The Homebush Bay brick barges were everyday lighters and small barges used to transport bricks and other materials from the NSW State Brickworks at Homebush across the bay and around Sydney’s harbour. They formed an essential link between the brickworks’ waterfront jetties and building sites throughout the city.

As the brickworks declined and the bay’s industrial era came to an end, several barges and lighters were abandoned or intentionally grounded. Today, their hulks, some still with a cargo of bricks, remain among the shipwrecks and industrial remnants visible in Homebush Bay. They serve as a reminder of the area’s manufacturing history and its changing shoreline.