The Floating Forest of Sydney

There are a lot of shipwrecks in Sydney's
Homebush Bay, near the Olympic village, but
none quite like the SS Ayrfield, also known as
"The Floating Forest" for the lush mangrove
vegetation that now covers its rusty hull.
The SS Ayrfield (originally launched as SS
Corrimal), was a collier ship built in England in
1911 and used by the Commonwealth
Government during World War II to transport
supplies to American troops in the Pacific. It was
sold in 1950 and operated as a collier on the
sixty-miler run between Newcastle and Sydney,
until 1972 when the ship's registration was
canceled and it was sent to its final resting
place, Homebush Bay.
Before the 2000 Olympic Games, this place was
a ship breaking zone, and the dozens of
shipwrecks that still remain here are a constant
reminder of its history. Some say there's a
certain creepiness about the Homebush Bay
ship graveyard, but that is lessened by the
unique look of the SS Ayrfield, which locals often
refer to as the Floating Forest. A bunch of full-
grown mangrove trees now call this rusty partly-
submerged piece of metal home, creating a new
and unique attraction that draws in
photographers from all over the world.