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Explored Visions by GD

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Gundaroo, NSW
Explored Visions by GD

My passion is exploring Australia, finding the long-forgotten or unusual places and capturing images before they disappear.

Abandoned buildings, bridges, road & rail are my favourites. I also enjoy sharing photos of the local villages and towns I visit.

08/08/2026

St Mary’s Cathedral Bell Chamber - Sydney NSW
Back in 2013, I was part of a small group who had a private tour of the Central Tower at St Mary’s Cathedral, which included viewing and listening to the ringing of the peal of bells performed by the change-ringers. To access the tower, we had to enter from the eastern side of the cathedral, climb a narrow and steep spiral stone stairway, then walk across part of the Cathedral roof to enter the bell chamber.
This gave me the opportunity to capture some rarely seen aspects of the Cathedral from the roof of the Central Tower.
There have been three separate rings of bells at the cathedral, all cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London, the earliest dating from 1843 and installed in a wooden campanile located away from the main building of the original Cathedral.
One hundred and forty years later, an entirely new ring was ordered, which was installed in 1986. Today, the Central Tower houses a ring of twelve bells, plus two additional bells which allow alternative groups of bells to be rung, depending on the number and skill of the ringers available.
Work of the original church on this site began in 1821 as a simple stone structure in cruciform shape with modifications in 1851. That church was destroyed by a fire in 1865. A temporary wooden church was constructed, which was also destroyed by fire in the summer of 1869.
Archbishop Polding laid the foundation stone for the present Cathedral in 1868. Stage one was completed in 1882 when Archbishop Vaughan gave the peal of bells, which were rung for the first time on that day.
It wasn’t until 1913 when Archbishop Kelly laid the foundation stone for the nave of the Cathedral. In 1928, Archbishop Kelly dedicated the nave in time for the commencement of the 29th International Eucharistic Congress. A slight difference of colour and texture of the sandstone on the internal walls marks the division between the first and second stage of building.
For many years the front towers had a squared-off appearance, as the spires were never built to William Wardell’s original plans. With the assistance of a grant from the Government to mark the new millennium, the spires were eventually built in 2000.
St Mary’s Cathedral is in an imposing position in the city, overlooking Hyde Park to the West and the Harbour to the east.

01/08/2026

“Woodside” – Murrumbateman, NSW.
This old home was built from thick vertical hardwood slab walls with a shingled roof. The interior walls were lined with newspapers, which helped to date the house to c1850. The ceilings were lined with hessian. A heritage report indicates the home was built by David Webster, but as he was only 13 at the time, it’s more likely he acquired the home and property in the 1860s when he married Janet Vallance.
A later addition in a similar construction method at the rear of the building houses the kitchen wing.
Woodside remained in the Webster family until it was bought by Gordon McClung in 1949. Since that time, some of the exterior walls have been clad in fibro sheets and corrugated iron roofing covers the shingles.
It’s great to see a timber house that’s over 175 years old still standing.

26/07/2026

A Foggy Morning in Gundaroo, NSW.
A visit to this beautifully preserved 19th-century riverside village in the Yass Valley feels like stepping back in time. The village of Gundaroo was surveyed in 1847 and proclaimed in 1848. The first land sale of allotments in the village was held at Queanbeyan in 1849. The first houses, including Wishart's flour mill, were built before 1855. Gundaroo is an important example of a typical 19th century Australian village and is classified by the National Trust and has become a significant tourist attraction for the area.
I was in the village quite early on a winter’s day, before most people were about. The thick fog added to the ambiance and made for some interesting photography.

25/07/2026

Gundaroo, NSW.
While researching the buildings of Gundaroo after my recent visit, I came across this great old photo of the former Royal Hotel. I happened to have a photo from the same angle, so I've joined them for a 'then and now' comparison.
The old hotel is now the home of Grazing Restaurant.
More photos of Gundaroo coming soon :)

1975 photo from Canberra Historical Society
2026 photo by Greg Davis.

14/07/2026

Former St Columba’s Catholic Church - Bowning, NSW.
Fundraising for the church began in around 1907 and architect Mr William Monks, of Wagga Wagga, was appointed to prepare plans for the new church.
The foundation stone was stone laid in October 1909 by Bishop J Gallagher, and the church officially opened in April 1910.
The church was built from local bluestone by Messrs King and Armstrong and includes a sanctuary, sacristy and porch. I noticed the unusual inclusion of a chimney to the sacristy – it must get really cold there!
As the congregation diminished in size, services were held less often and then church eventually closed, with the last service held in June 2003.
The property was sold later that year and has remained unused since that time.

13/07/2026

My first roadtrip for about 15 months!
Even though I've been posting semi-regularly to my page, it's mostly been content 'from the archives' due to some health issues and other life distractions.
Last weekend I ventured down towards Yass and Wee Jasper with my mate Tony. It was an early start and quite cold - it was only 2 degrees and very foggy when we reached the first stop at Gundaroo, where I captured this scene of cows walking towards the old iron cottage in the paddock.
Stay tuned for more photos and history as I get back in the swing of things :)

19/06/2026

Abandoned Anna Bay Resort
As you head into Anna Bay, north of Newcastle NSW, you are greeted with what the locals consider an eyesore, in the form of a resort which never made it to completion.
Original plans for the site included a four-star resort with 154 rooms, a 500-seat function centre, a restaurant, a main bar, tennis courts and a swimming pool.
The $50 million project commenced in 2011, but within a couple of years it was in the hands of receivers, work had stopped and the partly completed buildings were being swallowed by the sand dunes of Birubi Beach.
The site sold in 2016 to another developer who also struggled with limited funds and the project remained in an unfinished, derelict state.
A new developer acquired the site in September 2025 and as of December of that year, they started cleaning up the site ready for the new accommodation buildings.
The reception area and restaurant, which are partially built, although vandalised, will be completed as part of the new resort.
Let’s hope it’s third time lucky for this developer. The local residents will also be keen to see the area transformed from the derelict wasteland to a 5 star resort.
These photos were taken in February 2023.

31/03/2026

Former Halvorsen’s Boat Yard – Putney/Ryde NSW.
Putney is part of the traditional land of the Wallumedegal people, which they called Wallumetta. The Wallumedegal, an Eora clan, were among the first groups to have contact with the Europeans after their arrival in 1788.
The site of the former Halvorsen Boat Yard was part of a land grant acquired by James Squire in c1795. James Squire arrived in Sydney on the first fleet and later pardoned. He began to cultivate his land to grow hops, corn and barley. Squire’s site is where beer was first commercially made and had the first commercial brewing licence. By 1798, he had built the Malting Shovel Inn on the site next to his brewery. A large wharf was erected in 1804, which was a convenient halfway point for travellers sailing between Sydney and Parramatta.
The subject property remained in the Squire family until the 1930s, when it was sold to Halvorsen Son Pty Ltd. The Halvorsen boatbuilding tradition began with Norwegian-born Lars Halvorsen who arrived in Sydney in 1925. He had five sons and two daughters. He began boatbuilding at Drummoyne and then at Neutral Bay. He died in 1936. The business was carried on by his sons who, in 1937, bought the two hectares of land at Putney.
Harold Halvorsen drew the plans for the new factory in 1941 and his father in law, Arthur Langham was the builder. The factory was building boats as soon as the roof was installed in 1942. The complex included a timber wharf, concrete slipways, a boatshed, and associated buildings.
Halverson Sons Pty Ltd was commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy to commence building vessels for service in World War II. After the war ended, the business focused on building pleasure craft and working boats.
In 1980, Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd sold the property to the Commonwealth of Australia and it was converted to a repair facility for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Part of the works included addition of mooring facilities on the Halvorsen’s wharf and some dredging of slipways. The site was owned by the Commonwealth until 1989, when it was sold to Australia Defence Industries Pty Ltd; however, the RAN continued to use the site as a marine service facility. In 1998 naval operations had ceased at the premises and it was sold to a private company, Lilac Pty Ltd, and renamed Putney Marina. It continued to be used for boat storage and repair purposes and leased out to individuals and small companies.
In 2024, it was announced that the Halvorsen site would be transformed into a luxury waterfront residential complex, with the boat shed being transformed into 19 apartments, construction of 18 townhouses and a three story building with 30 apartments.
Building work has commenced on the site.
(Photos taken in 2018)

21/03/2026

Victoria Pass – Mt Victoria, NSW
Victoria Pass has been in the news a lot lately, as the roadway above is showing signs of breaking up, causing its closure for at least the next few months while repair works are planned. Traffic is now diverted through Bell and Lithgow.
I took these photos in 2014 while exploring Berghofer’s Pass, to the north of Victoria Pass.
Victoria Pass is one of the oldest and most significant engineered works in Australia still in use today. Halfway down the descent of the pass is an elevated embankment between parallel stone walls. It is this ‘Causeway’, sometimes mistakenly referred to as Mitchell’s Bridge and the retaining walls leading up to it, that are perhaps one of Australia’s finest examples of early colonial road engineering. Construction began in 1830 using convict labour to surmount a difficult decent off the ridge of the mountains. The Pass opened for use in 1832, although it was a few more years before it was fully completed.

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