Tempe, Cooks River sunset

The view across the Cooks River at sunset from Tempe towards the southern suburb of Wolli Creek. These were taken a few minutes apart and I couldn't decide which one I liked better because one had more colourful reflections in the water, while the other had more colours in the sky.

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Cooks River wakeboarding

The unseasonal warm weather on the weekend brought out the wakeboarders on the Cooks River at Tempe.

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Wolli Creek

Wolli Creek runs between the southern suburbs of Undercliffe and Wolli Creek and empties into the Cooks River near the suburb of Tempe. These apartments (top) dominate the skyline at Wolli Creek. The bridge (bottom) over Wolli Creek, located a bit further upstream, carries the Southern and Western Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer.

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Tempe, warehouse

This warehouse building on the Princes Highway at Tempe was last used as the headquarters for Ateco, an automotive equipment wholesaler. After being renovated, it has been sitting vacant for the last few years but there are plans to redevelop the 10 hectare commercial site behind this building into a massive IKEA store that will also house the Swedish company's Australian headquarters. I was glad to hear that there are plans to retain this warehouse, office block and clock tower as part of the new development.

Tempe recreational reserve (Skywatch Friday)

The moon above Tempe Recreational Reserve at sunset, looking towards Sydney Aiport.

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Tempe sports centre

The Robyn Webster Sports Centre located in the suburb of Tempe features outdoor netball courts and indoor netball, volleyball and soccer courts. The Aboriginal mural painted on the outside of the building is called 'Gift Given' and features fish, lizards, snakes, men and women in diamond formations. It is the largest mural in the Southern hemisphere and the detailed walls and roof are a landmark for planes landing at nearby Sydney Airport. I chose to feature this Aboriginal artwork today because this week in Australia is NAIDOC week, which is a time to celebrate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and recognise the contributions of Indigenous Australians.

Tempe Railway Station

Tempe is a junction of the Illawarra and East Hills railway lines. This week I'll be taking a journey of railway stations that I usually pass on my way to work, while I'm actually on an overseas holiday .

Tempe, Irish pub

The old Riverview Hotel at Tempe is now known as the The Harp Irish Pub and claims to be a traditional Irish Pub. Today is St Patricks Day, which is a day of celebration for people with Irish heritage. It also fits in well with my multicultural Harmony Day theme this week. The Irish have migrated to Australia since the early days of European colonisation and in the 2006 census, 9.1% of Australians reported having Irish heritage.

Tempe, Cooks River

Tempe is not the most glamorous suburb in Sydney, considering it is made up of mostly industrial and commercial developments and the skyline is dominated by a large concrete water tower. Given the right weather conditions, the area around the Cooks River can look quite picturesque. This area was once a popular resort, with large crowds attracted for swimming and boating on the river, until it became too polluted by industrial estates further upstream. Later, part of the suburb became landfill, colloquially known as 'Tempe Tip'. These days, much of that area has been redeveloped for commercial use and some beautiful parklands have been created near the river. Seeing the high density residential redevelopment that has occured to the industrial areas south of the river, in the area known as Wolli Creek, I can imagine Tempe as a future redevelopment site.