Browse by Topic
Birds Bishan Park City & Heritage Parks Coastal Parks Community In Bloom Community Parks Concerts & Performances Dairy Farm Nature Park Dining DIY East Coast Park Eco-Activities Events Family Forests Fort Canning Park Gardening Tips Hornbills HortPark IYB2010 IYF2011 Labrador Nature Reserve Local Fauna Local Flora MacRitchie Reservoir Park Marine Biodiversity Nature Parks & Reserves Nature Walks Park Connectors Pasir Ris Park Personality Profile Photography Plant-A-Tree Plant Feature Pulau Semakau Pulau Ubin Recipes Riverine Parks Singapore Botanic Gardens Southern Ridges Sports Sungei Buloh Toa Payoh Town Park Trees Volunteers
Yellow Flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum)
The Yellow Flame grows up to 20m tall. It is a popular tree for roadside planting. It is drought-resistant, which makes it well adapted to Singapore’s sunny urban conditions. This tree has a wide-spreading, umbrella-shaped crown, which provides excellent shade. When the tree flowers, its fragrant, brilliant yellow blossoms cover the entire crown. These flowers are about 3cm in size, and have wavy, crinkled petals that resemble tissue paper. After the flowering season, the flowers develop into woody purple-brown fruit pods that develop on the tree. These pods remain in the crown for several months before dropping off.
A Chugging Good Time
I spent a considerable part of my childhood in Tiong Bahru as my family used to live in the vicinity. I remember accompanying my mum to the wet market in the mornings and having breakfast at the food centre after that. For years, even after we moved away from Tiong Bahru, my dad would make a trip down at least once a month to get his hair cut by his regular barber. Till today, my mum still goes to the Tiong Bahru market on weekends, because she claims the produce there is fresher.
Yet, despite my familiarity with the area, I have never been to Tiong Bahru Park even though it has been around since the late 1960s.
Tiong Bahru Park was developed to serve the residents in the area, including those living in Henderson, Bukit Merah and Lower Delta. It was upgraded in 2000 along the theme of ‘Old Frame, New Images’, with added facilities to meet the recreational needs of park users of all ages.
I have driven past the park a couple of times before, and have often been intrigued by what appeared to be a train. Out of curiosity, I decided to check the place out with my daughter one Saturday morning.
As it turns out, the ‘train’ is the star attraction of the playground. At first glance, the playground seems to have a pretty limited selection of play equipment. But the train itself is ingeniously designed to offer kids variety and endless fun. Each carriage has a different obstacle course with escape routes in the form of slides and spiral staircases at the side. Its carriages are tilted at different angles to resemble a train on the move. The slant adds to the challenge for little ones as they manoeuvre their way through the train, hanging on to ropes and bars to keep their balance.
Other interesting features in the playground include a maze, zip cords, animal-shaped ‘rockers’, and an old-fashioned merry-go-round that brings back memories of my own childhood.
Besides the playground, there are also amenities for grown-ups such as a fitness corner and a foot reflexology path. The landscaped pond is another delight. Kids will enjoy spotting the tortoises peeping out of the water or basking in the sun on the grassy verge.
There is something nostalgic and unassuming about Tiong Bahru Park that makes me feel right at home. Maybe it’s the fusion of old and new, or maybe it’s just me. Either way, the park is a cosy, little gem tucked away in a charming neighbourhood.
By Adeline Chong
Back to Lifestyle main page ShareThis