Ship From 1911, That Even Served in WWII, Was Overtaken by Nature, Becoming a Floating Forest

While the SS Ayrfield was once a proud steam cargo ship, even used in World War II, its decaying shipwreck now stands as the famous Floating Forest of Homebush Bay.

The Floating Forest is one of Homebush Bay’s signature landmarks. Image credit: Marc Dalmulder
Homebush Bay is located on the south bank of the Parramatta River, in Sydney, Australia. The Bay and its surrounding became a huge industrial area in the 20th century, which resulted in massive land reclamation. As the industrial activities had scaled down, the Bay became a dumping ground for waste, broken-up ships, and toxic industrial waste.

During the industrial golden age of Homebush Bay, Union Carbide manufactured chemicals there, including Agent Orange, which became well known during the Vietnam war. Not surprisingly, the Bay became heavily contaminated with dioxin and other chemicals during those times. So much so, that at the time, a fishing ban had to be introduced in most of Sydney Harbor.