What to know about Surry Hills
- Surry Hills had 15,828 residents at the 2021 Census and a median age of 35, four years younger than New South Wales.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census QuickStats (Surry Hills)
- 46.8% of Surry Hills households were lone-person households at the 2021 Census, against 25.0% across New South Wales.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census QuickStats (Surry Hills)
- 11.0% of employed Surry Hills residents walked to work on Census day, more than four times the New South Wales share of 2.5%.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census QuickStats (Surry Hills)
- The City of Sydney charges no fees to trainers who run fitness or wellness classes in its parks and reserves, and asks them to sign its outdoor fitness training code instead.Source: City of Sydney
- Under the City of Sydney code, drag sleds and tyres are not permitted, straps and ropes may not be attached to trees, and pocket parks of less than 900 square metres are off limits for training.Source: City of Sydney, Outdoor fitness training voluntary code of conduct
- Prince Alfred Park beside Central station covers 7.5 hectares with fitness stations throughout, two basketball courts, a half-court, five tennis courts and a heated pool open year round.Source: City of Sydney
- Prince Alfred Park Pool at 105 Chalmers Street has a 50m pool and opens from 6am to 8pm every day.Source: City of Sydney
A code instead of a fee
The City of Sydney takes a different line from most councils: it charges trainers nothing to use its parks and reserves, saying it does not want to put a barrier in front of exercise. In return it asks every personal trainer to read and sign its outdoor fitness training code, and commercial trainers to bring their public liability and professional indemnity insurance when they register. Signing is quick, and a trainer who works Surry Hills regularly will have done it.
What the code rules out
The code of conduct gets specific about gear. Drag sleds and tyres are not permitted. Straps, ropes and harnesses may not be attached to trees or structures, only to the council's own outdoor fitness equipment. Megaphones and amplified sound are out, and so are pocket parks of less than 900 square metres, playgrounds, sports fields and courts without a booking. Surry Hills has plenty of pocket parks, which is why sessions gravitate to one big one.
Prince Alfred Park
Prince Alfred Park on Chalmers Street covers 7.5 hectares next to Central station, with fitness stations spread through it, two basketball courts, a half-court, five tennis courts and a central grass area where dogs run off-leash. The heated 50m pool opens from 6am to 8pm every day of the year except Good Friday and Christmas Day, with a limit of 10 swimmers a lane. A trainer can run a circuit on the stations and send you to the pool on your own days.
Terrace life
Surry Hills had 15,828 residents at the 2021 Census with a median age of 35. Nearly half of households (46.8%) were one person, 68.5% of dwellings were flats and 11.0% of workers walked to work, more than four times the state share. Small homes and walkable streets suit outdoor training better than a lounge-room session, though both are on offer.
AimFit is a referral service. We pass your enquiry to one trainer who works in Surry Hills, and that is all we do. Make an enquiry, or see the Sydney page.
Surry Hills questions
Will my trainer pay to use Prince Alfred Park?
No. The City of Sydney charges trainers no fees for its parks; it asks them to sign its code instead.
Can we use the small park at the end of my street?
Probably not. The code keeps training out of pocket parks under 900 square metres.