‘Infinity Tracks’
An interesting art installation is located at Oran Park, adjacent to TRN House, just off Oran Park Drive.
The art installation has been placed on the TRN building’s forecourt under the reflective stainless steel surface covering an air conditioning duct.
The artwork pays homage to the Camden district’s heavy haulage transport industry, its historic contribution to the Camden economy, and urban development in the new suburbs around Oran Park Town.
The art installation has provided a unique perspective on the transport industry in a modern urban setting. It symbolises urban development at Oran Park Town, which could not occur without heavy earth-moving equipment.
The artwork, ‘Infinity Tracks,’ was commissioned by the Oran Park Town Centre developers, Greenfields Development Co, and TRN House in 2020.
The reflective surface of the stainless steel provides an interesting mirror to the artwork, maybe acting as a metaphor for the harsh, heavy steel tracks in the work and the modernist aesthetic provided by the surrounding glass and aluminium.
TRN House was finished in 2020 and was Oran Park Town Centre’s first office building. The artwork of rusted tracks provides an interesting counterpoint to the shiny glass and aluminium of the surrounding buildings
Commissioning the artwork
‘Infinity Tracks’ was commissioned by the TRN Group and the Oran Park Town developers Greenfields Development Co.
TRN Group
The website for the TRN group has a short history of the business, and it states
TRN Group started life in 1966 as TJ & RF Fordham Pty Ltd, run by brothers Terry and Ron Fordham with just two trucks and based in Camden in Sydney’s south west.
When brother Neil joined them, TRN Haulage Pty Ltd was formed – a name based on the brothers’ initials and reflecting the strong family ethos which underpins the business.
At first hauling road-building materials, TRN soon won a ten-year contract with a local earthmoving company and then bought three local cartage contractors to become one of the area’s largest coal-hauling sub-contractors.
In 1989, TRN and two other companies formed Bulkhaul Limited (later Heggies Bulkhaul Pty Ltd) and won the major contract for coal cartage rights in the Burragorang Valley.
In 2000, by then TRN Group, the company moved to larger premises at Spring Farm and now supports numerous commercial and residential developers in Sydney’s booming south west. (https://trn.com.au/about/)
In 2020, the business headquarters moved to their new office building, TRN House, at Oran Park. (Oran Park Town Newsletter, June-July 2020)
Oran Park Town
According to the Oran Park Town fact sheet, planning for the town started in 2005 on the site of the Oran Park Raceway, which closed in 2010.
The sales centre opened in 2010 along with the first land release and display village of houses.
In 2014, Oran Park Public School and Stage One of the Oran Park Podium shopping centre opened.
Camden Council moved into its new office administration building in 2016, and the council library next door opened in 2018. (OPT 2022)
In 2021, Barramurra Public School opened to cater for just over 1000 students in O’Keefe Drive Oran Park. (https://barramurra-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/)
The Oran Park Leisure Centre adjacent to the Camden Council precinct opened in 2024. (Oran Park Newsletter Spring 2024)
Homage
The art installation pays homage to the heavy haulage transport industry and the urban development at Oran Park Town.
The transport industry provided the link to the Burragorang Coalfields and the Glenlee washery at Spring Farm with hundreds of truck movements across the district every weekday.
The urban development at Oran Park Town popped up to replace the former Oran Park Raceway from 2010, when the raceway closed.
The heavy haulage transport industry employed hundreds of people across the district.
The origins of the Camden district’s heavy haulage transport industry predate the Burragorang Coalfields’ opening.
The first heavy haulage in the district occurred in the late 19th century between Yerranderie and the Camden Railhead, with teamsters and horse teams from the Yerranderie Silver Fields.
Over many years, the heavy haulage transport industry has contributed to the economic growth of the Camden district through job creation and the export of silver ore and coal.
The urban development at Oran Park Town covers the former site of the Oran Park Raceway, which provided thousands of petrolheads with decades of spectacular motorsport entertainment.
Since 2010, urban development around Oran Park Town has seen thousands of new residents arrive in the Camden Local Government Area.
The ‘Infinity Tracks’ art installation in Oran Park honours the region’s heavy haulage industry and highlights the historical impact of the transport industry and urban development around Oran Park Town.
Next time you are at Oran Park, take in the ‘Infinity Tracks’ art installation and reflect on the sense of place and community identity created in the locality.
References
OPT 2022, Historical Timeline, Oran Park Town. Online https://oranpark.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/OPT-%E2%80%93-Factsheet_Milestones_01.08.pdf
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