Westfield Burwood Redevelopment (2000)

Source: Westfield. 2000. "Westfield Burwood Grand Opening Thursday 17 August" (Advertisement). The Inner Western Suburbs Courier, August 14: 1. 

Did you know that Westfield Burwood is the only Westfield Shopping Centre to have been completely demolished and rebuilt as part of a redevelopment?

Source: Anon. 2000. "Designed for the new millennium". The Inner Western Suburbs Courier, August 14: 21.

This month is 25 years since the redeveloped complex opened to shoppers. The size of the centre was doubled to 62 000sq/m and contained 220 stores. Anchor tenants from the original complex returned, including Grace Bros and Coles. Target, which traded on a separate site in Victoria Street, moved into the complex and its former site was incorporated into Westfield, becoming home to a new 12-screen Greater Union (now Event Cinemas) complex. 

 

Source: Westfield. 2000. "It's easier to get here (but even harder to resist)." (Advertisement). The Inner Western Suburbs Courier, August 14: 155. 

Woolworths and Kmart opened new stores for the first time. The official opening was on August 17, 2000, by swimming legend Dawn Fraser, an Inner West local herself.

According to The Inner Western Suburbs Courier,  an estimated 90,000 flocked to the centre for the first day of trading.

Source: Anon. 2000. "Huge crowd flocks to Westfield". The Inner Western Suburbs Courier, August 21: 1.

Grace Bros was branded as Myer in 2004, before closing in 2007 and was replaced by David Jones. In 2024, a refurbishment saw David Jones reduce its trading space from three floors to two floors. The space on level 2 is now occupied by Aldi, JB Hifi, Nike and Rebel Sport. 

These advertisements were published in The Inner Western Suburbs Courier in its editions throughout August 2000.

Coles

 Woolworths 

 Kmart

Dymocks

 

Grace Bros published a special advertising supplement on August 17, 2000, in The Daily Telegraph. I share three of those pages with you.

Entry of interest

MILESTONE: Westfield Burwood opens (1966)

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Grace Bros Chatswood Office Tower (1969)

Full Citation Below

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Grace Bros were focused on expansion into the suburbs. Grace Bros had opened in Chatswood in 1961 and were keen to expand the store. In 1969, a proposal was submitted to Willoughby Council for a retail development. An enlarged Grace Bros department store would anchor the centre, along with specialty stores and additional parking, which would cross over Anderson Street (as Westfield does at present) into the block bounded by that street, along with Albert Avenue, Spring Street, and Victoria Street. 

The footprint, in effect, encompasses the current Westfield complex. If Grace Bros had proceeded with their expansion plans, the layout of Westfield Chatswood would likely be different today and would have had implications for any future expansion or development that Westfield undertook. With Grace Bros having a more established shopping centre, Chatswood Chase may not have been built, meaning Chatswood may not have two major shopping centres today.  

 

Source: Anonymous. 1969. "$20 M Bonanza". The Daily Mirror, March 6: 2.  

Westfield would eventually develop the block that was to have been developed by Grace Bros, opening in 1986. The expansion of the department store did proceed, opening the following year (1970), which was featured as Stage 1 of the project. The store would be integrated into Westfield Chatswood in 1999 as part of an expansion of the centre. 

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Early Westfield Hurstville Scheme (1975)

Source: Anon. 1975. "Big New Shopping Complex". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, December 3: 3. 

Westfield Hurstville was opened in 1978. At the time of opening, it had 120 stores anchored by Waltons, Coles and Nock & Kirbys. It was confined to a block bound by Park Road, Cross Street and Humphreys Lane before being extended over Park Road in 1989/1990.

Before the expansion at the end of the 1980s it also had the Snowy Hill Park, open to the public at all hours of the day. 

In 1975, an ambitious proposal was lodged with Hurstville Council (now Georges River Council), which envisioned an even larger park spread on its roof (equivalent to a town square) and an office building, which had become standard with any Westfield development at the time. Three levels of retail would be provided. 

Jake Harproff had recently posted scanned images from a document to the Old Shops Australia Facebook Group.

The cross sections from three different angles gives one the perspective of the layout, which would differ significantly from what would be built within the original section of the centre. 

• Snowy Hill Park would be built atop a three-level car park located at the Humphreys Lane end, with footbridges connecting the centre to Forest Road. It would act as a town centre for central Hurstville.
• An office block with three levels of office space to be built above the rooftop car park. This component was scrapped.
• Three levels of shops, but would become two levels when the design was modified to the eventual original layout, and the retail area was extended down to Humphreys Lane, while Snowy Hill Park was reduced.
• As originally planned, the department store (Waltons) would be located towards the Park Street end. Coles would be located on level 1 (and has been since opening in 1978). 
• Provision of space for a discount department store (didn't eventuate in 1978).

Would this have affected its subsequent expansion over Park Road to encompass the block bounded by The Avenue, Cross Street, Park Road and Humphreys Lane in 1989-1990? The layout of that block in its current form would have been possible, but the famous sloping of shops in the complex (which allows shoppers to use the centre without using stairs or escalators) would not have occurred. Escalators and stairs would have been used to move up or down each floor. It's likely, though, that the current centre may have fewer stores than it has in its current layout.

2004: End of Sharpies Golf House

Above: Sharpies Golf Store in 2006. The store had closed in 2004, but the facade was still intact from its day of closure. Photo taken by the Author.

Elizabeth Street was home to Sharpies Golf Store (Originally known as The Golf House), an independent retailer popular with golfers.

In 2004, the decision was made to close the shop after 45 years of trading on Elizabeth Street and relocate to a new store at Taren Point as its lease ended. 

Source: Miller, L. "City icon's last round". The Daily Telegraph, December 15: 13. 

The store was famous for its neon signage atop the building, depicting a golfer hitting a ball into the 19th hole, which was played three times a minute. The exact date of when it was put up was unknown. Some believe it was placed at the time the store opened, and others think that it was in 1964.

In 2002, the signage was heritage listed, and following its closure, it was dismantled (2007) and donated to the Powerhouse Museum. 

Above: Sharpies Golf Store after removal of signage (2010). Photo taken by the Author.

The site was redeveloped into Golf House, a luxury apartment complex, completed in 2019. Below are two photos of the complex, taken by me in 2023. 

Remember This? Peter's of Kensington The Grand New Year Sale Ad (2000)

Remember This? is back for its summer series as normally done throughout January.

Below is a newspaper advertisement for Homewares store Peter's of Kensington from 2000 to promote their annual New Year Sale. Back in 2000, they were only based at Kensington, but have expanded to now trade at Alexandria, Barangaroo and Birkenhead Point (Drummoyne). In addition, they have an online store , meaning one does not have to wait for stores to be open or travel to Sydney to make their purchases. 

Source: Peter's of Kensington. 2000. "The Grand New Year Sale" (Advertisement). The Sun Herald, January 16: 34-35.

Christmas Snapshot: 1999

Christmas Day falls on Wednesday (December 25), and this entry focuses on how Sydney marked Christmas 25 years ago. The year in focus is 1999, the last Christmas of the 20th Century and the second millennium.

In 1999, Christmas Day fell on a Saturday, which gave one plenty of time to prepare in the week leading up to the day. 

Carols in the Domain - December 18

It was held on December 18, 1999, and attracted a crowd of about 100,000 people. The event was hosted by Andrew Daddo and Belinda Emmett. ​ Entertainers included Lisa McCune, who made a dramatic helicopter entrance from her performance in "The Sound of Music," Vanessa Amorosi, The Wiggles, Monica Trapaga, and the Von Trapp children from "The Sound of Music." Other performers included Chelsea Gibb, Simon Burke, Sharon Millerchip, Doug Parkinson, Ignatius Jones, and the Sydney Youth Orchestra. The event also featured a pre-show with performances by the Real Blondes and the Daisy Dolls. ​

Further Reading:

Minogue, K. 1999. "Lisa to fly in for Domain carols". The Daily Telegraph, December 18: 17.

Rumble, T. 1999. "Choppers and Changes For Busy McCune". The Sun Herald, December 19: 44. 

Newspaper Front Page - Christmas Day

In 1999, The Daily Telegraph was the only newspaper published on Christmas Day in Sydney. The Daily Telegraph/The Sunday Telegraph published Christmas Day editions between 1994 and 2004. 

The Sunday Telegraph, allocated one page (page 4) for Christmas features in its edition of December 26. Features included the Christmas Addresses from the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney - Cardinal Edward Clancy, and the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Harry Goodhew.

The weather started "wet and wild" before clearing to a sunny afternoon. 

Bondi Beach proved popular with British Backpackers, who held their traditional Christmas Day party on the beach.

Christmas Sales

It was reported by The Daily Telegraph in its afternoon edition on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that an estimated $200 million had been spent by shoppers in NSW on December 24, and a total of $2 billion in the lead-up to Christmas.

Source: Lawson, B. 1999. "$2bn splurge: Record Christmas spending". The Daily Telegraph, December 24: 1 & 2.

The afternoon edition on Christmas Eve also included a feature on the marathon trade at the Sydney Fish Markets, a tradition that continues to this day.

Christmas Planners

I love posting the Christmas Planners because they provide a great snapshot of services over Christmas. Compared with today, services available on Christmas Day have remained relatively unchanged if we focus solely on what is featured below. I remember with eateries, many were shut on the day, but some especially fast food chains such as McDonalds have since decided to trade on the day.

 

The most significant changes in what's available have focused on Boxing Day, with retail trade permitted on Boxing Day across the Metropolitan area since 2015. In 1999, Boxing Day fell on a Sunday and no retail trade was allowed as a public holiday had been gazetted for December 28 (December 27 was to make up for Christmas Day falling on a Saturday). 

To close off this entry,  a newspaper feature on Christmas lights adorning the homes at Johnson Close at Bonnet Bay in the Sutherland Shire. The competition for the best-lit street at Christmas has gotten fiercer every year since. 

Source: Tsavdaridis, N. 1999. "The Bay of lights". The Daily Telegraph, December 25: 15. 

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

 

Remember This? Gowing's May Madness Sale Ad (1969)

Below is a 1969 newspaper advertisement promoting the "May Madness" sale at Gowings. Shoppers had the chance to win $1000 through a lucky number competition that was being run as an in-store promotion.

Source: Gowing's. 1969. "Gowing's May Madness Sale" (Advertisement). The Daily Mirror, May 8: 34 & 35. 

Christmas Snapshot: 1998

Merry Christmas, everyone.

For the first time since 2017, Christmas Day falls on a Monday and its perfect timing for our Christmas Snapshot, focusing on how Sydneysiders marked Christmas 25 years ago.

The year of focus is 1998.

Christmas Services

The Daily Telegraph provided its readers with an overview of what would open and what would be closed on Christmas Day, and generally, there has been little change over the past 25 years.

 

On December 26, The Daily Telegraph provided a summary of how the city marked Christmas Day. Ashfield Uniting Church hosted 2500 people for Christmas Lunch, led by Rev. Bill Crews. Sydney Lord Mayor Frank Sartor acted as Santa while former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and wife Blanche d'Alpuget waited on attendees

Their work has expanded over the years. Apart from Christmas Lunch at Ashfield, the Bill Crews Foundation will have delivered hampers to thousands of homes in the lead-up to today.

10,000 people, mainly backpackers, converged on Bondi Beach for their traditional Christmas Day gathering. The weather played its part, providing attendees with perfect skies. 

Carols in the Domain was on 19 December 1998 and was compered by Hugh Jackman.

Boxing Day Sales on Boxing Day

 

Source: Ryan, R. 1998. "City stores don Boxing Day gloves". The Daily Telegraph, December 26: 7.  

In 1998, Sydney CBD retailers traded on Boxing Day for the first time, which gave Sydneysiders an opportunity to obtain bargains on Boxing Day without having to leave the Sydney Metropolitan area. However, suburban retailers were still prohibited from trading. Under the legislation, the Sydney CBD was deemed to be a tourist area, alongside centres in NSW that were also designated as tourist centres for the purposes of retail trading on Boxing Day. This had been allowed for years, but retailers refused on their own accord to do so.

One retailer that did not participate in Boxing Day trading in central Sydney was David Jones. 

This arrangement continued until 2003. In 2004, Sydney CBD retailers were not permitted to trade on Boxing Day as it fell on a Sunday, and a public holiday in lieu was given (27 December 2004). 

Sydneysiders voted with their feet, with 100,000 shoppers travelling into the city to take advantage of the bargains on offer, led by department stores Grace Bros and David Jones. 

Source: McCabe, K. "Shoppers create a retail heaven". The Sunday Telegraph, December 27: 7. 

1982: Weekend Shopping - SMH Feature

Forty years ago, retail trading hours for shops were heavily restricted on weekends. Shops were required to close at noon on a Saturday and were not permitted to trade on a Sunday. By the 1980s, major retailers such as Harvey Norman, Norman Ross and Waltons were challenging the laws by identifying loopholes with either success or failure.

Extending retail hours on weekends was opposed by the unions, citing the right of workers to have Sunday off and continued throughout the decade, though by the end of the decade, Sunday trading would be phased in, though gradually into the 1990s. 

Meanwhile, a court ruling in 1982 by Jim Macken in the NSW Industrial Commission raised concerns about big businesses i.e. Harvey Norman and Norman Ross extending their trading hours at the expense of small businesses, which relied on the weekend trade for their survival.

The Sydney Morning Herald's weekly Metro liftout published a feature in 1982 that provided Sydneysiders with a guide to shopping on weekends once the shutters went down at noon on Saturdays.

Reporter Mary Lord spent one weekend exploring the metropolitan area to see what was open on weekends and this is what she unearthed:

• Birkenhead Point offered "everything" on a Sunday.
• Manly offered options for "After-hours shopping" including clothing stores, bookstores and chemists.
• Kings Cross - most of the usual shops were open but 'very little" could actually be bought on Sundays
• Harvey Norman, Auburn - "mecca" on Parramatta Road, which attracted "more buyers at weekends".
• Norman Ross & Waltons conducted "warehouse sales" at Homebush, Homebush Bay or Granville as they would not be subject to general shop laws.
• Hardware stores - smaller stores were open on weekends.
• Hudson's in Miranda was "open at back and staffed by management only"

I have included the feature below with a full citation.

Source: Lord, M. 1982. "The Weekend Shopper". The Sydney Morning Herald, November 19: 2-4 (Metro Liftout).

Remember This? When McDonald's first opened in central Sydney (1972)

Mcdonald's opened their first store in Australia in 1971 in Yagoona. The following year, the first store in Central Sydney opened. It was at 632-634 George Street, not far from their current lodgings inside the former Plaza Theatre (from 1984).

   

Source: McDonald's System of Australia Pty. Ltd. 1972. "McDonald's first city location" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, November 4: 10. 

Nine stores currently trade in the Sydney CBD, including the Ultimo Store at Railway Square, Darling Quarter and Darling Square. 

In recent years a number of stores have closed. There may be some on the list that are missing. Let me know if I have left any out (excluding ones that were relocated):

• Pitt & Park Street - Closed due to Sydney Metro construction. The building was demolished. 
• Martin Place - Closed due to Sydney Metro construction.
• The Rocks - The Rocks Centre
• Ground floor, Metropolitan Hotel (Corner of George and Bridge Street) - Closed due to "end of lease", as I recall, around a decade ago. 
• Harbourside Darling Harbour - Closed due to the current redevelopment of the site.
• Mid City Centre - This operated as a McDonald's Express outlet, I recall and closed due to redevelopment into the current centre.
• Centrepoint Sydney - Located in the food court before redevelopment into Westfield Sydney.
• Glasshouse - Operated as a McDonald's Express outlet but unable to provide a date of closure.
• Hunter Connection - This operated as a McDonald's Express outlet, I recall and closed sometime in the 2000s.
• Hoyts Cinema Centre, George Street

1998: Broadway Shopping Centre opens

Source: The Broadway Shopping Centre. 1998. "The Broadway Shopping Centre" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, March 29: 48.

On 31 March 1998, The Broadway Shopping Centre was opened at Glebe. The new centre incorporated part of the former Grace Bros flagship store that had occupied the site for 84 years between 1908 and 1992.

   

Source: The Broadway Shopping Centre. 1998. "There is something new in the city" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, March 31: 6. 

The centre was anchored by Coles, Bi-Lo, Kmart and Hoyts Cinemas. Mini-majors comprised Freedom Furniture, Harris Farm Markets, Collins Booksellers, Freedom Furniture, Crazy Prices, Rebel Sport and Chandlers.

In 2007, an additional level was added, along with renovations in 2016.

Twenty-five years later, the centre is still anchored by Coles, Kmart and Hoyts Cinemas but has been joined by Aldi and Target. Only two mini-majors have survived - Rebel Sport and Harris Farm Markets but now have the company of H&M, JB Hi-fi, Harvey Norman, Sephora and The Reject Shop. 

Did you know that they had to work through the night just to have it ready for opening day, and even then, some of the finishing touches still had to be done.

Source: Sussand, A. 1998. "Broadway's hell turns to yuppie heaven". The Sydney Morning Herald, March 31: 6. 

Source: Blake, E. 1998. "Broadway's $170m lease of life. The Daily Telegraph, March 31: 3 (Final edition).

1998: When Darrell Lea said "No" to developers

Above: The Darell Lea store in 2006. Photo was taken by the Author.

In 1998, as the 400 George Street development rose over George Street, the Lea Family (founders and original owners of Darrell Lea) revealed that they had refused offers from developers to sell the site of which was home to their then flagship store. The building was also on the National Trust Register, protecting it from demolition. Developers had proposed incorporating the building into the structure, by the Lea family had doubts about the future of the building had they opted to sell. 

   

Source: Blake, E. 1998. "City keeps its sweet spot". The Daily Telegraph, March 2: 15. 

Darrell Lea closed the store in 2012 when they quit the speciality shop trade as part of a restructuring of the company following financial difficulties and the sale of the family-run business to VIP Petfoods. The company was sold again in 2018 to the Quadrant Equity Group. Currently, the site is home to a Telstra Store and has had restoration works.

The building today. Photo was taken by the Author (2019).

The Lea family must be credited for helping save a building that didn't just mean something to them, but to the City of Sydney as well. While Darrell Lea may no longer sell its chocolates and sweets from this building, it allows a piece of Darrell Lea's history to live on. It is the family's legacy to Sydney.

1984: The Conservation of the Plaza Theatre

 

Source: Anon. 1984. "Plaza's face saved". The Sydney Morning Herald, February 2: 16.

For nearly forty years, the the McDonalds Plaza restaurant (as it is known) has been located in the former Plaza Theatre in George Street, directly opposite Event Cinemas. McDonalds bought the building from the Hoyts Theatre organisation in 1981 and spent $2 million dollars converting the former theatre into a retail and commercial office building. The restored building was officially opened by NSW Premier Neville Wran in February 1984. The McDonalds restaurant opened in December 1983 and has traded there to this day. 

The building was also home to Planet Hollywood between 1996 and 2002 when finacial difficulties bought on its closure. The blue globe remains atop the building two decades later.

SYDNEY RETAILING: More Midnight Shopping Clippings (1987 & 1989)

After my entry on the Pitt Street Mall hosting the first Midnight trade evening in September 1987, I found another two clippings relating to another two instances where retailers could trade until midnight. In one instance, one retailer decided to begin the day's trade at midnight.

Christmas 1987 - Kmart

Source: Coren, D. 1987. "Crowds Flock to Shop Late". The Daily Mirror, December 23: 2. 

On 23 December 1987, Kmart opened stores at Blacktown, Hornsby and Merrylands at midnight as part of extended Christmas trading and was a "great success" according to Blacktown store supervisor Jim O'Reilly. 

Midnight trading was allowed on the thursday before Christmas in 1988 (22 December 1988). Below is a newspaper advertisement for Bankstown Square as published in The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader on 20 December 1988.

Mothers Day 1989

 

Source: Knowsley, J. 1989. "Traders Clash On Midnight Opening". The Daily Mirror, May 12: 16-17.

Retailers were allowed to trade until midnight on Thursday 11 May 1989. Westfield decided to keep its centres open until midnight. Westfield claimed it was successful, but there were some that felt it did not work out and the anticipated extra trade did not eventuate. 

Christmas 1989

Westfield repeated the extra late trading on the last Thursday before Christmas in 1989 with a midnight close on 21 December. 

Source: Westfield. 1989. "Open Today and Every Day until Christmas (Advertisement)." The Sunday Telegraph, December 17: 149. 

Peter Fitzsimons also wrote a feature on the extended late trade at the Grace Bros City Store for The Sydney Morning Herald. This was featured in a previous entry focusing on Christmas in 1989.

Source: Fitzsimons, P. "To some, night is the time for shopping. " The Sydney Morning Herald, December 23: 2. 

Related Entries

• Christmas Snapshot: 1989
• Sydney Retailing: Midnight Shopping (1987)