For over four decades I have been a rail and bus photographer.
However, during this time I have aimed the lens at other subjects, be they different transportation, scenery, buildings and other bollocks.
Given these do not really fit the scope of my other sites, I felt compelled to set up a new site so as to inflict my other photographic garbage upon the world. While primarily Philippine and Australian content, there will be the occasional forays into Fiji and Hong Kong. Perhaps other locations should the current pandemic ever allow it.
So sit back and enjoy, or hate, even be indifferent. That choice is purely up to you.
Farewell to the decrepitude of Eastlakes Shopping Centre
Part 3
A wee bit south of Sydney, nestled in the bosom of Eastlakes, stood a shopping centre so defiantly run-down it almost felt like an act of protest. While newer, shinier malls popped up like gigantic mushrooms across the suburbs—complete with intolerably huge numbers of humans, overpriced juice bars, and the soul of a PowerPoint presentation—this place stood its ground. Mostly because no one cared enough to knock it over. Until now.
Originally constructed in 1964 (because what says “timeless architecture” like concrete and brown tiles?), the mall—then known as the “Lakes Shopping Centre”—was dropped right in the middle of what used to be a racecourse. Because naturally, the only logical next step after horse racing is a strip of discount stores and a fish shop that smells like, well a horse stable I guess.
Surrounded by a charming forest of identical red-brick unit blocks, the centre was many things: a relic, a meeting place, home to various rodents and birds, a maze of low ceilings and fluorescent regret. But for me, it was more personal. Armed with a camera and an unhealthy love for urban decay, I decided to document the entire demolition process—because what’s more heartwarming than watching your childhood memories get bulldozed in high resolution?
See, I used to come here with my grandparents, mostly for McDonald’s. It was a sacred ritual involving Happy Meals and mild food poisoning (once anyway). So naturally, when the mall’s time came, I did what any sentimental historian with little other guff going on would do: started a blog series no one asked for.
This series begins with the gentle and dignified flattening of the rear of the centre and carpark, goodbye walls, hello gaping holes—and will continue with irregular, possibly chaotic updates as the shiny new monstrosity rises from the ashes. Or rubble. Or whatever’s left once the pigeons and rats sign their eviction notices.
So pour one out for the pest-infested landmark of our youth. As you scroll through these images of rubble and existential dread, may you find some small, weird joy in watching the slow, dramatic end of a local icon.
Stay tuned. Or don’t. The pigeons already left.
You're welcome.
Note: All captions relate to the photos above unless otherwise noted.
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5-9-2025
Back from Melbourne and moseyed on back over to see how far they got.
Work was still concentrated in the centre section at the rear, where Woolworths is.
A squiz at the old BWS store showed they had started stripping out the front end of Woolworths prior to getting demolished.
Above and below.
Work still concentrated on the Woolworths area of Eastlakes.
Photos: Brad Peadon
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Above and below.
Clearing out the rubble in Moits trucks.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Wanted to rent, one nest due to upcoming eviction..
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Looking through the wall at BWS. Note that the western wall (meat section) is still intact.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Preparing for the weekend 'Bayside Spring Fair' in the park next door. .
Went for a quick drive through this morning and it was much the same as back on the 5th. Though there was a large plastic sheet up at the front (Evans Avenue) that I shall have to investigate closer.
Visible work still pretty much concentrated on the same area.
However, it was noted that the west wall of Woolies (meat area) had disappeared since the last time I took shots through the old BSW. It also looks like a bit more stripping around the office area on Evans Avenue.
Quite hard to tell, but it seems that building demolition had reached up to a point level with the front of Woolworth.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Water sprinkling truck waiting to do it's job.
Photo: Brad Peadon
View from another side door into Woolworths, lit up now due top removal of western wall of Woolies.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Though hard to tell given the external light, note that the west wall, along with meat signage, is now gone.
Photos: Brad Peadon
General view of the area on the day. Photos: Brad Peadon
Rainy day, so just made a quick visit to the Evans Avenue side. Was a very busy day truck wise, with many noted coming and going. I assume there is a push to clear away as much rubble as possible so it can proceed.
Dental 99.
Now of course closed, but it is listed as temporary on Google, so they may have plans to open elsewhere.
Their website appears to have removed all mention of the store. However, they have others around Sydney.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
'Go Go Gozleme' is another business who have already found a new local location, this being at 'The Cannery'. Detail in shot below.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Lollipop Lady (maybe Lollypop Person in 2025) protecting a truck leaving the site.
Evans Avenue, Eastlakes.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Gradual stripping around the office area continues.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Former McDonalds.
If anyone has a photo of it as a McDonalds I would be greatly appreciative.
Photo: Brad Peadon
What the view from Evans Avenue used to be.
Image: Copyright of Google.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Looking southwards through the centre from the main front door.
A quick look around Eastlakes before an arranged tour inside.
Woolworths is near gone, with just the east wall, and part of the south, still standing. Inside, the BWS and area between the doors and register location was still intact. Though the doors were all removed.
Save for a little bit of the former BWS, the Woolworth appears to have been totally demolished up to where the entrance was.
The map below 'roughly' showing where they have got to thus far. Red being where has already gone.
The last small part of the former BWS liquor store is all that now remained of the former Woolworth, with demolition looking to have reached where the entrance doors were.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
That equipment is getting ominously closer to the eastern side dock area.
The old post office and bakery to the left will surely be gone very soon.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
More shots of the eastern side (Barber Avenue) dock.
Below is the rear of the Bakers Oven Bakery.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Botched the settings for this shot, but does show the remains of the old BWS fridge in what little remains of the store.
Dropping by seems to be becoming a daily thing given how fast the progress is. It would seem my original fortnightly plans would have been woefully inadequate.
Today plan was just to check on BWS and if it had gone. As it turned out, while it was being worked on, it was only a little different to the day prior. I suspect it will be gone tomorrow.
However, quite unexpectedly, on the way home I noticed they had demolished the walkway in front of Woolworth and BKK, and were in the process of taking out the 'Haily Fish Market', the odour of which (when still open) I shall never forget :-)
As seen in the Google Earth image below, the BKK supermarket has been left isolated.
Map: Showing roughly where things are at.
Red shows the areas of the centre that have been noted as demolished.
Above and below.
The BWS part of Woolworths still refuses to go.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Would anyone possibly know what this structure on top of the mall was used for?.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Bobcat was shuttling out scrap metal items for recycling.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Western side of the shopping centre.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and three below
The BKK asian supermarket has been left isolated from the rest of the mall.
The BKK supermarket area has been reduced down much further in size, while there appeared to be some work happening over near the old Bakers Oven shop again.
Thanks to a talk with Moits, I was made aware that scaffolding of the building where the mall offices were had begun. Laziness would of otherwise meant I probably wouldn't have checked that out :-)
Map showing roughly where the demolition is up to, and where the scaffolding has commenced.
Photo: Google Earth
Above and Below
The floor, and some external steps, the last surviving relics of once was Woolworths.
Photos: Brad Peadon
The new shopping mall and towers overlook the old centre.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and Below
The rear of the old BKK Asian Supermarket.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and Two Below
Scaffolding of the smaller building that once contained the centre offices began today.
Demolishing around the east dock (Barber Street) has begun, while more scaffolding work appeared to be taking place around the office area on Evans Street. A wee bit more of the BKK Supermarket area had also gone.
Last bit of the building behind the BKK supermarket.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Looking eastwards across the site from the park, the units on Barber Street now visible.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
The shops behind the east dock have started to be removed.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Still looking for a new home as his current one steadily gets smaller.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Scaffolding continuing to go up around the Evans Avenue end of the offices.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
The surviving trolley bay area of the lower level carpark.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Next three photos show the above entrance prior to closure.
In the last 24 hours attention had turned to the former office structure, with demolition having started at the south end and slowly working towards the north end where the scaffolding started to go up last week.
While this was going in, it was also noted that a start was also being made on the shops immediately north of the former 'Haily Fish Market' in the direction of the former butcher.
While far less grandiose is scale, stripping of the Evans Avenue awning had also been progressing.
Above and four below. Various angles showing the commencement of the office block demolition. Photos: Brad Peadon
Above
Site as seen from the location of the eastern dock on Barber Street.
Below
Two images of how this spot used to look with the dock still intact.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Stripping of Evans Avenue entrance awning.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Troy Kebab seen through the front entrance off Evans Avenue (above) and from the rear (below).
Photos: Brad Peadon
Evans Avenue entrance from the other side of the street. Photos: Brad Peadon
With a four day break from it all forthcoming, I decided to head on down in the afternoon to get some last minute shots before going away on another photographic expedition.
It is an incredibly windy day in Sydneytown and on arrival I found all the western perimeter fence blown over and being attended to.
As for the demolition, the office block was now around half way demolished. In the main centre, from the butcher down through 'Foodt3pp' (Filipino store) and 'Unik Artist' looked to have been totally demolished save for their rear (western) walls.
No further progress on the stripping of the awning appeared to have happened.
Pretty safe bet the office block will be a memory by the end of next week.
Above and below.
The popular 'Crystal Lake Chinese Restaurant' (later Brothers Halal Meat & Groceries) entrance from inside the mall. Photos: Brad Peadon
The now gone rooftop of the centre not long before the place closed. Photo: Brad Peadon
Kebab shop near the former main entrance is still visible, as is the last surviving skylight. Photo: Brad Peadon
Three former shopping centre residents having a meeting to discuss options for their future accommodation. Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and four below.
The Eastlakes Shopping Centre office block is gradually being consigned to history. Photos: Brad Peadon
Strong westerly winds on this day took out the fencing along the western side of the site. Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
A general look across the site of where the carpark once stood. Photos: Brad Peadon
Returned from a photographic trip to Canberra to find the site all very quite for the long weekend.
The only real change that has occurred since Thursday afternoon was a little more of the office block having disappeared, and a bit up clearing up of guff from around the former Evans Avenue entrance.
Above and two below. Have to wonder whether the shops facing Evans Avenue will see out the week following our October long weekend. The demolition team have reached their inside entrances and look ready to get stuck in. Photos: Brad Peadon
You can see the demolition having reached the rear entrance of 'Brothers Halal' (formerly Crystal Lake Chinese Restaurant) Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and four below. The long weekend has gave the remaining part of the office block a little bit longer to survive. Photos: Brad Peadon
The following five images show this office block area shortly before closure of the shopping center.
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Tony Moit (Moits Company)
Mr Nick Chong Sun (Moits General Manager: Demolition, Remediation & Earthworks)
