Sunday, June 07, 2009

Homebush Bound

It's Sunday night of the Queen's Birthday weekend in Sydney and surprisingly, there's little to do. No major events, no fairs or festivals and apart from a very cosy bonfire last night, there's little to report. Although I have to say, living on acreage has it's advantages. All you need is a Hazard Reduction Certificate from the Rural Fire Service during winter months and we can enjoy a little pile burn and campfire fun. After all the rain of the past two weeks, this one took some lighting but once 'embery' provided hours of cosiness and reminiscences.

The wet tinder proved a bit of a challenge to get ignition going


The 'firestarter' soon had it toasty

True to my "If I have nothing on, I'm going to do something every Sunday" rule, we pretty much eased out of bed this morning. Adam is planning an explosive start to our big bonfire and spent the day playing with toilet rolls and explosives. Clare's date cried shy due to long working hours and the onset of a virus so we decided after the Million Paws Walk, that we'd take another look at Olympic Park's walking trails.

We weren't too disappointed although the whole site, once a munitions dump, marshy toxic wasteland and home to the Homebush Abattoir . .it's not a bad site full of cycle tracks and parks and barbecue areas. We parked in one of the many parking bays, chucked the pooch on a lead and walked for God knows how many kms but the sun shone briefly and barbecues smelled of onions and enjoyed the day . . here's a glimpse . . .It was really chilly today but the sun shone briefly . . .


The last remaining buildings of what was once Homebush Abattoir, then the site for the Olympic Coordination Committee (for whom I worked in that very building for a short temp stint in 1996) and now the Visitor's centre.


Pretty fountains on the main Stadium Concourse


Despite the modernity there are still fantastic Moreton Bay figs . .and Clare . . and Lily


What's the point of a 'lookout' when you surround the platform with wooden slats . .


Skateboarders enjoyed the spray fountain and nobody seemed to mind


Don't you love the look on her face . . Chess at the overflow


What was once toxic waste is now frog ponds for the rare
Green and Gold Bell Frog, they were mighty quiet today!\


The remnants of the Olympic Cauldron now a fountain and great fun
to
ride your bike around amid the shower of spray.


Not at all sure what relevance a wire centaur has outside the showground


This is a circular walkway around the old Brick Pit . . we couldn't walk on it because we had a dog and they're not allowed but I think it's like a 'whispering wall' where you can hear conversations from the other side of the circle.


And one of the sad things about the site . . a young girl remembered - crushed in the mosh pit at a Limp Bizkit concert is remembered by the promoters. The only little shrine on the entire site. If only she hadn't taken Ecstasy, her heart might have withstood the crush.


Nah . .not dead . . just dog tired!

21 comments:

Sarah Lulu said...

Lovely ...the little girl with the chess was sweet. Loved what they did to the cauldron! I did see it in 2000, but never thought what it might be now.

Sarah Lulu said...

Wow we both commented then on each other's posts!

Love spoons ...great idea do it.

I was and am absolutely ready for a grandchild ...she's gorgeous ..but my daughter haemorrhaged early today and is back in hospital. She's fine but I even feel wobbly myself now.

Brian Miller said...

nice to take a walk with you baino. love the pics, they help to visualize your trek. had a little fire ourselves last night. my moms 67th bday. after dinner we sat around the fire and taught the boys how not to get burned when they drop wood in. have a great start tot the week.

Grannymar said...

I think you are growing into these photo walks. I have found the camera is a real conversation starter with people and sometimes you learn of new places to go camera walking.

Susan at Stony River said...

What a wonderful day in the park! Our eldest's graduation has us re-promising to take the kids on more days out, more Sunday drives, and we've done better lately. It's hard to get going, but always worth it if we just go.

I LOVE those figs!! And your shot of the bicycle in the fountain. Ok, all of them. I'm glad you had a good weekend together!

nick said...

I love the chessboard and the Olympic Cauldron fountain and the wire centaur. Sounds like a great place to visit. Good to see the old Olympic Park turned into something positive instead of being left to rot like some of them are.

California Girl said...

You give us Westerners, up north, a good idea of your territory. I would so like to visit some day. Your tired dog is adorable...they all look like puppies when they sleep.

laughingwolf said...

pooped pooch ;)

hope the rest of your weekend's equally grand :D

Ronda Laveen said...

What a lovely day. I just loves me some fire and pictures of fire and lighting fire and watching fire burn. We'll not me exactly, but the husband. Seems to be more a male thing. But I do love pictures of it. That little girl looks like she could be one of the black chess pieces.

Kat Mortensen said...

Fab photos Baino! I love the last one best. Maybe because I can relate.

I like the fountains.

Kat

Anonymous said...

Nice day for a walk-about, it was. Thanks for sharing the path, Baino! Too, great pics (especially Lily ).

Megan said...

Thanks for taking us with you on your walk. I love posts like these. I need to get off my butt and do some myself.

Have a wonderful week!

River said...

What a lovely way to spend a Sunday. I spent most of my day shoppingWoke up early and cranky from not sleeping well, (rare for me), stumbled into the kitchen for coffee only to find my electric kettle had died overnight. Had to go into town for a new one. City shops here don't open until 11am on Sundays. In the meantime we boiled a saucepan of water on the stove for coffee.

Baino said...

Hi Sarah, Yeh I will. Quite a nice use for it really but that's the first time I've actually seen the water effect. Perhaps they only turn it on during the weekend. I hope your daughter is OK. Horrible thing.

Thanks Brian. I've decided that if I have nothing on on a Sunday,I'm just going to grab the camera and go where the wind blows me. I didn't plan on an 8k walk around Homebush frankly!

Grannymar you know I love them. I just wish I could find some company. There are groups here but they tend to focus on the touristy areas and I've done a stack of shots of those. Having a 1 day photo workshop in the city on the 20th so really looking forward to that.

Suze, this place is great for kids. You can hire bikes or tow them along in a little cabin thingy. Saw one kid about 3 out to the world whilst being towed through the site by dad!

Nick it's a bit of a white elephant actually unless there's a sporting event but going on a Sunday, the barbie areas are well used as are the bike and walking trails. It was pretty busy actually.

Ha! My dog's tired all the time Cali, I swear she sleeps 20 hours a day but LOVES a walk, goes ballistic! Homebush is a dog on a lead venue though. She prefers to ramble after rabbits!

Doesn't take much Wuffa, wait till you get yours. I did a photo shoot once for a catalogue involving 8 labrador puppies. We had to alternate them because they kept falling asleep!

Ronda we're lucky. Loads of gum trees that drop their branches regularly so hazard burns (nice name for BONFIRES) are frequent during the winter when there's no bans and we don't need a permit. Adam stayed up till 4am last night chatting around a cozy fire with friends.

Lots of little water features around the site Poetikat. A little cold to be paddling in them but some did! Yeh, my dog is a couch potato but only allowed on when there's a doona covering it. . .she's a hair ball.

Yeh Subby, she's my motivator to go out and walk. Loves a trip in the car or a walk off the lead.

Megan you should. Although you probably have a 'life' I don't so have to motivate myself to get out and off my butt!

River, sounds like me today. Up at 4am (what's that all about) then went back to bed at 9 and slept until 12! Never in a month of Sundays do I do that! Then yeay, exciting grocery shoppint . . I can't go to Coles now without wondering "Hmm wonder if River looks like that lady . ." I am quick to have my card at the ready and no fumbling, promise!

Kath Lockett said...

Great photos as per your usual high standards, Baino and the sleepy smile on Lily's face says it all...

..must do a blog about my own long weekend now....

jay said...

Ooooh! Looks like a great place, whatever the origins - and I do love seeing grotty old places like that revamped as nature reserves and leisure facilities! We have brick pits here too.

I love the wire centaur, and the Olympic cauldron fountains, and the skateboarders in the spray.

I've never seen a Moreton Bay Fig in this country, but I'm pretty sure we saw some in Russell, NZ, and they were gorgeous trees! Just gorgeous.

Thanks for the walk round your area, Baino! I won't need the treadmill now, will I?

I will?

Oh rats. :(

LOL!

i beati said...

I do love the look on her face and I do have to look up moreton figs interesting?

kj said...

my sweet friend: time for a little award and recognition at ms. kj's place...

kj said...

that olympic cauldrin is fantastic. i would love to run through it. but most of all i wish i were in front of your bon fire. i would love that.

have a good day, evening, and morning and afternoon, baino. things are looking up. i can just feel it.

xoxo
kj

River said...

Brief description of me; short, round (ish), glasses, greying brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, (can't be bothered with the constant trimming a decent cut would require), not too many wrinkles (thanks mum)not too talkative, unless it's a regular customer who I now know well enough to be comfortable with.

Candie said...

Great pictures specially the one with the chess!