Pyrmont, Waterfront Park

These three enormous rusted steel spheres have been installed in Waterfront Park, in the inner west suburb of Pyrmont. This area was once used by CSR Limited for a major sugar mill, sugar refinery and associated industries. Over the years, the company diversified operations into rum distillery, building products and eventually mining. This park is located on the site of the former CSR factory which was used for the production and storage of Caneite fibre board, a by-product from the crushing of sugar cane and Hardboard, made from eucalypt and other hardwood chips. These spheres were Digesters used to produce Hardboard. The wood chips were expanded using high pressure steam, releasing the natural lignins in the wood that turned them into fibre that were pressed into boards for use as building material. The spheres were salvaged from the factory before demolition and used as historical interpretive elements in the park.