Bankstown

Background

Originally, the turpentine forest-covered land that surrounded Bankstown was occupied by the Bediagal people. In 1795 Matthew Flinders and George Bass explored 32 kilometres up the Georges River, reporting favourably to Governor Hunter about the land on its banks. A pioneer colony was established, initially for market gardens, but the soil was poor and timber cutting became the main industry. The area was named Banks Town by Governor Hunter, in honour of Sir Joseph Banks. He had accompanied Captain Cook on his voyage to Australia in 1770 and later earnt the title of 'Father of Australia' by urging the British Government to set up a colony at Botany Bay.

Prior to World War II Bankstown was a quiet semi-rural area, 16 kilometres southwest of Sydney. New houses were built in the post war boom with many refugee Europeans settling there in the late 40s – 50s.  Now 130 cultures are represented throughout the city of Bankstown.

Bankstown Reservoir

Our first stop was the Bankstown Reservoir, one of the oldest of this type still in use. It is heritage protected and stands proudly at 86 metres tall, built on concrete piers, with a capacity of 4.4 megalitres.  The reservoir exemplifies the Victorian and neoclassical architectural style of the early 20th century and features various decorative attributes, which were plastered by hand and not common in other reservoirs. Construction commenced in 1918 and it was the largest reinforced concrete elevated reservoir in the country.  The reservoir still supplies drinking water to households as far west as Villawood and Condell Park in the southwest, Croydon in the east, and Auburn and North Strathfield in the north.

 Prior to its use as a reservoir it was a hanging site for bushrangers, Patrick Sullivan and James Moran were hanged in 1826.  The authorities made an example of these men to discourage others, making all assigned convicts attend the public hanging.

The first Town Hall and Council Chambers opened on 22 October 1898 and was located where the Three Swallows hotel stands today. No apparent acknowledgement at the pub – but they probably do a mean schnitty.

  • On to 3 Marshall St, the address of the childhood home of Paul Keating, our 24th Prime Minister, which was immortalised in Noel McKenna’s artwork ‘The Childhood Bankstown Home of Paul John Keating’

  • The home was demolished for flats in 2014, not that long ago.

Bankstown Sports Club

The walking part of the day starts at the Bankstown Sports Club, a ‘hub of entertainment’, with 13 bars and restaurants – and validated free parking! Lady Banks rooftop bar was named after the Lady Banks rose, which in turn was named after Lady Dorothea Banks, wife of botanist Sir Joseph Banks. Its huge, the pokies seem to have been contained to one large area and they do a fine coffee to kick start us.  They support at least 40 local sporting clubs.  

  • That all important first coffee!

  • The inevitable pokies

  • The train carriage that seats restaurant guests

  • More restaurants, an Italian feel

We crossed over Bankstown railway station, built in 1909 when the line was extended from Belmore. As we walk past Khalil’s Lebanese Pizza, 119 Bankstown City Plaza, we smell the herbs and spices of za'atar. Third-generation baker Khalil Nasra is known for both his za'atar-fragrant manoush, dusted with Lebanese oregano and the citric kick of sumac; and his delicious feta, mozzarella and haloumi pizza.

Paul Keating Park

We passed several government buildings as we walk through Paul Keating Park, named after him in 2000.

  •  Bankstown Court House, a local court where all criminal and traffic matters are first heard, from the most trivial matter to murder cases. I’m sure there’s some interesting stories in there.

  • Bankstown Council Chambers and Town Hall, the third Town Hall, built in 1973.

  • The Bankstown Civic Tower, the tallest building, a fetching shade of blue

  • The construction site of Western Sydney University’s Bankstown campus

  • The proposed end result

The Bryan Brown Theatre

The Bryan Brown theatre is named after a self-named and city claimed ‘Bankstown Boy’.  Whilst he grew up in Panania, with a sister and single mother in housing commission, Bryan Brown calls himself a ‘Bankstown boy’, in his youth ‘riding his bike and getting in trouble everywhere’, frequenting the swimming pool and movie theatre. (I went to that movie theatre; I remember seeing Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Band – The Last Waltz (double feature – what a bargain!) and a Rolling Stones movie – those were the days!). Bryan received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters for his contribution to the performing arts and advocacy for Western Sydney. He is also a regular supporter of the Bankstown Poetry slam, a not-for-profit community collective that was founded in 2013 by Western Sydney University students Ahmad Al Rady and Sara Mansour. The Bankstown Poetry slam has gained national recognition as the largest regular slam in Australia.

  • The Bryan Brown Theatre

  • Bankstown Knowledge Centre and Library

We pass two statues, one of Sir Joseph Banks unveiled in 1995 and one named the Spirit of Botany, sculpted by Alan Ingham and unveiled in 1964. It is a symbolic figure of a woman representing Sir Joseph Banks’ lifelong interest in Botany, seated informally, holding a plant aloft. It is made of cast aluminium, stands 3.15 metres high and weighs 386 Kgs.

In the distance is Bankstown Central, previously known as Centro Bankstown and originally Bankstown Square, a large shopping centre opened in 1966 and, at that time, the largest centre in Australia. My 13-year-old birthday gift was a cassette player, and, with two friends, we travelled by bus to Bankstown Square (without parents!) to purchase Elton John’s Caribou on cassette with birthday money.  Freedom!

Valley View Continental Groceries and Spices

Moving on to the Valley View Continental Groceries and Spices on the edge of Bankstown’s Compass Centre, (40 The Appian Way) run by Ali Hamad.  Huge tubs of fresh spices assault your senses with colour and smell, containers piled high with olives, fresh roasted nuts ooze warmth and a comforting scent. Lots of tea blends, cheese and honey as well. We picked up quite a few spices, olives, nuts and pulses. The oxheart tomatoes looked great and only $5.00 per kilo. If only I’d brought another bag….

  • The shop with all its treasures!

  • Spices up the front, a plethora of pulses up the back

  • Ogle the olives, such a wide range

  • Terrific ox heart tomatoes

  • Sensational spices, the aroma was amazing

Bankstown Arts Centre

We entered the Bankstown Arts Centre, opened in February 2011, where artists and community groups collaborate to explore, create and experience contemporary community-based art. The Arts Centre is located on the previous Bankstown Olympic Pool, which opened in 1933. The Konrads Kids (John and Ilsa) trained under the guidance of swimming coach Don Talbot at the pool. John was an Australian Olympic gold medallist, (1500m freestyle), claiming 26 world records.  Ilsa won silver in the 4 x100m freestyle at the 1960 Rome Olympics and claimed a number of world records. After swimming he was a Director of L’Oréal, and she became the editor of Belle and later Vogue magazines – what a family of achievers! 

  • Various paintings by local artists

  • More paintings in the Arts Centre

  • This sculpture, called Wurrungwuri, is based on the theme of water and the need to actively protect and conserve our natural resources. It was made by the local Aboriginal Arts group and facilitated by the artist Diamondo Koutsellis

  • There are a number of external public artworks: Touchstones, by Jane Cavanough are sculptures constructed with carved rust, glass and copper.

  • On Dale Parade there are three murals, this one is titled Conversations Amongst Friends, by Christina Huynh.

  • Throughout the CBD there are clusters of colourful concrete seats known as Pause Pods, painted by local artists. Each pod has a ‘heart’, a treasure buried within, made by local primary school students.

Saigon Place

We turned the corner into Saigon Place, which recognises the unique character of the Vietnamese community in the heart of Bankstown.

A number of Asian grocers were nearby, we stopped at Son Trang Asian Supermarket, 304 Chapel Road, a Vietnamese grocer featuring hard-to-find fish sauce brands, vermicelli and every spice you could ever need to make a rip-roaring pho or bun bo hue. Fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood were displayed for sale. One of our gang bought a Rendang curry spice mix for $8, available online for $21!

  • Fresh seafood at Son Trang

    Fresh seafood at Son Trang

  • Fresh fruit and veges

  • Rendang curry spice mix for $8, available online for $21!

An Restaurant

The next stop was lunch at An Restaurant, 27 Greenfield Parade. The restaurant ONLY servers pho (beef or chicken) and all its accompaniments (super fresh thai basil, bean sprouts and lemon). We ordered a medium pho each – and were sooo full. A better idea may have been to share a large sized pho ($2 more) and spend an extra $3.50 to get a second bowl with broth. Next time.

Bankstown Bunker

Back to the car and off to the Bankstown Bunker, (technically in Condell Park) a 9 acre (huge!), disused two storey underground RAAF operations facility, located under the corner of Marion, Edgar and Taylor Streets, Bankstown. The Bankstown bunker entrance is buried under a public park, surrounded by residential dwellings at the northern end of Taylor Street. The exact location of the main entry and exit passages are not known as the whole area has been landscaped to conceal the bunker’s existence. We ran into some park maintenance guys, cutting grass in the park who had never heard of the bunker.

The specially constructed bunker became an important Royal Australian Air Force headquarters from 1945 until its closure in 1947. In April 1971 the editor of the Bankstown-Canterbury Torch, an alderman and some others toured the site, finding a maze of corridors and intact rooms, ‘something like a Sean Connery 007 movie’. Much of the interior was destroyed by fire in August that year.

The Bunker is of similar design to 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 maze of corridors and hallways leading to various sections. A Burke’s Backyard episode was filmed in the bunker, accessed through a secret passageway.

  • Inside the bunker when it was operational.

  • A possible entry point or air shaft?

  • A man made mound to hide the bunker - perhaps an entry point?

Bankstown Aerodrome

Our final stop was Bankstown Aerodrome, originally planned to be built in 1929, actually commenced in 1940.  It was established as a key strategic air base to support WWII. US forces occupied the airport from 1942 – 45, then the British Fleet Air arm until 1946, when it was handed back to the RAAF. The NSW Ambulance, Police and Royal Flying Doctor Service all operate from there. WWII began Bankstown’s industrial revolution between 1942 – 1954, a major player being the aircraft manufacturer de Havilland Australia. Now over 7000 businesses operate within the district, 160 within the airport region. 

  • Sign up now!

  • More encouragement to sign up.

  • The amazing Flying Doctor Service has one base at Bankstown.

  • Little planes talking amongst themselves

We finished the day with a drive past the outside of Silverwater Correctional Complex – no photos, lots of barbed wire and CCTV. Behind the Complex on the river is the beautiful Blaxland Riverside Park, with loads of children’s activities, a riverside walking trail, BBQ’s and a café.

  • The driving area

  • The walking area

  • References

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankstown_railway_station

    A food lover's guide to Bankstown, Sydney (goodfood.com.au)

    https://www.travelwithjoanne.com/bankstown/

    http://www.bankstownpoetryslam.com/home

    https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/science/display/20178-sir-joseph-banks-spirit-of-botany

    https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/story_archive/2017/australian_film_legend_bryan_brown_receives_honorary_doctorate_from_western_sydney_university

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/08/bryan-browns-bankstown-baths-i-learned-swimming-but-also-about-friendship-and-loyalty

    About us (nsw.gov.au)

    John Konrads - Wikipedia

    Ilsa Konrads - Wikipedia

    Bankstown - YouTube

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