Sculptures By The Sea

Sculptures By The Sea - Memories Past

My Top 10 Sydney Eyewitness Guide has this to say about Sculptures By The Sea.

"Combine your coastal walk with this annual festival, 

at which more than 100 artists take full advantage of Bondi's wind-sculpted sandstone headlands 

as the setting for their works. They are exhibited from late October to November."

It is also the perfect venue for budding photographers to try out their skills!

So many perspectives & angles, a variety of light & shadow, textures, shapes & colours.

These are my picks from 

2005

2006

We missed 2007 as we were travelling overseas.
2008 we were in the middle of house hunting and moving.

2009

2010 

was the year we got caught in a late afternoon thunderstorm.
Fortunately the sandstone cliffs and some of the sculptures were perfect for sheltering under!

2011 

was another hot, sunny day that ended with a swim at Bondi Beach.

 And here's the link to my 2012 Sculptures By The Sea post.

Pirrama Park, Pyrmont

Pirrama Park, Pyrmont (formerly known as Pyrmont Point Park) won the 2010 Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design. Formerly the site of the water police, the old wharf pylons have been incorporated into the new design. 

Pirrama means 'rocking stone' in the Gadigal language.

The headland is surrounded by Johnstons and Jones Bays.

Below are photos I took in May 2007.

The park has now been thoroughly landscaped and is regularly used for food and wine festivals and other local events. One of the main ones is the Mudgee Food and Wine Festival held in May every year.

Unbelievably, I've had something else planned for this weekend for the past 6 years!

I hope to finally attend the festival next year & to see the new work done on this lovely inner city park.

The "whale bone" walkway.

The harbour promenade featured a sculpture created by Jennifer Turpin & Michaelie Crawford. 

Tied to Tide (below) is an "aquatic instrument" with eight arms of recycled hardwood beams and red ladders that play "the winds, tides and waves to independently rise, fall, pivot and rotate."

According to my Top 10 Sydney, Tied to Tide is no. 10 in our Top 10 Public Art list.

The other 9 are:

1. Edge of the Trees (Museum of Sydney)

2. Almost Once (AGNSW)

3. Federation Pavilion (Centennial Park)

4. Veil of Trees (Botanic Gardens)

5. Magnolia and Palm (Botanic Gardens)

6. Dual Nature (Woolloomooloo Bay)

7. Wuganmagulya (Botanic Gardens)

8. Memory is Creation Without End (South Domain)

9. Tankstream (Pitt St Mall)

When I first moved to Sydney I used to get very confused about which headland ended up in which bay and how to get from one to the other. 

Pirrama Park is the green patch at the top of this map.

Off to the left is Johnston's Bay, which is spanned by the glorious ANZAC Bridge.

The Sydney Fish Markets take up the big grey patch of land in Blackwattle Bay circled by the Western Distributor (route 40) which is the official name of the road using the ANZAC Bridge.

Directly opposite the Fish Markets is Blackwattle Senior Secondary College where my eldest stepson goes to school.

Jones Bay is the little bay off to the right of Pirrama Park - Jones Bay Wharf juts out in the middle of it.

Keep heading around to the right and you end up in Darling Harbour.

This next map might give you an idea of just how many bays and coves line Sydney Harbour.

Pyrmont is found in the bottom left hand corner of this map.

We live in Balmain just across from Johnston's Bay. Our front verandah has a great view of Cockatoo Island & Woolwich.

Goat Island is the green spot under the words Port Jackson (near Balmain East).

Clark Island is further to the east off Darling Point (a much smaller dot of green).

And Shark Island is off Point Piper in the middle of the entrance to Rose Bay.

The entrance headlands into Port Jackson are imaginatively called North Head and South Head. The big one in the middle where Mosman and Taronga Zoo are is called...you guessed it...Middle Head!

North Harbour takes you into Manly & Middle Harbour takes you under the Spit Bridge (route 10).

Sydney Harbour takes you under the Sydney Harbour Bridge (between Dawes Point & Kirribilli)!

Shark Island

In 2010, we took advantage of the Island Hopping experience on Sydney harbour to explore several of the islands that are dotted around the bays & coves.
Normally, these islands are only open for special events or by appointment.

Shark Island was our lunch time stop.
It lies just off Rose Bay & Point Piper.
The Aboriginals called this small island Boambilly.

It was named Shark Island due to its shape.

It boasts beautiful views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Shark Island Light is a pile lighthouse off the northern tip of the island built in 1913.

Shark Island was used as a quarantine station & naval depot from 1880 until 1975.
It is now used exclusively as a recreation reserve.