exhibits, the oldest of which dates back to the 1880s.

Click map to view full size

Entirely volunteer run, the park is open to the public on the first Sunday and third Saturday of each month - weather permitting - from 2 to 4.30pm.

With an entry price of just $5 for adults and $3 for children, SASMEE PARK is one of my Adelaide 'Hidden Gems'. Once inside the site, children and adults can ride the trains as often as they like for no additional cost. There is also a large pond on site where SASMEE members and members of the public can sail model boats (some steam powered).

As you can imagine, the site is very popular with children of all ages, and because of the range of facilities and activities on offer, SASMEE PARK is the perfect place to hold birthday parties for any number of children.

Unfortunately, on the day I visited with family members, it was overcast and soon started raining, which cut our visit short, which is why in the video below you only see the steam trains, and none of the other facilities – although you can catch glimpses of the site as the video progresses. I will return to the park over the summer to shoot more footage of the whole site and add that to an updated post in due course.

Check the SASMEE website for full details about the park.

Note: Enclosed footwear *must* be worn if you wish to ride on the trains. You cannot wear light, flimsy or open-toed footwear. This includes thongs (flip-flops), sandals and scuffs.

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Newtown Creek Tour

Newtown Creek barges © Bernie Ente

The recent Circumnavigate Staten Island tour was completely sold out, and the next Working Harbor tour is sure to do the same, if only because the two hour tour of Brooklyn’s Newtown Creek is an incredible bargain at just $10.

The good news gets better because not one, but two tours of Newtown Creek are being conducted on the same day, so you have two chances of securing a place on these popular tours. Here are the details:

When: Sunday, 23 October, 2011

What: Two Cruises – 10:00 am to 12:00 noon; and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Where: Departs from Pier 17, South Street Seaport at the foot of Fulton Street, Downtown Manhattan 

Getting There

Take the A C J Z 2 3 4 or 5 Train to Fulton Street and walk east to Pier 17

Souvenir Tour Brochure with historical information and vintage maps.

The cruise takes place rain or shine. 

Purchase tickets here... 

The Newtown Creek tour is organised by the Working Harbor Committee and the Newtown Creek Alliance. 

The low $10 price is made possible by funding from the NewYork City Environmental Fund (NYCEF) for Newtown Creek, which in turn is part of the Hudson River Foundation. 

To stay informed about upcoming Hidden Harbor Tours bookmark the Working Harbor website…

Newark Bay, Hidden Harbor Tour

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It is with a real sense of déjà vu that I write this today, because it is almost exactly a year ago that I took part in one of the New York Working Harbor Committee’s ‘Hidden Harbor’ tours along the Brooklyn waterfront. I wrote about this trip in a previous post so I won’t repeat myself too much here.

With regard to New York City’s harbor, the Working Harbor Committee (WHC) exists to “…strengthen awareness of the working harbor's history and vitality today, and its opportunities for the future, by:
· Involving people in learning how the harbor works and what it does;
· Educating people in the rich and challenging history of the harbor;
· Making people aware of the need to build and sustain the working harbor.”
(Source: Working Harbor Committee…)

To this end, the WHC arranges a series of tours, dubbed ‘Hidden Harbor Tours’ throughout the warmer months of the year – typically from May to October. Tours always have guest speakers and commentary from knowledgeable experts who have worked extensively on New York harbor, all of whom are able to shed extra insights into the history and hidden secrets of the areas you cruise through.

As I am on the WHC’s mailing list, I get regular monthly updates and reminders about upcoming tours and events. Reminders that only serve to make me miss New York City and its magnificent harbor even more, now that I am ten thousand miles away in Australia. Even more so, as I shiver through a freezing Adelaide winter, and think about the heat and humidity of a New York summer.

Although the next Hidden Harbor Tour is tomorrow (July 12), and therefore almost certainly too late for anyone reading this to take advantage of, there are several more tours scheduled for the remainder of the year, and I thought they were worth bringing to your attention if you were going to be in New York City between now and the end of October.

Tuesday, 12 July - Newark Bay Tour
Special Guest Speaker: Lucy Ambrosino-Marchak, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Lucy Ambrosino is the Manager of Outreach for the Port Commerce Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she has been since 1990.

Departs from Pier 16 at 6:15pm (at the end of Fulton Street, South Street Seaport).

This tour passes by the Red Hook Container Terminal and visits Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs before crossing the harbor toward Staten Island. It then enters Kill Van Kull, the area's busiest waterway dividing Staten Island and Bayonne, passing tug yards, oil docks and marine repair facilities. It then passes under the Bayonne Bridge and visits the giant container ports of Newark Bay, Port Newark and Port Elizabeth where the world's largest container ships tie up. On the way back, we pass by Military Ocean Terminal, the 9/11 Teardrop Memorial, the Robbin's Reef Lighthouse and another container port, ending up at sunset at the Statue of Liberty for a moment before returning to Pier 16.

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Tuesday, 26 July - Brooklyn Tour
Special Guest Speaker: Dan Wiley. Dan is a Community Coordinator to Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez in southwest Brooklyn. Working in the Congressional office since 2000, he has coordinated planning projects and initiatives spanning waterfront communities from the Brooklyn Navy Yard and downtown Brooklyn southwest to Red Hook, Gowanus and Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Departs from Pier 16 at 6:15pm (at the end of Fulton Street, South Street Seaport).

This tours goes north (actually east) on the East River to the former Brooklyn Navy Yard, passing under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The Navy Yard has three large graving docks and an active shipyard, as well as the home port of FDNY's fireboat division. We then travel south along the Brooklyn waterfront, passing the new Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Red Hook Container Terminal, Atlantic Basin, and Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs. We continue into Gowanus Bay and along the Sunset Park waterfront, home of the former large Bush Terminals. We then cross over to the Statue of Liberty at sunset for a moment before returning to Pier 16.

Click Here to book for both tours… 

Price for both tours:
Adult; $29.00
Child: $15.00
Senior: $22.00
WHC Member: $22.00 (Working Harbor Committee members)
Intrepid Member: $22.00 (Intrepid Sea*Air*Space Museum members)

There are many more tours in August, September and October, so make sure you check the full list at the Working Harbor Committee (WHC) website.

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Dolphin Cruising at Port Adelaide

~ Port Adelaide is a seaport city, well known for its maritime heritage. Less than a 30 minute drive from Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, it’s also one of Adelaide’s most popular tourist destinations, with many attractions to offer its visitors – wild dolphins being one of those attractions. 

In fact, the Port River is home to around 30 Bottlenose dolphins, making it one of only two places in the world with permanent dolphin pods.

There are two passenger craft offering dolphin cruises on the Port River, the Port Princess Dolphin Cruise..., and the Port River Dolphin Explorer Cruise... 

While there is no guarantee you will see dolphins on your cruise, it is very rare for them not to make an appearance. Whether they are to be seen or not, there is still plenty to take in and enjoy as the each boat cruises the smooth waters of the Port River: the submarine base; old quarantine station; Torrens Island Power Station; pelicans and mangroves, and of course merchant ships entering or leaving harbour.

Both craft operate every Sunday and Monday public holidays, with dolphin cruises varying between 90 minutes and 2 hours each. The cost for the cruise on both boats is only $4 per person. If you prefer, you can also enjoy the cruise and a meal for just $14 per person. On the Dolphin Explorer children can get a meal and cruise combo for just $12.00.

Either way, the Port Princess Dolphin Cruise..., and the Port River Dolphin Explorer Cruise... are among the cheapest boat cruises I know of, and that makes both of them Compleat Traveller Hidden Gems.

More information including downloadable brochures available from Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre...

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Updated: May 23, 2017. 

Sad to report that one of the cruise boats mentioned in this post, the Port Princess no longer operates its long-standing schedule of dolphin cruises out of Port Adelaide. Even more distressing is the report that the Port Princess was recently sold to a buyer in another state and that while on its way to its new base it ran into mechanical problems and was eventually swamped and sank at sea.

Thankfully, after they issued a May Day call for assistance, the former owner along with the new owner (as well as two other crew members) were rescued by another vessel that went to their aid.

Below is a screen grab from part of a press report on the sinking. 

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 Below: One of four people rescued off Port Macdonnell after the Port Princess started taking on water. Picture: Simon Cross.

Hidden Gems: The New York Pass

~ While writing yesterday’s entry, I remembered one of the best money saving Hidden Gems of my New York visit. The New York Pass. Since many readers may already be planning a Spring visit to the Big Apple, I thought I might as well write about the Pass today.

If you are planning a trip to New York City, and want to get the most value for money out of your stay, you must get a New York Pass – especially if visiting the host of stunning attractions scattered around the city is high on your list.

The New York Pass is the size of a credit card, and comes with a handy pocket sized, full colour booklet containing details of virtually every major attraction, and then some, in New York City (and that includes all five boroughs, not just in Manhattan.

Seriously, if there is one purchase you should make before you travel to New York, the New York Pass is it.

Don’t worry, it won’t go out of date. The time limit on the Pass begins the moment you use it for the first time. When I bought mine, I held onto it for almost two weeks before I started to utilise it. However, you must remember this (a kiss is not a kiss… sorry, I couldn’t help myself); you need to know that once you have used the New York Pass for the first time, you then have to use it within the allocated time period of the Pass.

For example; if you purchase a 3 Day Pass, you must use it over three consecutive days. So, even if you are going to be in New York for five days, you can’t use the Pass on say, Monday, Tuesday, and then again on Friday. It will no longer be valid by Friday. If you start using the New York Pass on a Monday, you will have to use it over the next two days – Tuesday and Wednesday – as well.

However, that is virtually the only restriction the Pass comes with.

Click the image below to find out more and order your New York Pass - or keep reading to see a partial list of what is on offer.

The list of attractions the New York Pass includes presents unbeatable value if you use it to its full potential. Here are just a few of them:

• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
• Empire State Building
• Guggenheim Museum
• Sports Museum of America
• Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Bodies…The Exhibition

“What about the kids,” I hear you ask.

Well, I’m glad you did, because with a New York Pass you gain entry to…

• Madame Tussaud's
• The New York Skyride
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
• Four zoos: the Bronx, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos
• Brooklyn Children's Museum
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
• Staten Island Children's Museum

And much more.

If you are interested in the arts, the New York Pass is perfect:

• Bronx Museum of the Arts
• Carnegie Hall Tours
• Tour at Lincoln Center
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• Queens Museum of Art
• Whitney Museum of American Art
• … and as already noted above…
• The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art

And still the list goes on.

Remember: purchasing a New York Pass means you have already paid admission fees to all the above places of interest as well as many others. It also means that since you have the Pass, in many cases you get to go to the head of the queue, since you don’t need to line up for entry tickets.

In addition to the above (and many others I haven’t mentioned), you are also entitled to money saving discounts on a host of items at other participating outlets.

Believe me, if you can’t find something for everyone in the New York Pass booklet – I’ll eat my hat!

This is truly one of the best value Hidden Gems of my overseas trip. Click on the image below to find out more. You’ll be glad you did.

Statue of Liberty: Get the full experience

~ This is an extended review of an earlier one I posted to the Trip Adviser web site on April 28, 2008.

Five weeks into my New York stay, I finally got around to visiting the Statue of Liberty. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to see it – up close and personal, like. But one of the benefits of staying in one location for an extended period of time, is the ability to eliminate the need to rush. It is a luxury few people seem to give themselves when they travel, and I had decided to give myself that very luxury during my New York City visit.

So after a couple of false starts (one due to rain, and the other due to the long lines of people queuing up to board the boats ferrying visitors out to Liberty Island and Ellis Island), I made an early start from my base at the Greenpoint, Brooklyn YMCA, and joined the relatively short queue at the foot of Manhattan.

Unfortunately, I and about 80% of the other visitors who visit the Statue of Liberty were not able to enter the base of the monument where an exhibition area is located. Nor were we able to go up to the Observatory, some 10 floors above ground level, to take in the views. Heck, we couldn’t even get to the lower promenade onto the remains of Fort Wood, upon which the Statue Of Liberty stands. Oh, and don’t even think about climbing to the very top of the Statue. Nobody gets to do that anymore.

Apart from the obvious security issues, I understand it’s because they just can’t accommodate the huge numbers of people who visit the monument each year. However, they can find room for some of the four million visitors, so the trick is to find out how you can become one of those select few.

According to the visitors guide, which you can pick up from the information kiosks on the island, you must have something called a “time pass” to enter the monument (it’s amazing what you can find out once it’s too late to do anything about it).

Quoting from the brochure: “Time passes include a ranger-led program, viewing the statue’s interior and other public areas, and visiting the Statue of Liberty exhibit and original torch.”

They then go on to write: “You can obtain time passes with the advance purchase of ferry tickets (at) 1-866-STATUE4 or online at Statue Reservations. A limited number of time passes are available each day at no charge to walkins at the ferry ticket offices.”

If you are lucky enough to secure one of these ‘time passes’, you have now scored yourself a
‘reservation’. A reservation means that you don’t have to queue up with the hundreds of other tickets holders who have to wait for up to 90 minutes or more, to board a ferry to Liberty Island. There is a separate (much shorter) line for holders of these reservations.

Now that you know – plan your visit to the Statue Of Liberty accordingly.

For those visitors who don’t get a time pass, a trip out to the Statue Of Liberty is still one of the ‘must see’ locations on any New York stop. Exhibit panels around the island have orientation and historical information on the Statue Of Liberty. National Park Rangers conduct guided tours throughout the day, and you can also make use of the self-guided audio tours that are available.

Apart from all that, it is just such a monumental structure to begin with, that you really must see it up close to appreciate the scale and size of the thing. And to think, initially the powers that be didn’t want the statue, even though it was being given to the United States as a gift.

If you have time, try and watch the short History Channel film about the making of the Statue which is screened continuously at the monument. Or do your own research before you go, by visiting the official Statue of Liberty web site here, where you will get the latest, up-to-date information.

By the way, Ellis Island is considered to be part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, and your ticket gives you the opportunity to visit that location as well, although if you are pressed for time, you could simply stay on the ferry and return to Manhattan.

I will write about Ellis Island in a forthcoming entry.

Oh, and finally, my ticket to the Statue of Liberty National Monument came as part of the price I paid for a New York Pass - which I will also write about soon. In the meantime, just click on the image below to check out the New York Pass for yourself.