PLEASE NOTE
This posting was actually started back before demolition began, though the small matter of the entire shopping centre being smashed into rubble apparently caused me to completely forget I had even started it.
So, in the interests of historically recording what once was, here are my photos from the final weeks, including a wander through the former Woolworths before it joined the growing list of things no longer existing.
It is rather fascinating to note that literally everything seen in this series has now vanished into the great redevelopment abyss.
Progress, apparently.
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Farewell to the Old Eastlakes Shopping Centre: Where Time Stood Still…
The pungent fish shop has long gone, but soon will the whole shopping centre.
Once upon a time in Sydney’s inner south, nestled somewhere between nostalgia and concrete, stood a local legend: the Eastlakes Shopping Centre. Built in 1965 on the bones of the old Rosebery Racecourse, this centre was less “retail mecca” and more “slightly confused time capsule.”
Locals knew it as a place where you could pick up groceries, bump into your neighbour (or your neighbour’s aunt), and witness Woolworths valiantly coexisting with an oddly comforting scent of mothballs and stale bread rolls. If you ever needed to buy thongs, a VHS rewinder, and a questionable meat pie, Eastlakes had you covered.
The architecture was pure retro realness: brick, low-rise, sea of irn sheeting, and absolutely committed to the aesthetic of “we built it once, and that’s enough.” It had a certain charm—assuming your idea of charm included flickering fluorescent lights and public toilets with highly questionably sized cubical doors.
As the years rolled on, Eastlakes Shopping Centre began to feel more like the set of a post-apocalyptic sitcom. The paint peeled. The tiles cracked. The pigeons took over the centre like it was their inheritance. But despite the wear and tear, the centre soldiered on—Woolies still stocked Tim Tams, Aldi kept prices weirdly low, and the locals stayed loyal.
But alas, nothing gold (or grotty) can stay.
In a move that shocked absolutely no one, the old centre was earmarked for The Big Redevelopment. And by big, we mean $1 billion worth of residential towers, sleek retail spaces, and something apparently to be called “Queensbridge”—which sounds more like a Netflix royal drama than a shopping precinct.
Demolition will shortly make way for a shiny new vision of the future: six residential towers, over 800 apartments, and retail so modern that it will unlikely retain any of the character. It’s out with the cracked tiles and in with curated greenery and smart parking.
And look, we get it. Progress is progress. But let’s not forget the humble roots—the $2 shop that never actually sold much for $2, the questionable coffee kiosk with a loyal following, and that one weird smell that was always there but nobody could quite identify. :-)
So here’s to the old Eastlakes Shopping Centre: a place where time stood still, the access to the carparks inconvenient, a food court that left a lot to be desired, yet somehow, it all still worked.
I'm gonna miss those Vietnamese bread rolls though!!!!
Rest in peace, old friend. May the pigeons find a new roost.
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Above and four below.
The multi-level carpark which was the first to go.
Interestingly, the trolley bay above still exists as of posting this in May 2026, long after the rest of the centre, other than the also surviving switch room, has been obliterated.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
The office section which would be the second last section to go, followed by the former McDonalds just visible on the left.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Dental 99.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and five below.
Shops along the Evans Avenue side.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Inside from the main Evans Avenue entrance.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Troy Kebab.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Westwards towards the dunnies which had become a global health hazard by this time.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Not as saucy as it looks.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Former Crystal Lake Chinese.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Miss that donut shop.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Hong Sun Butcher.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Classic signage on the old donut shop.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Stolichniy Minimart was one of the very last survivors.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Haily Fishmarket.
A truly unique odour.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
BKK Supermarket. (Asian Groceries)
Business has moved to a small place across the road in Racecourse Place.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Ramp down to the carpark lower level.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Former Aldi on right, and fruit market at the end.
Shutters on the left was the Vietnamese roll shop.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Woolworths, the last business to close in the mall.
If you're good, we will go for a photographic walk through at a late date :-)
Photo: Brad Peadon
T & K Meat Market.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Jim Fruit Market.
Unsure if it was this one, or the earlier, that have moved across the road to the new mall.
Photo: Brad Peadon
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Nhings & Virls
A few pleasant staff, and some soon to be homeless pigeons.
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