City of Bankstown

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City of Bankstown New South Wales
Population: • Density:	174,513 2266/km²
Area:	77 km²
Mayor:	Tania Mihailuk
Council Seat:	Bankstown
Region:	Metropolitan Sydney
State District:	Auburn; Bankstown;Fairfield; Granville;East Hills
Federal Division:	Banks; Blaxland
Website: http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/

This article is about the local government area. For the suburb of Bankstown, see Bankstown, New South Wales.

The City of Bankstown is a 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. 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.

[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.

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

The façade of the Town Hall, with the public fountain. The figure is also the logo of Bankstown Council.

[edit] Famous Residents

Famous residents who lived or grew up in Bankstown include:

• Paul Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia;
• Ian Thorpe, swimmer;
• the Waugh brothers: Steve and Mark Waugh, Australian Test cricket players;
• Terry Lamb, Australian Rugby League Test player;
• Casey Donovan, winner of the second Australian Idol;
• Paulini Curuenavuli, finalist from the first Australian Idol;
• Andrew and Michael Tierney from Human Nature;
• Bryan Brown, Australian actor.

[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. 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.

There are a wide variety of commercial shops. Most notable is the large and extensive mall, now known as 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 various stores in the Bankstown Plaza, a large pedestrian thoroughfare located near the Bankstown railway station. It features several small businesses including Asian and discount stores.

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

Bankstown is the site of Sydney's second major airport, Bankstown Airport. It is also the site of 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.

Council chambers of the Bankstown City Council

During the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney, Olympic cycling events were held at the Dunc Gray Velodrome at the Crest of Bankstown Park, a centrally-located public reserve that also includes soccer, rugby league and field hockey grounds, an athletic track and bush walking tracks. Council runs a number of swimming centres, a leisure centre, a golf course and many parks and reserves.

[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 female Mayor was elected, Tania Mihailuk.

[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. The local climate is similar to that of most of Sydney.

[edit] Economy

The local economy in Bankstown City is fairly diverse. There is a large number of manafacturing businesses in around Bankstown. Bankstown Airport is also a major economic input into the area. There is also a large number of service and adminstritive jobs, particularly in the CBD.

Some large businesses are established in the Bankstown City area including; The Daily Telegraph (and Sunday Telegraph), the Sydney Morning Herald (and the Sun-Herald), Bankstown Airport and several other major businesses.

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.

[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.

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 about 9,000 were born in Vietnam. There is also a large number of people born overseas from the UK, China and Greece.

Other than english, other languages spoken by the community of Bankstown City include Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek and Italian. Bankstown is known for its multicultural community. Large Community groups include the Lebanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Macedonian groups.

The largest religious group in the city is Catholicis, making up about 31%, or over 50,000 residents. Anglicans number 15,000, followed by Muslims, which number 19,000 adherents and makes up 11% of the population.

[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. 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 a number of Public, Private and Catholic Schools in the city. Public primary schools include: Banksia Road Public School, Bankstown North Public School, Bankstown Public School, Bankstown South Infants School, Bankstown West Public School, Bass Hill Public School, Birrong Public School, Chester Hill North Public School, Chester Hill Public School, Chullora Public School, Condell Park Public School, East Hills Public School, Georges Hall Public School, Greenacre Public School, Milperra Public School, Mount Lewis Infants School, Padstow Heights Public School, Padstow North Public School, Padstow Park Public School, Panania North Public School, Panania Public School, Picnic Point Public School, Regents Park Primary School, Revesby Public School, Revesby South Public School, Sefton Infants School, Tower Street Public School, Villawood East Public School, Wattawa Heights Public School, Yagoona Public School.

Public high schools include: Bankstown Girls' High School, Bankstown Senior College, Bass High School, Birrong Boys High School, Birrong Girls' High School, Chester Hill High School, Condell Park High School, East Hills Boys' Technology High School, East Hills Girls' Technology High School, Picnic Point High School, Punchbowl Boys' High School, Sefton High School, Sir Joseph Banks High School.

There are also several private schools and colleges in the area including Bankstown Grammar, Saint Pauls Choir School (Anglican), LaSalle Catholic College, Mount Saint Joseph Girls High School, Saint Charbel's College, Malik Fahed Islamic College and Al Amanah Islamic College

[edit] Arts and Culture

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 Candlight. 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.

There is a number of parks in the area. In the CBD, there is Paul Keating Park and Bankstown Gardens. Other major parks include The Crest, Warshaw Park, Middleton Park, Graf Park and the extensive parklands around Georges River.

[edit] Media

Bankstown City receives all main television channels in Sydney, as well as all major newspapers and radio stations.

There are two local newspapers, the Torch and The Express. The Torch is more Bankstown City based, whilst The Express, although being distributed in Bankstown, is more Canterbury City based.

The Sydney Morning Herald, the Daily Telegraph, the Australian and The Financial Review, have major offices and sites in Bankstown City.

[edit] Sport

The major sport in Bankstown City is Rugby League. There is one local team in the National Rugby League being the Bulldogs. The team have a retail outlet in the citys' main shopping centre; Centro Bankstown (formerly Bankstown Square).

Bankstown City is also home to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Veledrome. The Veledrome now holds International Cycling Events and is one of the best known in the world. It is known as the Dunc Grey Veledrome.

There is a major cricket ground in Bankstown, Memorial Oval. This is one of the finest cricket grounds in NSW and often hosts major matches.

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.

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

[edit] Infrastructure

Health

Bankstowns main Hospital is the Bankstown Lidcome Hospital, which is a main regional health centre. There are also many medical centres across the city, and a number of specialist health centres are located in the Bankstown CBD.

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 and Sydney City.

Other major routes to the City include Canturbury Road and the Hume Highway. Stacy 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.

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. There is very high objection in the local community whenever the issue of Bankstown Airport becoming a passenger airport surfaces.

[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.

[edit] Sister cities

Sister Cities of Bankstown include:

• Broken Hill, Outback New South Wales.

Bankstown signed its first Sister City Agreement with Broken Hill in outback NSW on 16 September 1986. The aim of this relationship is to provide young people with the opportunity to experience city/country life and develop friendships with their peers from their sister city. In its 16 year history, this sister city relationship has seen thousands of young people take part in a popular annual reciprocal 'Youth Sporting Exchange', during which they compete in friendly sporting matches and stay with youth from their sister city. This is a highly successful exchange and has been considered one of the most successful sister city programs in Australia.

• Suita, Osaka Japan.

Bankstown signed its first international Sister City agreement with Suita City, Japan, in March 1989. The agreement was signed by Clr Ian Stromborg, Mayor of Bankstown at that time, and Mr Tsuneo Kishida, Mayor of Suita. Over the last 13 years numerous youth exchanges have taken place, with Bankstown youth home-hosted in Japan and Suita youth home-hosted with local Bankstown families. With the assistance of Bankstown Grammar School, visiting students are given the chance to experience all aspects of Australian life and culture.

• Colorado Springs, Colorado USA.

Colorado students in Sydney Bankstown signed a new Sister City Agreement with Colorado Springs, home of the United States Olympic Committee, on 13 July 2001. As a result of the signing, Council hosted the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Orchestra during their Australian tour in August 2002 and again in June 2006. The musicians were hosted by local families and gave performances in Bankstown and at the Opera House in conjunction with local musicians and vocalists from Bankstown's Talent Advancement Program. Other initiatives currently underway include the establishment of e-pal relationships between Picnic Point Public School and schools in Colorado Springs. A number of Council staff and business people from Colorado Springs have also visited Bankstown to exchange ideas and visit Council facilities.

• Yangcheon City, Korea.

Kids from YangCheon In 1997, Bankstown signed a Friendship Agreement with Yangcheon City in 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. During their trip the delegation visited Council facilities and a local company, which relocated from Korea to Bankstown.

[edit] Tourism

Bankstown Airport is a major site of tourist operations. The site includes 28 training schools and, with its strong popularity for private flying, is recognised as the centre of the general aviation industry in Australia. The Airport also consists of scenic flights around Sydney Harbour.

The CBD is also a tourist attraction. At night, the CBD is vibrant with clubs and multicultural restaurants. The city is well known for its quality Lebanese and Vietnamese cuisine. A Bankstown Bites Festival is held annually, promoting the local mix of dining.

There are a number of hotels in the city. Some clubs in the city include Bankstown Sports Club, Bankstown RSL club, The Bass Hill Sub branch, Bankstown Trotting Club, Bankstown Bowling Club and Revesby Workers.

[edit] Suburbs of the Bankstown local government area

Bankstown City Council's Civic Tower provides the largest single conglomeration of government offices. It houses the Department of Local Government and Cooperatives and the Environmental Protection Authority. [1]

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

There are 21 suburbs in the local government area:

• Bankstown
• Bass Hill
• Birrong
• Chester Hill
• Chullora
• Condell Park
• East Hills
• Georges Hall
• Greenacre
• Milperra
• Mount Lewis
• Padstow
• Padstow Heights
• Panania
• Picnic Point
• Punchbowl
• Revesby
• Revesby Heights
• Sefton
• Villawood
• Yagoona

[edit] References

• 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

• Comparative Information on New South Wales Local Government Councils 2000/2001
• Bankstown City Council Website
• City of Bankstown: Community Profile
• 2001 Census Information
• Local Government Areas, Bankstown
• Looking to the future, Community 2003