Sydney Olympic Park - An Enchanted Evening




The cries of  "Aussie,Aussie,Aussie" still reverberated in my ears this cool and nippy Saturday evening.
This is what the Sydney Olympic Park (SOP) can do to me. I have many happy memories of the Sydney Games, especially when viewing live the diving and gymnastics events - plus the Opening Ceremony on a mild September night.  I was there this time one Saturday night to attend the encounter between the Waratahs and the Brumbies in rugby union at the officially renamed main year 2000 Olympic Stadium - the ANZ Stadium (above, at dusk).





I could recognise the key facilities and buildings from the heady days and nights of the Sydney Olympics - and also recall the hordes of volunteers in their bright and distinguished shirts. There is special fondness for the Aquatic Centre and Acer Arena.  Apart from the still maintained parklands like Blaxland and Bicentennial, I noted hotelsl like the Pullman, Novotel(above image) and Ibis ( all a stone's throw from the ANZ Stadium).
There is also a commercial hub centring around a Commonwealth Banking Group office support presence near the Olympic Park Station.







Two boys size up the concrete ramp which thye later scaled,with the encouragement of Dad. (above)
The lighting structures around the ANZ Stadium suggest transformer-like appearances at sunset. (below)





The names of every sports person who participated at the Sydney Games in the year 2000 are recorded alphabetically for posterity on each of the poles (above), inspired by indigenous Australian culture.
The SOP continues to host sporting events ( for example AFL, NRLand the second annual State of Origin) ,concerts  expositions, conferences and community functions like the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show.  I have to conbfess that my camera ran out of battery power just before the rugby union match, but I did have a whaleof a time at the match!



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