Next week marks the start of the annual Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park. The year of focus is 2000 and will be presented in two entries.
This week, I will focus on key facts and the showbags.
Date: April 6-19, 2001
The Easter Show ran for 14 days (Down from 16 days in 2000) and it will run for 12 days in 2026.
Theme: The Great Australian Muster
Admission
Show Only entry ticket prices increased by $3 for adults and $2 for children. This was also the first show where the GST (10%) had been charged, being introduced on July 1, 2000, and would have attributed for much of the increase.
In 1984, the Hunters Hill property 'Merimbah', built in 1864, was converted into an eight-unit complex. One, two and three-bedroom apartments were available.
Source: Anon. 1960. "These historic homes will be preserved". The Daily Telegraph, August 5: 12.
In 1960, the NSW Government declared five colonial homes as "places of historic interest". This would ensure that the buildings would be preserved and would be a forerunner to their eventual inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register
Source: Anon. 1960. "Govt. "Declares" 5 Historic Homes". The Daily Telegraph, August 4: 7.
Inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register
The Heritage Act, 1977 (NSW) led to the creation of the NSW State Heritage Register, which oversees the protection of items identified as historically, culturally or architecturally significant. To obtain a state-level heritage listing, it would need to be heritage-listed at a local (i.e., council) level before moving to regional listing. If listed at the regional level, it may be considered for heritage listing at the state level.
The five buildings listed in 1960 were added to the State Heritage Register in 1999.
This week, I am posting a double-page spread from Stocks & Holdings Projects, which appeared in The Sun on August 2, 1968. The double-page spread features three advertisements:
Below is a 1973 newspaper advertisement for a land release offered by Neeta Land Sales. Only $100 was required as a deposit, with blocks starting at $10,400. This is equivalent to spending around $123,500 in today's money (RBA Inflation Calculator).
Source: Gowings. 2006. "Closing Down Sale" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, January 16: 6.
This year (2026) marks 20 years since Department Store Gowings closed after 138 years of trading, leaving Sydney with just two major department stores: David Jones & Myer.
It may have been a distant third behind the two majors in Sydney Department store chains, but it wanted to keep competing and also offered Sydney shoppers something different.
Also, Gowings had outlasted many larger chains that either collapsed or were absorbed by competitors.
But what saw its end?
Back in 2000, the department store arm was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as Gowings Retail. In 2005, it was renamed as G Retail
In the years leading to its demise, it sought to expand into the suburbs for the first time, opening stores in Wynyard, Darlinghurst, Parramatta, Sydney Airport, and Hornsby. It was even planned to open stores interstate and turn it into a national chain.
The suburban expansion was unsuccessful, with the stores operating at a loss. Parramatta was of most concern, with millions lost and failing to accommodate the demographics of western Sydney.
In November 2005, an administrator was appointed to G Retail following reported losses of $13 million. The menswear chain Lowes had expressed serious interest in acquiring Gowings, but talks fell through. By December, administrators at Deloitte had decided to wind up the company, as no buyer could be found. On December 16, 2005, employees were notified that the stores would cease trading by the end of January 2006. The remaining stores were progressively closed, with the Market Street store closing on Sunday, January 29, 2006.190 employees lost their jobs as a consequence of the closure
Source: Brown, M. 2006. "Gone to Gowings no more". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 30: 3.
Following the store's closure, Gowing Bros sold the building to Amalgamated Holdings for $68.6 million.
Source: Stevens, J. 2006. "End of an era in store". The Daily Telegraph, January 28: 6.
Two decades later, the makeup chain Mecca occupies the space formerly occupied by the store. British fashion chain Topshop Topman replaced Gowings until its Australian stores stopped trading in 2020. Like Gowings, the Sydney CBD store was the last one to close. The rest of the building, along with the adjoining State Theatre, was converted for hotel use and now houses the QT Sydney hotel.
While the Department Store no longer exists, Gowing Bros (the company that ran the store) still operates as a fund investment company, and the famous Gowings signage along its George Street side remains and is heritage-listed.
On January 27 2006, I managed to take these pictures of Gowings in its final days. They may not have liked me taking the pictures, but they do make a historical record of what it was in its final days.
Michael Evans wrote the following feature on the demise of Gowings, which was published in The Sydney Morning Herald on January 23, 2006.
Source: Evans, M. 2006. "This time next week it really will be gone". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 23: 17 & 18.
Source: Anon. 1976. "Farmers moving back to quality". The Sun Herald, May 9: 127.
1976 saw the end of an era in Sydney retailing when Farmers stores were rebranded as Myer. It was the first of two rebrandings by Myer as they acquired Sydney department stores. The second was in 2004 when Grace Bros stores were rebranded as Myer following their takeover by Myer in 1983 and later incorporation into the Coles-Myer Group.
Below is a 1976 newspaper article from The Sun Herald announcing that by the end of that year, all Farmers stores would be rebranded as Myer, including its flagship city store (Current location of Myer post 2004 rebranding of Grace Bros & Westfield Sydney Central Plaza).
Farmers merged with Myer in 1961, and over the next fifteen years, Myer engaged in Myerisation of its stores, which meant removing the services and products that gave Farmers its unique identity. In effect, Farmers stores had evolved into Myer stores except in name only.
At the time, Farmers had stores in central Sydney, Miranda, Carlingford, Burwood, Blacktown and Gordon.
Myer would trade under its name on the site until 1983, when it acquired Grace Bros and rebranded the store to Grace Bros, along with any stores branded as Myer in NSW.
In 2004, all Grace Bros stores in NSW, including the city store, were rebranded as Myer, reintroducing the Myer name to what was once the home of Farmers.
Sydney Tower opened to the public on September 25 1981. Below is an advertisement was published in The Sun Herald on September 6 1981.
Source: Sydney Tower. 1981. "Tickets to the Top Available Now" (Advertisement). The Sun Herald, September 6: 6.
General admission was just $3.50, with pensioners and children paying just $1.50. Tickets to visit Sydney Tower can be purchased in advance at participating outlets, including Mitchell Bass and Grace Bros stores in the Sydney metropolitan area.
Below is an advertisement from The Sun Herald, published on September 27 1981, just two days after opening. By this point, visitors and tourists could purchase directly at the door.
Source: Sydney Tower. 1981. "Sydney Tower is now open...Come on up!" (Advertisement). The Sun Herald, September 27: 40.
Also, this is the first television commercial for Sydney Tower, which was screened in the 1980s. Video uploaded to YouTube by "Shadow Archive".
During their 1992 tour of Australia, The Beach Boys did one concert in Sydney. Instead of opting for venues such as the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney Football Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground, they performed at North Narrabeen Reserve, North Narrabeen (home to Rat Park and Warringah Rugby Club).
The venue was within walking distance of Narrabeen Beach. Narrabeen is referenced in the Beach Boys’ 1963 hit “Surfin’ U.S.A.” as “Australia’s Narrabeen,” establishing a direct geographic connection between the 1992 concert site and the song’s roll call of surf locations.
20, 000 people attended the concert on Saturday, November 28 1992. Lead singer Brian Wilson did not perform, but John Stamos (Full House) was a guest drummer, as reported by The Sun Herald (November 29 1992), who was a "hit" with the "teenage girls".
Source: Tubb, R. 1992. "Beach Boys Thrill Fans Again". The Sun Herald, November 29: 6
%20pano%20version.jpg)
Remember This? is back for January. Below is a 1973 aerial of Sydney and North Sydney as captured by photographer Ern McQuillan. The aerial places the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the centre of the image while capturing what was referred to as the "twin cities". The photo was featured on Page 1 of the Wentworth Courier in its edition of July 4, 1973.
