Inline skating in Sydney.

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Hello, I’m Kathryn and I learnt to skate in London four years ago when I was almost forty four. Now I’m back in Sydney and there are not quite the same skating opportunities as in London but you can still have fun skating the mostly smooth, hilly streets and luckily I also like swimming and surfing.
Beginners tend to be found skating around Centennial Park which is unfortunately much rougher than most Sydney streets. Or along Manly beach front which is long to walk but too short to skate. The new Olympic Park in Homebush is smooth and ideal for skating but is not at all central.

For the last 16 years, on rain-free Wednesday nights, a small bunch of friendly people (usually about six to forty) get together and skate the streets of Sydney. The first Wednesday of the month is best for new people with mostly flat harbour-side streets. The following Wednesdays get faster and harder and there is a definite fondness for steep downhills. Many of the hills have pleasant run-offs so you don’t have to come to a screeching stop or waste half the hill doing slowing down procedures. Everyone has to look after themselves and be aware of other traffic.

Those who aren’t so keen on the steep ups and downs can join the one to thirteen people who skate on Friday nights around the harbour. A set route that varies depending on how well the people who turn up remember it and their fondness for adding extra bits like a car park or a small hill or a fun dash down George Street! A laid back Sunday afternoon skate is being planned to start soon. This should lure people away from the rough surfaces of Centennial Park.

Freestyle skating in Sydney is so far limited to the occasional person from France, Korea or Singapore. This may soon change since Naomi Grigg brought her freestyle course to Sydney, people with Australian accents are dodging cones and attempting the grapevine. Looking forward to when she comes again in April.

There are also roller hockey players with mostly Canadian accents. They make everyone welcome and I have enjoyed a few games with them! Aggressive skating is fairly popular and skate-boarders are everywhere.