slide to the snake pit

" like thunder
hereford shipwreck , 2035
thru the battle of the coral sea
slide to the snake - pit
happy valleys here and then gone

koori .. mark ella .. the flat attack
malabar mansion .. pewulwuy wanted dead or alive

allan turnbull's old holden on olympia speedway

dig that sewerage plant "


song about area of sydney from Maroubra to La Perouse

Maroubra is aboriginal for " like thunder "
2035 is the postcode found tattoed above the buttocks of members of the "bra boys"
many streets ( including my old address portland crescent ) are named after the battle of the coral sea .
Residents of Portland crescent included Phil Slater , Nick Mcbride , Jason Raiss , DAve Goodman , Anthony Kable and almost Sandy Klose . Peter Zografakis was close by .
The snake-man can still be visited on weekends in La Perouse
A Koori is a local aboriginal
Mark Ella is a great Australian rugby player , koori , and ex resident of matraville

Happy Valleys is the name for the shanty towns that existed in the 'bra during the 1st depression

Drummer Allan Turnbull is one of Sydney's greatest jazz musicians and continued to drive his holden ( car) long after the rego ( government registration papers ) expired thru the streets of Southern Maroubra . " Where else in the world will the government give you such a cheap apartment with a view of the beach " .

Malabar Mansion is Long Bay Jail

Pewulway was one of the Aborigines who resisted the white occupation of Sydney and died in battle at Paramatta .

The story of Olympia Speedway and the Hereford Shipwreck were told to me by Sydney jazz writer John Clare who grew up in the area .

They used to have a sewerage outfall right in the middle of the surf at Malabar . The sh#t-pipe has the words "locals only" on it ( as if anyone else would have been crazy enough to surf in that water ) .

I never managed to surf at Cat Bay near the ship of the SS Minmi , but I did catch ONE wave at Bare Island bombora on a big day . It scared the BEANS out of me and I paddled in and left it to the "speed bumps" ( boogie board riders ) .

The incredibly beautiful area always had a strange fascination for me . I could never understand why such a fantastic natural environment so close to such a big city existed . The area gets is fair share of southerly storm weather in the winter months . The often cloudy conditions that existed when I went looking for surf combined with the jail and the area's dark history leave it with a forboding "vibe" . As Doctor spock says " Frightening yet fascinating " .