In September 1971, just eighteen months after approval, the expanded Miranda Fair complex was completed and opened to the public.
The expansion made it the first shopping complex in Sydney to offer two department stores under one roof - Farmer's and Grace Bros. Grace Bros would trade over four levels. In 2019, Myer still maintain space on three of the four levels with Woolworths relocating into the vacant space as part of the 2014 expansion.
Woolworths had expanded to become a Woolworths Family Centre which was a hypermart comprising of BigW and Woolworths in the one shop.
Nock & Kirbys completed what became "the big 4".
Below is a map of the complex following the 1971 expansion as published in The Sydney Morning Herald on September 14, 1971. I recall a person who superimposed the map below with a 2014 map of the complex on the Skyscrapercity forums around 2015 but has since been removed. It is interesting to note that the Woolworths Family Centre for encompasses what is now BigW (plus more) and the escalators in the middle of Farmers is now an atrium surrounded by shops
Sydney newspapers published special supplements to mark the expansion along with The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader.
A special feature of the centre was the creation of a 10 000 sq/foot Cameila Court given the local interest in Cameilas with the E. G. Waterhouse National Camellia Garden located nearby in Caringbah.
A snapshot
- 56 000 sq/m of retail and commercial space (up from 18 000 sq/m).
- 75 retailers (up from 20).
- Miranda Library was doubled in size.
- Five level office building (completed in 1972) would house professional tenants including doctors, lawyers and accountants.
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