Council excited to open parkour facility

Bondi Beach BAR Brutes at Wetherill Park's parkour facility.

A successful collaboration between Fairfield City Council and a local parkour group is literally resulting in people going off the rails!

Council is excited to officially open a specialist parkour and street-workout training area this weekend at Emerson Street Reserve in Wetherill Park. The facility is the result of Council working with local Parkour practitioners from Team 9 Lives to custom design the training area.

Parkour is a highly athletic, yet spiritual art form. Often recognised for its large jumps and cat-like movements, it involves practitioners moving through their landscapes, using obstacles - ledges, stairs, walls - to create movement. Parkour was featured in movies such as Casino Royale and The Bourne Ultimatum, and it continues to grow in popularity around the world.

Team 9 Lives consists of a core of 22 athletes who hold regular classes that attract up to 200 students a week. They also enthralled the 15,000 people who attended this year's Bring It On! youth festival with a live performance.

Ali Kadhim, who founded Team 9Lives in 2004, started practicing parkour because it allowed him to be free - his only limit was his imagination. Ali and his team continue to make it accessible and safe for anybody to learn.

Team 9Lives worked with Council's Recreation Planner and Landscape Designers to design the fitness park with off-the-shelf, static equipment at Emerson Street Reserve. The facility is already proving very popular, attracting not only plenty of locals, but also professional athletes from around Sydney, such as the Bondi Beach BAR Brutes.

The launch will be on Sunday, 31 August, between 11am and 3pm. Official proceedings will begin at 1pm. The Team is keen to see people of all ages, all fitness levels and all types of sports joining in the action. There will be demonstrations by Bondi Beach Bar Brutes and Team 9Lives on the day. (www.facebook.com/bondibeachbarbrutes - www.facebook.com/team9lives)

For a taste of physical training at Emerson Park Reserve, visit this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/4t7Np90D1pw   

Fitness in Fairfield – bringing people together

The outdoor gym at Horsley Park Showground is already proving popular for residents, who use it in conjunction with the new walking path.

Just recently Council finished installing outdoor gym equipment and new walking paths at Horsley Park Showground. A second outdoor gym will open soon at Emerson Street Reserve.

In the coming years, Council aims to install a number of outdoor gyms and walking circuits across the City. The outdoor gyms use a combination of static and dynamic equipment that allow users to work the whole body or just focus on a particular area that needs attention.

This initiative is about encouraging everyone in our community to lead healthier lives by becoming more physically active and to eat healthier. Apart from the obvious health benefits, the new gym equipment and walking circuits are a great way for residents to meet new people in a fun and relaxed environment.

As part of the recreational needs strategy, the 'Everybody Walking Circuit Path', Council will be rolling out new signage in order to help residents get in shape and stay in shape.

Residents will also be able to scan a QR code placed around the parks, which will link them to the latest information about Fitness in Fairfield.

Large signs will be placed at the beginning of the walking circuits, informing people about how many laps one will need to do to burn in order to burn the equivalent calories of a chocolate bar or soft drink.

The Everybody Walking Circuit Path has something for people of all ages and fitness levels. Residents can also join a local walking group, such as Horsley Park, Fairfield Seniors, Stockland, Bossley Park and Cabramatta, which cater to all ages and fitness levels.

All residents are encouraged to try the new outdoor exercise equipment at Horsley Park Reserve and Emerson Street Reserve or get involved with the other programs offered by our leisure centres. Start your transformation today!

When it's cold outside - exercise indoors!

Prairiewood boasts a 25m indoor pool (six Lanes) with freeform and 'beach' style entry.

Fairfield City's Leisure Centres provide residents with the opportunity to avoid the cold this winter and maintain their health and fitness, with well-equipped, modern and warm facilities.

The three Leisure Centres – at Fairfield, Prairiewood and Cabravale – offer a wide variety of programs and facilities that appeal to people of all ages and interests.

Facilities include heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gymnasiums, sauna and steam rooms, group fitness studios, a sports hall, and community meeting rooms.

Each Centre offers learn-to-swim classes, exercise consultations, personal training, group fitness classes, specialised classes for seniors, and child minding (Fairfield and Prairiewood only).

Prairiewood boasts a 25m indoor pool (six Lanes) with freeform and 'beach' style entry with railing to assist with ease of access. The pool is solar heated (backed up by boiler system running on gas) to 28 degrees C. Prairiewood also has a 50m outdoor heated Pool (which will also soon be solar).

Fairfield has a six-lane, 25m indoor pool, which is heated to 29 degrees C. It, too, is solar backed up by heat pumps. The facility's 50m outdoor pool is not heated (summer season only).

Cabravale has a five-lane, 20m indoor pool heated to 31 degrees (heat pumps backed up by gas boilers). The pool has steps to assist entry.

For those who prefer the fresh air despite the cool, our City has an extensive network of cycleways "shared paths", which give cyclists and pedestrians key acces to retail, industrial and cultural precincts.

The network provides three regional routes east/west across the City:

• Prospect Creek - connecting Holroyd City and Fairfield Town Centre
• Bay to Mountains - connecting Mirabeena Regional Park in Bankstown along Orphans School Creek to Prospect Reservoir
• Cabramatta Creek - linking King Park, Wakely, through to Cabramatta Road via St Johns Park. 

There also are two regional routes that travel north/west across the City:

• Rail Trail - along the rail corridor connecting to Liverpool and Parramatta
• T-Way Cycle-way route

Council has also built a range of linked local shared paths and circuit paths to cater for community demand for informal recreation spaces and equipment.

Facilities along the network of shared paths include Fitness Equipment, which has been installed in 10 parks in recent years.

Council has invested heavily during the past 10 years in providing up-to-date children's play equipment at 155 locations in the 168 parks within Fairfield City.

The installation of these playgrounds has included planting shade trees to build the natural amenity of Fairfield City, provide shade for play experiences (starting with areas for young children) and to build a positive outdoor culture.