City of Bankstown

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City of Bankstown
New South Wales

Population: 174,513
• Density: 2266/km² (5868.9/sq mi)
Area: 77 km² (29.7 sq mi)
Mayor: Tania Mihailuk
Council Seat: Bankstown
Region: Metropolitan Sydney
State District: East Hills; Bankstown; Auburn; Fairfield
Federal Division: Banks; Blaxland
Website: http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/
LGAs around City of Bankstown:
City of Parramatta Auburn Council Municipality of Strathfield
Fairfield City City of Bankstown City of Canterbury
Liverpool City Sutherland Shire Hurstville City
City of Bankstown Portal
Facade of Bankstowns Town Hall
Facade of Bankstowns Town Hall
Expansion of Centro Bankstown as of 2008
Expansion of Centro Bankstown as of 2008
Council chambers of the Bankstown City Council
Council chambers of the Bankstown City Council
This article is about the local government area. For the suburb of Bankstown, see Bankstown, New South Wales.

The City of Bankstown is a city and Local Government Area in south-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It consists of a number of suburbs including Bass Hill, Greenacre, Georges Hall and Milperra, among others. The City is bounded by the City of Parramatta and Auburn Council to the north, the City of Fairfield and the City of Liverpool to the west, the Sutherland Shire to the south, and the City of Canterbury, the City of Hurstville and the Municipality of Strathfield to the east.

Contents

[edit] History

Bankstown was established by Governor Hunter in 1797 in honour of botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who travelled to Australia with Captain James Cook in 1770. The area was discovered during an expedition of the Georges River by George Bass and Matthew Flinders. The area of first European settlement along the river has been partially preserved as part of the Mirrumbeena Regional Reserve. Bankstown also includes large areas of the Georges River National Park.

Bankstown became a municipality in 1895, and then declared official city status in 1980 in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. [1]

[edit] WWII history

Main article: Bankstown Bunker

The Bankstown Bunker was an exact replica of the underground Ops rooms of wartime England, which directed Britain's air defence fighter plane attacks on the invading German Luftwaffe. Entrance to the bunker was obtained through a concrete passageway which was well screened by a grassy slope; a stairway led to a virtual maze of corridors and hallways leading to various sections. There were two points into to the bunker (escape hatches) which were guarded by military police, and access was gained via the bottom level.[2]

The walls of the bunker were 1.5 metres thick[3] and it could almost withstand a direct hit from a 300lbs bomb. It had all the attenuated fixtures necessary to run a top secret operational defence base. It consisted of three Fixer Stations and one Homing Station. The bunker was also equipped with its own code room, plotting rooms, two escape tunnels and a radio transmitter room. In the centre of the bunker was a large room of about two-stories in height. This was the main Ops room and control centre for all RAAF Missions in the Pacific area. The room also had a large map, (24' x 18') denoting troop positions in the South West Pacific theater of World War II. The facilities inside the bunker also had to cater for the full time staff who lived and worked in the facility, they worked on a rotating roster that involved living in the bunker for two-week periods. The living quarters consisted of its own kitchen, dining area, bathrooms and bedrooms. The bunker also had its own generator, air conditioning and switchboards which directed fifty telephone lines[4]. The telephone lines went to various locations including radar stations and VAOC lookout posts which reported aircraft locations to the bunker. There are rumours of a tunnel running from the bunker to an unknown location.[5]

[edit] Geography

The boundaries of Bankstown City are, clockwise, the Prospect water supply pipeline and Liverpool Road (also known as Hume Highway) along the north, Roberts Road, Juno Parade, Koala Road, Punchbowl Road, Canterbury Road and the Salt Pan Creek along the east, the Georges River in the south and the Georges River, Prospect Creek, the Hume Highway and Woodville Road along the west.

The Bankstown City region is approx. 76 square kilometres and has a population density of about 21.46 people per hectare [6]. The local climate is similar to that of most of Sydney.

[edit] Landmarks

In the centre of Bankstown is the large Paul Keating Park. It stands on what was once the Council Chambers, which burned down in an accidental fire in 1997.[citation needed] Nowadays, all of the council operations are contained in the Civic Tower, adjacent to the Park. The Park is used for a variety of concerts and festivals (including the annual Bankstown Christmas Carols), and is otherwise a large playing field. Facing it is the Bankstown Town Hall.

[edit] Council

The Bankstown local government area is divided into four wards, with three councillors elected to each ward. The mayor of Bankstown City Council is elected by the councillors annually. Clr Helen Westwood became Bankstown's second female mayor in 2002. In 2006, a new Mayor was elected, Tania Mihailuk.

[edit] Economy

The local economy in Bankstown City is fairly diverse. There is a large number of manufacturing businesses in around Bankstown. There is also a large number of service and administrative jobs, particularly in the CBD.

Some large businesses are established in the Bankstown City area including: Fairfax Media Printers print The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald and the News Limited Printers print The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, both at Chullora. Bankstown Airport and the surrounding industrial areas in Revesby and Milperra are centres of economic activity.

Approximately 61,000 people work within the city, over 2 thirds of which come from elsewhere, and just under a third of workers live in the city itself. [7]

[edit] Retail

Bankstown's commercial area with Civic Centre in view
Bankstown's commercial area with Civic Centre in view

There are a wide variety of commercial shops. Most notable is the large and extensive shopping centre, Centro Bankstown (formerly known as Bankstown Square). It opened in 1966 and in July 2006 completed its most recent expansion. Other shopping precincts include the Compass Centre and various stores in the Bankstown Plaza, a large pedestrian thoroughfare located near the Bankstown railway station.

There is also a number of town centres in suburbs of the city. Other shopping centres include Bass Hill Plaza and Chullora Market Place.

[edit] Population

The Bankstown Local Government Area is the seventh largest in New South Wales by population, with about 170,000 people, after Blacktown, Sutherland, Fairfield, Wollongong, Lake Macquarie, and Penrith, and the fifth largest in Sydney.[citation needed] Its population density as of 2004 is 2,283.5 people per square kilometre.[8]

Bankstown is known for its multicultural community. A large proportion of the population are born overseas. Over 10,000 Bankstown City residents were born in Lebanon, making up about 6% of the population, and over 9,000 were born in Vietnam.[9] There is also a large number of people born in the UK, China and Macedonia. [9]

Other than English, other languages spoken by the community of Bankstown City include Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Macedonian and Italian.[10] Large Community groups include the Lebanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Macedonian groups.

The most common religion in Bankstown is Catholicism, followed by Anglican, Islam, Orthodox and Buddhism.[10]

[edit] Education

Bankstown is home to the University of Western Sydney Bankstown Campus. The Campus is located in Milperra, about 5-10 minutes drive from the Central Business District of Bankstown. The University is the main UWS Campus for arts, linguistics and humanities.

There are a number of TAFE Colleges in the city, with one located within the city itself. There is also a number of senior colleges.

Bankstown has numerous Public and Private Schools including Catholic and Islamic Schools in the city.

[edit] First public school

Main article: McLeod Reserve

Bankstown's first public school was built in 1880. In 1882 49 boys and 36 girls were enrolled, and upkeep expenses totalled 219 pounds, eight shillings and 11 pence. The school's first headmaster was Dugald McLeod who taught at the school until 1912.

The school was demolished in 1924 due to the development of North Bankstown School in the same year.[11]

[edit] Recreation and Culture

[edit] Events

Bankstown Town Hall, in the City Centre, holds a number of entertainment and cultural events throughout the year. Some of the Major events in the City include Australia Day and Carols by Candlelight. Australia Day celebrations are held on the Georges River Foreshore and attract large crowds. Carols are normally held in the City Centre, at Paul Keating Park. During April an Autumn Fair is held in Yagoona.

[edit] Parks

Mirambeena Regional Park
Mirambeena Regional Park

Bankstown has 293 parks covering 730 hectares within its city limits. There are 41 sports grounds, 12 community parks and 18 natural parklands[12]. In the CBD, major parks include Bankstown Oval, McLeod Reserve, Paul Keating Park and Bankstown City Gardens. Other major parks include Mirambeena Regional Park, The Crest, O'Neill Park, Terry Lamb Complex, Garrison Point, Jensen Oval and the extensive parklands around Georges River, among others. The entrance to Georges River National Park is also located within the city.

[edit] Media

There are two local newspapers, The Express and the Torch. The Torch is more Bankstown City based, whilst The Express covers both Bankstown and neighbouring local government area Canterbury.

[edit] Sport

The three storey complex of Central Bankstown Library, opened in 1983.
The three storey complex of Central Bankstown Library, opened in 1983.

The major sport in Bankstown City is Rugby League.[citation needed] There is one local team in the National Rugby League called the Bulldogs.

Bankstown City was also home to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Velodrome. The Velodrome now holds International Cycling Events. It is known as the Dunc Gray Velodrome. It most recently was part of the Australian Youth Olympics 2007.[citation needed]

There is a major cricket ground in Bankstown, Bankstown Oval . It occasionally hosts home games for the New South Wales Blues in the Ford Ranger Cup.

Bankstown is home to the Bankstown City Lions who play in the New South Wales Premier League.

There are several junior rugby league and soccer teams. Some main fields include the Crest, Walshaw Park, Middleton Park and Graf Park. There is also a Basketball Stadium in the City, and a horse raceway.

The City Council manages four swimming centres, in Birrong, Greenacre, Revesby and Villawood. The Wran Leisure Centre in Villawood also includes a sauna, squash and tennis courts. There is one public Golf Course, Sefton Golf Course, and a number of private ones.

[edit] Facilities

Bankstowns main Hospital is the Bankstown Lidcombe Hospital, a 454-bed Major Metropolitan Acute General Hospital.

Major educational sites include the Bankstown Campus of the University of Western Sydney, and TAFE NSW Bankstown College. Bankstown also has a large central library, which services the Bankstown metropolitan area, alongside smaller branches in other suburbs including Padstow, Greenacre and Chester Hill.

[edit] Transport

Olympic Parade Bankstown
Olympic Parade Bankstown
Olympic Parade Bankstown
Olympic Parade Bankstown

Roads

The M5 motorway runs through the Bankstown suburbs of Padstow, Revesby and Milperra, and is accessible by ramps on Henry Lawson Drive, The River Road and Fairford Road. The M5 links Bankstown to Sydney International Airport, Sydney City, Campbelltown and other outer south-western suburbs.

Other major routes to the City include Canterbury Road and the Hume Highway. Stacey Street is a main north-south route. There is also a scenic Henry Lawson Drive which runs along the Georges River Foreshore.

Rail

Railway formed an important part of the development of Bankstown. After the extension of the railway from Belmore to Bankstown, rapid development of the area followed - so much so that the commercial centre of Bankstown moved from its former position in Irish Town (Now Yagoona) on Liverpool Road to the vicinity of Bankstown railway station, Sydney.

Today, two railway lines of the CityRail network provide passenger services to the Bankstown local government area. Yagoona, Bankstown, Wiley Park and Punchbowl railway stations of the Bankstown line line service the north part of the local government area, while Padstow, Revesby, Panania and East Hills railway stations of the East Hills railway line service the south. The Bankstown Line will be altered as part of CityRail's Clearways project. The Bankstown Line will now run from Liverpool to the City via Bankstown, or Liverpool to Lidcombe via Regents Park. Commuters on the Bankstown Line will not longer be able to catch a direct service to the City via Regents Park and Lidcombe without changing lines at Lidcombe station.

Bankstown is also served by the Sydney Freight Terminal in Chullora. The intermodal terminal is one of Sydney's largest freight terminals.

Airport

Bankstown Airport is Australia's busiest general aviation airport. It is located west of the CBD. The Airport site is owned by the Federal government.

[edit] Natural environment

On the lower eastern border of Bankstown local government area, sandwiched between the Bankstown suburb of Padstow and the Hurstville suburb of Riverwood is the Salt Pan Creek. The creek is a saltmarsh and mangrove swamp that extends from Canterbury Road to Georges River. There is also a number of bushland/park land areas in Bass Hill and Georges Hall.

[edit] Famous Residents

Famous residents who lived or grew up in Bankstown include:

[edit] Sister cities

Sister Cities of Bankstown include:

Bankstown signed its first Sister City Agreement with Broken Hill in outback NSW on 16 September 1986. [13]

Bankstown signed its first international Sister City agreement with Suita City, Japan, in March 1989. [13]

Colorado students in Bankstown signed a new Sister City Agreement with Colorado Springs, home of the United States Olympic Committee, on 13 July 2001. [13]

In 1997, Bankstown signed a Friendship Agreement with Yangcheon City in South Korea, resulting in the establishment of youth exchanges and the sharing of information between both local authorities. During a tour in 2001, Bankstown Council delegates met with Korean officials to discuss ways of promoting Bankstown companies with a view to creating new export markets. The Cities exchanged details of Management Planning Processes and inspections of community facilities took place in Yangcheon. A Sister City Agreement was subsequently signed with Yangcheon City in September 2002. [13]

[edit] Suburbs of the City of Bankstown

The water tower known as Bankstown Reservoir is a heritage item managed by Sydney Water. In 1826, bush rangers were hanged on the site[citation needed] where the water tower now stands.
The water tower known as Bankstown Reservoir is a heritage item managed by Sydney Water. In 1826, bush rangers were hanged on the site[citation needed] where the water tower now stands.

These are the suburbs and localities in the local government area:

[edit] Bankstown in the Context of Sydney

Bankstown City is located within the metropolitan area of Sydney. In 2006, the NSW government released the new planning strategy for Sydney and surrounds, known as the City of Cities plan for Sydney. The plan identifies Bankstown as a 'Major Centre' for the south west Sydney region. Bankstown Airport was also identified as a 'Specialist Centre' and the Hume Highway as part of a potential transport corridor.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Bankstown Council - Development Over Time." Retrieved on July 20, 2007.
  2. ^ (information supplied by R. Eyers VAOC worker)
  3. ^ Teenagers raid bunker, BunkerBoyz.org, <http://www.bunkerboyz.org/bankbunk2.htm> 
  4. ^ Lawrence, Joan.; Brian Madden and Lesliie Muir. (1999). http://www.kingsclearbooks.com.au/cb.html Pictorial History of Canterbury Bankstown.. Kingsclear Books, 89. ISBN 0-908272-55-3. .
  5. ^ Peters, Merle. "Historian's account", Bankstown Torch Newspaper, 20.1.93. Retrieved on 2007-09-13. 
  6. ^ "Community Profile - Summary." Retrieved on July 29, 2007.
  7. ^ "Community Profile - Workers." Retrieved on July 29, 2007.
  8. ^ "Nation Regional Profile (Australian Bureau of Statistics)." Retrieved on July 17, 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Community Profile - Place of Birth." Retrieved on July 22, 2007.
  10. ^ a b "About Bankstown - Yesterday and Today." Retrieved on July 12, 2007.
  11. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:First_public_school_in_bankstown_sign.jpg
  12. ^ Joan Lawrence, Brian Madden and Les muir. (Page 116). A Pictorial History of Canterbury Bankstown. (Alexandria: Kingsclear Books 1999. Printed by Australian Print Group.) Retrieved on the 13th of August 2007.
  13. ^ a b c d "Bankstown's Sister Cities (PDF)." Retrieved on July 20, 2007.
  • Bankstown Historical Society (1991), Historical Tour of the Bankstown District, 5th Edition
  • Sue Rosen (1996), Bankstown, a Sense of Identity
  • About Bankstown - Yesterday & Today

[edit] External links

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Regions of Sydney
List of Sydney suburbs

Coordinates: 33°55′S 151°02′E / -33.917, 151.033

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