Lithgow is located about a two hour drive north-west of Sydney in New South Wales' Blue Mountains. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory there has been making weapons for Australians since 1912.

It's best known products are the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (or SMLE 'Smelly'), Bren light machine gun, SLR (Self Loading Rifle) and Austeyr bullpup-style personal weapon for the Army. It has also produced many fine sporting rifles and firearms over its history.

Non-firearm products have included golf club heads, sewing machines, tools and replacement tread-links for Army tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

The museum, on the factory site, is a tribute to the people and the works that have done so much for the country and its armed forces. Apart from the detailed and informative displays showing what life was like working at the factory and how its various products were made, the museum houses an astonishing collection of firearms of all types. There are several rooms quite full of handguns, machine guns, rocket launchers etc. It is almost as if the Factory was required to get a sample of every type of gun available to assist in their own design and production.

There are also detailed displays of the specific guns Lithgow Small Arms Factory is famous for, Particularly the Lee Enfield and the SLR. It's an interesting glimpse into a world that not many of us come into contact with and well worth a visit.

Image Gallery

To see a photo gallery of the pics I took while I was there in 2014, click on the picture below.