Secret Suburb: It’s Christmas every day in Sydney’s Ultimo
Named as a deliberate snub to the corrupt Rum Corps, Ultimo has evolved into a fascinating inner-city hub with many hidden treasures.
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NAMED as a deliberate snub to the corrupt Rum Corps, Ultimo has evolved into a fascinating inner-city hub with many hidden treasures.
Everyday is Christmas in Ultimo: Commercial Christmas Warehouse
Once the garlands and silver bells go up in city centres and giant Christmas trees appear in building lobbies, that’s a sure sign that Santa is on his way. What seems to magically happen overnight is really the hard work of Commercial Christmas Services. But do not let the name fool you, as owner Fred Paikan is a true believer in the Christmas spirit. “You have to love the holidays. If you didn’t you just couldn’t do it.” He started the business 15 years ago delivering fresh-cut trees from a hired ute. “The trees and decorations may be a but bigger now, but the excitement people have when they see it is the same. It’s the way they’d feel in their own home.”
Market stalls and Master Chefs: Temp Kitchen Rent
From the outside, it looks like any other street-level office, but behind the frosted glass doors of Temp Kitchen Rent is a fully-equipped commercial kitchen with multiple workstations. It is here that restaurateurs like Mejico, developed their menus and celebrity chefs have spent months perfecting a recipe. The place is buzzing throughout the week as independent caterers prep for functions while across the room film crews tape cooking segments. Friday is particularly busy as market stallholders like The Frozen Dough Co., come to prepare their weekend treats. Owner Gus Weinberger serves as kitchen manager but also offers advice based on his 25 years of experience in the food industry. “Starting a business based on a family recipe can be scary, so it’s satisfying to literally help people with their dreams.”
GPS Hide and seek: Geocaching
IT may look like a derelict box with throwaway trinkets but to 2.5 million members of a global scavenger hunt called Geocaching (“geo” for Earth and “cache” from the French word for a hidden container) locating this box in Ultimo is a true find.
The concept of Geocaching started in the USA in 2000 when a computer consultant curious about the accuracy of GPS technology posted a challenge in an internet users’ group: using only a GPS receiver and specified coordinates, locate a secret box and post your experience. Geocaching evolved and now, the items in the cases have become as important as the hunt itself. Mother-daughter geotrackers Leanne and Stephanie Perry from Bombaderry are fans saying, “it takes us to places we’d normally never go and notice things we would have missed.” They explained that once members find the ‘cache’, they sign the logbook, take a trinket, leave a trinket, then post their story online. We won’t tell you where this particular cache is, but suffice to say, it is in Ultimo where wonderful treasures can always be found.
Telling it like it is — in Chinese: 2CR China Radio Network
From the sign on the building, you would think that China Radio Network shared space with the small Malaysian takeaway shop baring the same address but on closer inspection there is a paper sign taped to a side-door with the station’s operating hours. This virtually hidden office with two radio studios translates the BBC news into Chinese and Mandarin and broadcasts it 24/7 to thousand of listeners in Sydney, Melbourne and online.
While it is a private station, it is clear the owner, Benny Chan has made the community his priority. He notes that while the news is important, he understands that a number of the audience members are elderly or work on factory floors and just need the company. For this reason, the station makes every effort to present information on community events, free concerts as well as a wider variety of guest speakers that cover topics such as medicine and real estate.
He recalls how at one point the Melbourne station was set to close, but then received so many phone calls, emails and most of all, hand written letters saying “Please don’t stop. We need the entertainment.” that he decided to abandon those plans.
Dinner at 7 with roses of red: TAFE Ultimo
In a neighbourhood that has become populated by students and cheap takeaway shops, it’s surprising to find that Ultimo’s only fine-dining establishment and florist are, well, run entirely by students at TAFE — Ultimo.
Besides having a menu that boasts, King Fish Ceviche and Crispy Ocean Trout, at The Apprentice restaurant you’ll get a four-course meal for the price of a pizza. Plus, it’s located on the seventh level of the Harris Street building so it provides some sweeping views of the area.
A true favourite for those in the know is the pop-up flower shop that is open Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Planting the seeds of a community: Ultimo Community Garden
Nestled amid some shade trees off Wattle Lane is a tiny park called McKee Street Reserve. Although close to the thoroughfare traffic, the space is remarkably quiet, making it an ideal setting for Ultimo’s community garden. The garden’s members grow herbs and vegetables in the raised bed but anyone is welcome to stroll along the path and breathe in the smells of fresh basil and thyme. With a few park benches around the perimeter and a play area for the kids, it’s a nice little oasis in the centre of this inner city suburb.
Daily diversions: past and present pursuits of Wentworth Park
Go past Wentworth Park most any time of day and you’ll see a flurry of activity; from fitness to frisbee, there is always something happening and it has a bit more in common with the 1900s that you’d think. What was once the home of the NSW Rugby League premiership, still attracts sports, but now it’s soccer clubs and touch footy teams. Where once was a World War II American Army camp now plays host to military inspired fitness groups. And while the greyhound track has been around since 1932, it was originally built for a very different kind of racing: speedway cars and speedway motorcycles. In other words, an unofficial predecessor to Sydney traffic.
Ultimo: Just The Facts
Population: 7,111 (2011 Census) — up from 4,054 in 2001; Distance from Sydney CBD: 2km; Size: 60 ha; Languages: English (29%) Chinese (25%) Indonesian (2.5%); v Based on a technicality that got Surgeon John Harris out of a court martial. A clerical error read “ultimo” (next month) rather than “instant” (this month).
History: What’s rum got to do with it
In 1803, Governor Philip King granted 34 acres to Surgeon John Harris mainly for his military service but also for aiding the Governor in curtailing the illegal trading of rum by a corrupt group within the New South Wales Corps (slightly called the Rum Corps) As retaliation, the Rum Corps tried to court martial Harris on fictitious charges, but avoided prosecution based on sloppy writing and a clerical error — the document referred to ‘19th ultimo (last month) rather than “19th instant” (this month). To make his point to the traders, Harris named his estate, Ultimo.
The land was mainly used for farming until 1859 when it was divided among the family and residences were built. By the mid 1880s, the population of Ultimo/Pyrmont reached nearly 19,000 but fell just as quickly once industry moved in levelling house to put up factories and wool stores. (See Farmers and Graziers photo)
The fall and return or Ultimo: 5,000 in 1954 then 1,900 in 1978. But the 1980s saw a revival of the terraces and warehouse and improvements have continued since.
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