THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 1 | October 2014
LIFESTYLE & TRAVEL
19
OUT ‘N BACK
Two fishermen enjoy the sunset with Anzac Bridge in the background
Sunset walk between two bridges
A
The numerous steps and cliff walls are popular with
parkour practioners
Sunset with Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background
couple of hundred
years
ago, ‘a people called Guarangi walked
to a place they called Pirrama, a harbour to hunt and fish,
a perfect place for a picnic, a
pure and unspoilt spring’ – so
says the carving on the timber
guards on Pirrama wharf. ‘Pirrama’ means ‘rocking stone’
in the Gadigal language. And
when I went there, the stoney park was indeed a rocking
place!
It’s almost two hectares
of grasslands with BBQ facilities, tree-lined walkways, a
playground with water fountains springing out of the
ground, and fantastic modern
rope climbing frames. Even
the kids at heart will love this
place. For the more adventurous, this place is perfect for
parkour. I couldn’t help admire the five and a half foot
tall kid trying to get to the top
of a 20-foot sandstone cliff
wall just by propelling him-
self against a side section of
the cliff wall. Maybe Spiderman would have better chances.
The NNG Balintawak Arnis Group was filming a documentary and the warm sunset
colours washing the park with
the Sydney Harbour Bridge in
the background was perfect.
Pirrama Park is at the water
end of Harris St, in Pyrmont,
where the former Water Police was based. Parking is metred so take some gold coins
with you. As the sun set, it
was idyllic as two fisherman
sat on the wharf.
Years ago, this now-expensive section of city real estate was a slum area where no
one wanted to live. Unimaginable now with its high-rise
offices and apartments. It was
a sandstone block quarry in
the 19th century.
If you do want to see two
iconic Sydney bridges in one
sunset, go out n’ back to Pirrama Park. Make sure you take
the camera and some food to
barbecue. Pack your cozzies
and towels. You might also
want to take the kids with
you so they can run around
or climb the rope frames and
play with the water features –
they’ll be nice and calm and
peacefully worn out by the
time you get home so you can
have a nice quiet evening.
NNG Balintawak Arnis Escrima filming a documentary
MITCHELL
BADELLES
is the producer of SAY
MORE Radio Show
on SWR 99.9FM. He
is also a Balintawak
Arnis - Filipino Martial
Art enthusiast. Mitchell
is a sales rep for
Heritage Profiles &
Mouldings, allowing
him to travel around
NSW as part of his job.
Sit at the waters edge and wet your feet