1999: The birth of Eastern Creek Business Park

Source: Buchan, N. 1999. "$500m silicon valley for west". The Daily Telegraph, November 13:17.

The Eastern Creek Business Park is managed by Frasers Property. Two decades ago, it was owned by Malaysian company Sungeiway.

In 1999, plans were unveiled to develop a business park on land located just to the south of Australia's Wonderland at Eastern Creek known as the Wonderland Business Park. The first stage was to cost $40 million and was to be anchored by Malaysia House. Malaysian companies including Malaysia Airlines and carmarker Proton were interested in participating in the project. An estimated 5000 jobs were to be created.

Five years later (2004), Australia's Wonderland closed after mounting financial losses. The land was purchased by ING Industrial Fund (IIF) who teamed up with developer The PacLib Group. This  contributed to the evolution of the business park.

The proposed hotel, convention centre and world's largest indoor wave pool were not built.

Since conception, the business park has been built in five stages. Stage 6 offers 35 000 sq/m of land for development subject to council approval.

Companies based within the business park in 2020 include:

• LG
• Fujitsu
• Fisher & Paykel
• Bunnings (Distribution Centre)
• H&M (Warehouse)
• Best & Less (Distribution Centre)

Property Advert of the Week: C. H. Caulfield Brick Veneer Home Ad (1968)

Below is a newspaper advertisement for a Brick Veneer Home that was on offer from C. H. Caulfield Pty. Ltd. in 1968. The home could be inspected on the Great Western Highway at Colyton (advertised as St Marys).



Source: C. H. Caulfield Pty. Ltd. 1968. "Brick Veneer Home". The Daily Telegraph, March 16: 36. 

1992: Boat Harbour is handed to the public

Thomas Holt purchased the land that encompasses Boat Harbour at Kurnell in 1861. Holt was a major landholder in the Sutherland Shire and owned the entire Kurnell Peninsula.

It meant that the beach at Boat Harbour was also privately owned, unlike other Sydney beaches. Access was only via 4WD.

In 1992, his descendants (still under the Holt family name) handed Boat Harbour to the public.

Below is an article from September 1992 announcing the news.

Source: Cramsie, D. 1992. "Beach free for all". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, September 7:4. 

There was mention of a proposed resort (never proceeded). This will be subject to a separate entry in the future.

Boat Harbour is now an Aquatic Reserve and remains pristine. Currently the reserve is managed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries. 4WD's can access the park but are banned from driving on the dunes at a cost of $30 per vehicle.

Property Advert of the Week: The Gables, Mascot (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement for The Gables in Mascot.

 

Source: Ray White & Raine & Horne. 1995. ""The Gables" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 86.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Chinatown Railway Station (1990)

In 1990, a developer offered to build a railway station in Haymarket at the corner of George and Campbell Streets as part of a proposed office tower. The site was 720 George Street, which was redeveloped a decade ago into a residential tower.

There were plans to connect the railway station into the redeveloped Capitol Theatre.

However the station would only serve the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Railway Lines as the tunnels ran directly underneath the site.

Like the proposed railway station at World Square one block away (1989), it joined the list of "Never Builts".

Source: Morris, L. 1990. "Chinatown station plan". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, November 29: 4. 

The station would have improved accessibility to Paddys Markets, Chinatown and the Sydney Entertainment Centre for visitors and tourists, and have taken pressure off Town Hall Station for Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line commuters. However, other lines were not to be served by the station. Also, it appears to be located halfway between Central and Town Hall railway stations.

One fault in the proposal is the curve of the station, which would hamper accessibility but also pose safety concerns.

Property Advert of the Week: AVJennings "Amberley" Home Ad (1968)

Below is a 1968 newspaper advertisement for the "Amberley" by AVJennings.




Source: AVJennings. 1968. "The new A.V.Jennings Amberley. $9055. 12squares" (Advertisement). The Sun, April 5: 63. 

2000: Sydney: The Cheap Manhattan

When I was younger, I remember reading a reference to Sydneys as "little Manhattan" which I believed referred to our skyline. Sydney streets can also easily resemble streets in New York, especially Lower Manhattan where narrow streets bend, surrounded by tall buildings.

Two decades ago, Sydney was not just attracting Hollywood blockbusters, but also American advertisers. With the Australian Dollar averaging around $US 0.58 cents, American advertising agencies could stretch their dollar further.

Access to local actors and props meant any part of Sydney could be turned into an American city with great ease.

Below is an article as published in The Daily Telegraph in June 2000.

Source: Skelsey, M. 2000. "The Cheap Apple: Budget Sydney lures ad makers". The Daily Telegraph, June 13: 5. 

Even in recent years, Sydney has been featured in American commercials, even if they feature in just  split second shots. One commercial by Opdivo in 2016 featured Sydney in its entirety, though cars drove on the right hand side of the road.

Property Advert of the Week: Liberty Grove (1998)

Below is an advertisement from 1998 promoting the sale of townhouses at Liberty Grove.

   

Source: Liberty Grove. 1998. "Elegant townhouses..."(Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 13: 29RE (Real Estate Liftout). 

2000: Shopping Centres of the future - Article

Below is an article that was published in The Daily Telegraph in April 2000 about the future of shopping centres. I have included an enlargement of the photo.

Source: Skelsey, M. 2000. "Clicking on to retail therapy". The Daily Telegraph, April 11: 18. 

Twenty years after this article was published, notice how every prediction in the photograph has become reality with the exception of free valet parking.

Music and Books are mostly sold online in2020, though CD's have been replaced with mp3 downloads or subscriptions to streaming services e.g. Apple Music. We are fortunate that some physical bookstores still remain, though surviving chains and stores have reduced their retail space where they still trade e.g. Dymocks Parramatta has relocated to a smaller site within Westfield Parramatta.

Fashion and Food stores have become the key to success for a shopping centre in 2020. Supermarkets are now regarded as the anchors for a shopping centre. International Fashion chains have built a strong presence in the past decade with a number of chains e.g. Uniqlo and Zara now viewed as mini-majors. Their presence has expanded from the Sydney CBD into major suburban centres.

Food Courts have evolved to provide better furniture not to mention that they have their own competition from upmarket dining precincts that provide restaurants, cafes and bars.

The article foretold the rise of  "click and collect" shopping. Not only it appeals in terms of securely collecting the item, but in the two decades since, it can be convenient for a person who needs it "now".

Finally, some Sydney shopping centres have had apartment eomplexes built above their centres since 2000 which have been associated with redevelopment of existing shopping centres including Southpoint Shopping Centre at Hillsdale, Stockland Balgowlah (formerly Totem) and Top Ryde City. Some residential complexes have integrated a shopping centre or retail space into their developments including Central Park Mall at Broadway (former Carlton & United Brewery site), East Village at Zetland and Lighthouse by Meriton at Dee Why.

The Rouse Hill Town Centre incorporates highrise apartments above the retail complex.

Scentre (owner of Westfield Shopping Centres) floated building six apartment towers above Westfield Hurstville in 2017 but has not progressed since.