Property Advert of the Week: Engadine Land Release (1964)

Below is a 1964 newspaper advertisement promoting a land release at Engadine. It is not explicitly stated in the advertisement as to where in the suburb the land release was located, but interested buyers were to meet a sales representative at the intersection of (old) Princes Highway & Railway Parade (Princes Highway). This is the intersection where KFC Engadine is located today. 

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. "Young folk are moving to Engadine" (Advertisement). The Daily Mirror, January 3: 44. 

A £50 ($100) deposit was required to secure blocks ranging from £795 ($1590) to £1150 ($2300). In today's money, that would range from around $28 100 to around $40 650 (RBA Inflation Calculator). 

Property Advert of the Week: Mt Pritchard Land Release (1964)

 In 1964, homesites were on offer at Mt Pritchard for a deposit of £10 ($20) or £850 ($1700) each. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this is equivalent to about $ 30,000 in today's money.

Mulgoa Road likely refers to what is now known as Elizabeth Drive. 

Source: G. P. Grey Pty. Ltd. 1964. "Homesites at Liverpool" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, May 23: 36.

1964: The Lakes (Eastlakes) Shopping Centre opening feature

From Source: Anonymous. 1964. "Modern shop centre on racetrack site". The Daily Telegraph, November 9: 21. 

In 1964, The Lakes Shopping Centre (later renamed Eastlakes Shopping Centre) opened to serve the new estate being built on the former Rosebery Racecourse and surrounding suburbs. The centre traded in its original form until July 2025, when it was demolished as part of a redevelopment that will see a new shopping centre built along with apartments above the complex. The new centre will have 80 retailers (double the number of the original centre). Its redevelopment reflects a broader trend in which older shopping centres are being demolished and rebuilt with residential buildings above, as seen at Top Ryde City and Rockdale Plaza, turning shopping centres into communities in their own right. 

But in the 1960s, it was regarded as one of the larger shopping centres in Sydney with 42 shops and parking for around 500 cars, anchored by Woolworths and Flemings. The centre was opened on November 12, 1964, and traded in its original form until July 2025. 

Below is a feature from The Daily Telegraph, published on November 9 1964, to mark its opening.

Source: Anonymous. 1964. "Modern shop centre on racetrack site". The Daily Telegraph, November 9: 21. 

The Sydney Morning Herald published its own preview feature on November 10, 1964.

Source: Anonymous. 1964. "Finishing Touches At Rosebery". The Sydney Morning Herald, November 10: 23.

Property Advert of the week: Eastlakes Home Unit Village (1964)

Below is a 1964 newspaper advertisement from Parkes Developments promoting the sale of units at Eastlakes. Parkes Developments oversaw the development of homes at Eastlakes, which was built on the former Rosebery Racecourse. 

Apartment prices for two-bedroom apartments began at £4950 ($9900), which is equivalent to approximately $170 000 today, according to the RBA Inflation Calculator. 

Source: Parkes Developments. 1964. "A 1970 home unit now! Why wait?" The Sydney Morning Herald, November 10: 23. 

Property Advert of the Week: "Valley View" Estate, Berowra (1964)

In early 1964, a block of land in the "Valley View" estate at Berowra cost £1095 ($2190). According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this is equivalent to $37,500 in today's money.

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. 1964. "Berowra "Valley View" Estate" (Advertisement). The Daily Mirror, January 3: 27. 

Property Advert of the Week: AR Homes Ad (1964)

Below is a 1964 newspaper advertisement by AR Homes. The focus was on the model homes that could be built on a block of land.

Fibro Homes could be built for as little as £2090 ($4180), while Timber Homes could be built from £2215 ($4430). Brick Veneer homes were the most expensive starting from £2980 ($5960)

   Source: Arthur Robinson Pty. Ltd. 1964. "Priced beyond comparison" (Advertisement). The Daily Mirror, January 3: 26.

Property Advert of the Week: Killarney Heights Land Release (1964)

Below is a 1964 newspaper advertisement promoting the sale of 20 home sites in Greystones Road, Killarney Heights by the NSW Department of Lands. The sites were to be auctioned with reserve prices ranging from £1150 to £2150 ($2300 to $4300). 

Source: NSW Department of Lands. 1964. "20 Home Sites Killarney Heights" (Advertisement). The Sun March 6: 40. 

 

Property Advert of the Week: Forestville Land Release (1964)

Below is a 1964 newspaper advertisement promoting homesites at the Glenview Estate in Forestville. Prices ranged from £1,475 ($2950) to £1895 ($3790).

  

Source: Rivers Real Estate. 1964. "Rivers Magnificent Estates" (Advertisement).  The Sun, June 5: 48.

Property Advert of the Week: Hooker Homes Ad (1964)

Below is a newspaper advertisement from 1964 by Hooker Homes promoting model homes. The main home featured is The Margaret, a four bedroom home which could be built on your block for £3,775 ($7, 550). According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this is equivalent to paying $ 126,000 today.

Source: Hooker Homes. 1964. "Absolutely unbeatable value" (Advertisement). The Sun, March 6: 39. 

Property Advert of the Week: 72 Henrietta Street, Waverley (1964)

Below is a 1964 newspaper advertisement from The Sun promoting the sale of "bachelor units" at 72 Henrietta Street, Waverley. A £310 deposit ($610) would secure your unit. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this is equivalent to spending approximately $7775 in today's money.

Source: Landmark Limited. 1964. "Eastern Suburbs Bachelor Units". The Sun, March 6: 42.

1964: North Shore Council Restructure

 

Source: Anon. 1964. ""Impracticable," Mayor protests". The Daily Telegraph, February 4: 7.

Above is a 1964 newspaper clipping from The Daily Telegraph with a map of new North Shore council boundaries proposed by the Northside Advancement Committee to the Local Government Boundaries Commission.

Under the proposed scheme:

• Lane Cove Council would be enlarged by around 25% to encompass parts of the Willoughby Council area west of the Pacific Highway. It became a predominantly residential area.
• Mosman Council would be enlarged by around 25% to encompass part of the North Sydney Local Government Area. Like Lane Cove, it would also be a predominantly residential area.
• Willoughby and North Sydney Councils would be merged to form a new local government area focusing on commercial development.

The restructuring was simply to aid commercial development on the North Shore and provide residents north of the harbour with increased employment opportunities, avoiding the need to cross the harbour to seek employment. This was the same approach taken with Sydney City Council at various stages in its history, where the boundaries reflected commercial activity. 

Source: Anon. 1964. "Scheme to develop Nth. Shore". The Daily Telegraph, February 3: 8.

Town planning expert Dr. Ivan Boileau supported the plan as it encouraged "a twin commercial" (two cities) centres.

 

Source: Anon. 1964. "Expert sees value in N. Shore plan". The Daily Telegraph, February 5: 14.

While the proposal never came to fruition, such a proposal today would not be popular going by attempts to merge North Sydney, Mosman and Willoughby Councils into one council in 2016. 

1964: The Royal Exchange Building closes its doors

1964 ended an era for wool trading in Sydney when the Royal Exchange Building held its last trades. The Royal Exchange Building was pulled down for 56 Pitt Street, a 28 level office tower which kept the name of the original building. However, the wool exchange did not return, despite the developers as a condition of approval for the tower, had to provide space for an exchange.

 

Source: Anon. 1964. "Doors Close on 100 Years' Trading". The Daily Telegraph, July 10:11.

The office tower was completed in 1966.

Watch this space...

It is interesting to note that the building is currently undergoing an exterior refurbishment despite plans to construct Australia's tallest office tower rising 305 metres tall to roof level. 

It would be the:

• Third tallest skyscraper in Australia. The tallest skyscrapers are Q1 on the Gold Coast (322 metres/78 storeys) and Australia 108 in Melbourne (317 metres/100 stories).
• Second tallest skyscraper to roof height in Australia. Australia 108 in Melbourne as mentioned above is 317 metres tall. 
• First skyscraper in Sydney to be at least 1000 feet tall.

Dexus is set to develop the tower and at this stage with a projected completion date of 2028.

1964: Sydney's first ring roads

With traffic congestion increasing in Sydney roads during the 1960's, motorists needed to be guided through the metropolitan area to avoid congested urban centres. 

The response by the Main Roads Department was to create a network of ring roads. A ring road in Sydney comprised of main roads that were connected together. Ir meant that drivers could bypass Central Sydney altogether if they needed to. 

In Sydney, ring roads or "Metroads" guided drivers between 1964 and 2013. Ring roads are now alphanumerically numbered e.g. Metroad 3 is now A3. 

Below is an article published in The Daily Telegraph in 1964 which focused on the inroduction of the original ring roads. 

 

Ring Road 3 (later Metroad 3 and now A3) was the first to be commissioned. The original route largely follows the current A3 with some differences e.g. The original route went through Belfield, Strathfield and Concord as Roberts Road, Centenary Drive and Homebush Bay Drive were yet to either be converted into main roads or yet to be built. 

Two other ring roads were soon commissioned:

Ring Road 1 - Ran along the southern fringe of the Sydney CBD.

Ring Road 5 - Hurstville to Hornsby via Parramatta.

The original ring roads system lasted until 1974, when  they were incorporated into a network of State Roads. 

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Hotel at The Gap (1964)

Welcome to Part III in our current "Never Built" series.  This week, we head to Watsons Bay where Goldberger and Kauffman Finance and Building Enterprises proposed an eighteen level or 59 metre tall hotel tower at The Gap. The hotel would contain 190 rooms and the top floor would be designated for a restaurant which promised sweeping views of the ocean and city.

If built, this tower would have been located at the main shopping strip of the suburb at the corner of Military and Gap roads. 

Source: Anon. 1964. "18-storey Hotel For The Gap". The Sydney Morning Herald, October 16:12.

The concept appears great as the hotel would have offered some of the most panoramic ocean views that any Sydney hotel could offer given its proximity to the coast line but also the elevation of the site which could be as high as forty metres. It would be on the recommended list of hotels to stay in Sydney, even today.

Even if converted into apartments in later years, the views afforded would have been the same and we would be talking about it being one of the best addressees in Sydney.

But the concern with the scheme was the height with nothing over two storeys and this would have dramatically altered the character of Watsons Bay altogether but having nothing tall in the area was part of the business case for the hotel. Highrise is not part of  the urban landscape in Watsons Bay.

Such a proposal would not get off the ground at all. Add heritage matters to the list of reasons why a hotel could not be built. 

1964: Westfield Burwood Plans released

Full Citation Below

In 2016, I published an entry on the opening of Westfield Burwood in 1966. This year, the complex will turn 55.  Below is a clipping from The Daily Telegraph in July 1964 relating to the announcement of plans by Westfield to construct the centre. One eventual tenant (Mark Foys) was reported to have announced that they would open a store in the new centre. 

Source. Anon. 1964. "£2m. Plan for Burwood". The Daily Telegraph, July 1:9. 

This was not the final scheme. In June 1965, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the planned shopping centre had enlarged to encompass more of the block, which would be the built design. Additional retail space was added along with an office block facing Burwood Road.  

Source: Anon. 1965. "Myer's Gets Store Site Sought by Mark Foy's". The Sydney Morning Herald, June 17: 1. 

Despite three years of negotiations, Mark Foys was unsuccessful to act as the anchor for the new centre. Farmers (owned by Myer) was successful in securing the lease for 100 000 square feet of space (up from 80 000 square feet in the previous scheme). Mark Foys had to settle for a smaller space within the centre. 

Related:

MILESTONE: Westfield Burwood opens (1966)

Remember This? View from the RBA Building (1964)

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Building in Martin Place was completed in 1964. Below is a photo that appeared in The Daily Telegraph on December 10 1964 showing the view from the top of the building facing south towards Hyde Park. The construction of the Law Courts Building in the 1970's would eliminate the view.

Source: Anon. 1964. "New Look at Sydney's Green Heart". The Daily Telegraph, December 10: 61. 

Remember This? William Street Car Dealers Advertisement (1964)

Below is a newspaper advertisement from The Daily Telegraph promoting William Street as a destination to buy a new car. This was published on June 18, 1964.

 

EVOLUTION OF WESTFIELD MIRANDA: The opening of Miranda Fair II (1964) - Retail Advertisements

This week, I share some newspaper advertisements from retailers that opened at Miranda Fair in 1964 when it was opened.

To read more about the opening of Miranda Fair in 1964, click here. Also, if you want to read how the centre was conceived, click here. 

Farmers

Woolworths

H.G. Palmers

Bradman's

Fletcher Jones

Fays

EVOLUTION OF WESTFIELD MIRANDA: Miranda Fair opens (1964)

A few months back, I looked at the conception of what is now Westfield Miranda. This week, I look back at the opening of the centre in March 1964.

The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader provided detailed coverage, and bought out a special edition on March 16, 1964.

Above: Page 1 of the special edition of The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader published on March 16, 1964.

Below is an advertisement to promote the opening of Miranda Fair, marketed as the "largest shopping centre under-one-roof" in New South Wales.

Opening day was March 16, 1964 with trading commencing the following day. NSW Premier Ron Heffron was given the privilege of opening the 3.25 million pound (6.5 million dollars) centre before 1 600 guests. A highlight of the opening ceremony was the arrival of a helicopter to deliver newspapers. That evening, a special fireworks display was put on for the locals.

Source: Anon. 1964. "Premier to Open Fair at Miranda". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, March 4: page unknown.

The premier lavished praise on the new centre as reported by The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader in its edition of March 18, 1964 (see below).

Farmers anchored the centre with a three level store and was supported by a variety of familar names both at the time and/or presently - Woolworths, Angus & Coote, Fletcher Jones and H.G. Palmers, Kenray's and Fay's.

Three tenants from 1964 still trade in the centre today. Woolworths still maintains a presence through its supermarket and BigW store. Angus & Coote is currently located on level 2 next to BigW.

Myer can also claim that it has been present since day one. Farmers was owned by Myer in 1964. In 1976, Farmer's stores were re branded as Myer.

In 1983, Myer bought out Grace Bros which also had a store in Miranda. Myer stores in Sydney were either re-branded as Grace Bros or closed if Grace Bros was trading nearby. As Miranda also had a Grace Bros trading on site, it was allowed to remain open.

All Grace Bros stores in NSW and the ACT were rebranded as Myer in 2004.

Below is another feature article from The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader as published on March 16, 1964.

Next Week, I will provide some additional clippings associated with the opening.

Remember This? Sylvania Waters taking shape (1964)

In the last of our current Remember This? series, below is a Page 1 feature from the September 9, 1964, edition of The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader reporting on the development of the new housing estate at Sylvania Waters and Captain Cook Bridge.