Homebush Bay

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Homebush Bay
Sydney, New South Wales

The SS Ayrfield hull in Homebush Bay
Postcode(s) 2144
Location 16 km (10 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s) Auburn City
State electorate(s) Auburn
Federal Division(s) Reid
Suburbs around Homebush Bay:
Melrose Park Meadowbank Rhodes
Wentworth Point Homebush Bay Liberty Grove
Sydney Olympic Park Homebush North Strathfield
Former quarry, Sydney Olympic Park

Homebush Bay is a bay on the south bank of the Parramatta River, in the west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The name is also used to refer to an area to the west and south of the bay itself, which was formerly an official suburb of Sydney, which has now become the suburbs of Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point and part of the neighbouring suburb of Lidcombe. Homebush Bay is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn City. Homebush and Homebush West are separate suburbs.

The bay has natural and artificial shoreline on the southern side of the Parramatta River between the former suburb of Homebush Bay and the suburb of Rhodes. The bay was contaminated with dioxin and other chemicals by Union Carbide group which led to commercial fishing bans in most of Sydney Harbour and health advisories about limiting the quantity of fish eaten from the Parramattta River. Fishing is prohibited in Homebush Bay for health reasons. Other contamination includes phthalates, lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT and heavy metals.[1] The eastern shore of the bay was remediated starting in 2008 to remove about 75% of the dioxin from the bay. Remediation was completed in mid-2010.

History

Homebush was established in the 1800s by the colony's then assistant surgeon D'arcy Wentworth.[2] According to local government historian Michael Jones, "Wentworth is popularly credited with having called the area after his 'home in the bush', although Homebush is also a place in Kent."[3]

In the 20th century Homebush Bay became a centre of heavy industry, with large scale land reclamations to accommodate industrial facilities. When industrail operations scaled down, the bay became a dumping ground for a large range of unwanted material - from waste to broken up ships, even toxic industrial waste. Union Carbide had manufactured chemicals, including Agent Orange, on the site and dioxins produced as a by product were buried in landfill or left in drums.[4]

A drive to regenerate and rehabilitate the bay began in the 1980s. This led to the construction of Bicentennial Park, including a program to regenerate some of the mangrove wetlands and saltmarshes which existed around the bay pre-development. In preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, it was decided to site Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay, which spurred the further regeneration and rehabilitation of the bay. A range of residential and commercial developments also began around the bay, including the development of a large shopping centre and residential district on the eastern shore.

Suburb name change

Auburn City sought public comment on a proposal to rename the suburb of Homebush Bay, as well as removing connotations and confusion with its namesake suburb Homebush. The waterfront residential area was renamed Wentworth Point on 2 October 2009,[5] consistent with the gazetting of the northern part of the peninsula in 1976.[6] The area encompassing Sydney Olympic Park was given autonomy as a suburb and the Carter Street industrial precinct was absorbed by the neighbouring suburb of Lidcombe. This effectively brought the official suburb of Homebush Bay to an end.

Hydrography

Homebush Bay, aerial view east towards Rhodes.
The Brickpit, former industrial site now providing wetland habitat for local fauna.

Homebush Bay is located on the southern shore of Parramatta River. Immediately to the east is Bray Bay, which is separated from Homebush Bay by a narrow peninsula (considerably expanded through land reclamation) that forms the suburb of Rhodes. It is across the Parramatta River from Meadowbank. It is the westernmost of the major bays on the Parramatta River.

Several tributaries enter Parramatta River at Homebush Bay: Powells Creek and the smaller Boundary Creek flow into the bay from the south, while Haslams Creek joins the bay further to the north.

The shoreline of Homebush Bay is in large parts artificial, with large scale land reclamations for industrial purposes occurring throughout the 20th century. Its history of use for industry and as dumping ground has left the bay heavily contaminated, including with dioxin and other chemicals produced by Union Carbide operations. Fishing is prohibited in Homebush Bay for health reasons. Other contamination includes phthalates, lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT and heavy metals.[7] Remediation from 2008-2010 removed about 75% of the dioxin from the bay.

A number of ships' hulls are visible in Homebush Bay, remains of the ship-breaking operations which operated in the bay in the mid-20th century. These are the steam colliers SS Ayrfield and SS Mortlake Bank, steam tugboat SS Heroic, and boom defence vessel the HMAS Karangi, all broken up in the early 1970s and now lying near the south-western shore of the bay. Remains of a number of smaller abandoned or broken up vessel lie nearby.[8]

Landmarks

Bicentennial Park
Water fountain in the Sydney Olympic Park

Bicentennial Park is located on the southern shore of the bay, and contains an area of rehabilitated mangrove wetland representative of the native state of the bay.

Sydney Olympic Park is a 640 hectares (1,600 acres) area to the south west of Homebush Bay (and within the former suburb of Homebush Bay) which was notable as the site of the Sydney Olympic Grames. Since then, there has been much development in the area including office buildings and apartments in the centre of Sydney Olympic Park. Three completed residential developments in the area are Newington, The Waterfront and Mariners Cove.

The Sydney Showground relocated from Moore Park in 1998, in preparation for the Olympic Games. The Sydney Showground provided Olympic venues along with Stadium Australia (now ANZ Stadium), Sydney Superdome (now Acer Arena), Athletics Centre, Aquatic Centre, Tennis Centre, Hockey Stadium and multiple sports halls.

On the eastern shore, within the suburb of Rhodes, lies the large Rhodes Shopping Centre.

The Novotel Hotel features cafes, restaurants and bars with outdoor facilities that cater for special events held at Sydney Olympic Park.

Transport

Olympic Park railway station

Two stations on the Sydney Trains metropolitan passenger rail network sit near the shores of the bay. To the southwest, Olympic Park railway station was built to cater for large crowds to the precinct during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and is especially heavily used for special events in the Olympic Park precinct. It sits on a spur line which connects Olympic Park to Lidcombe railway station. On the eastern shore, Rhodes railway station is on the North Shore, Northern & Western Line.

Sydney Ferries' Parramatta River ferry services run to the Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf on the bay. Originally designed to service Sydney Olympic Park, the wharf now mainly serves the residents of Wentworth Point. Sydney Buses run a number of regular bus services to the area around the bay, as well as special services for sporting events, concerts and other major events at the Sydney Olympic Park precinct such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Culture

Events

Sport

For more information see ANZ Stadium

Pop culture

The Brickpit at Sydney Olympic Park was used as a location for the filming of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.[9]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.rhodesremediation.nsw.gov.au/index.html
  2. ↑ The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 124
  3. ↑ Jones, Michael (1985). Oasis in the West: Strathfield's first hundred years. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin Australia. ISBN 0-86861-407-6, page 15
  4. ↑ Perry, Michael (February 10, 2006). "Toxic Waste Ends Sydney Harbour Commercial Fishing". Reuters, Planet Ark. Retrieved 2007-04-13. 
  5. ↑ http://www.auburn.nsw.gov.au/page.aspx?id=3946
  6. ↑ Leaflet, A New Suburb Name For Homebush Bay
  7. ↑ http://www.rhodesremediation.nsw.gov.au/index.html
  8. ↑ Blaxell, Gregory (May 2008). "The Wrecks of Homebush Bay". Afloat. AFLOAT Publications Pty. Ltd. Retrieved 30 April 2013. 
  9. ↑ http://www.madmaxmovies.com/making/madmax3/Bartertown/Bartertown.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Homebush Bay.
Suburbs and localities within Auburn Council, Western Sydney, Sydney
Geography of Parramatta River
Sources
Tributaries: left
Tributaries: right
Islands
Parramatta River ferry services
River crossings
River inlets and bays
Suburbs: north
Suburbs: south

Coordinates: 33°50′53″S 151°03′54″E / 33.84801°S 151.06488°E / -33.84801; 151.06488

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