Macarthur Square is a large indoor/outdoor

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

located in the south western

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of Campbelltown,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The shopping centre was opened by the

Lend Lease Corporation Lendlease is a globally integrated real estate company that creates and invests in communities, workplaces, retail, and infrastructure projects, headquartered in Barangaroo, New South Wales, Australia. History Founding The company was establ ...

and

GPT Group The GPT Group is a Real Estate Investment Trust (also known as an Australian Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Sec ...

on 10 September 1979. The shopping centre is situated adjacent to

Macarthur Railway Station Macarthur railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Campbelltown. It is served by Sydney Trains T8 Airport & South and NSW TrainLink Southern Highlands Line services. It is the southern extremity of the e ...

, where trains terminate on the

Airport & South Line The Airport & South Line (numbered T8, coloured green) (''commonly called the East Hills Line)'' is a suburban commuter rail line in Sydney, Australia. It connects the Sydney central business district with the southwestern suburbs via Sydney Ai ...

. An $160 million expansion in 2005, which expanded the centre's floor area from , saw Macarthur Square become one of the largest shopping complexes in Sydney.Herron Todd White Property Advisors
''The Month in Review''
, 1 February 2004. A further development in 2017 increased the retail floor area to . -Wikipedia

History

Macarthur Square was opened on 10 September 1979 by The Hon.

Paul Landa David Paul Landa, QC (29 May 194124 November 1984) was an Australian politician. In public life, he was called "Paul Landa". He was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1973 to 1984, and the member for Peats in the ...

, Minister for Planning and Environment. Macarthur Square was seen as a major regional shopping centre for the Macarthur Growth Centre in south-western Sydney. The NSW State Planning Authority purchased large tracts of land in the Campbelltown area in the 1960s. The Authority produced a structure plan in 1973 under the title of the Campbelltown-Camden-Appin Three Cities Plan. State and Commonwealth funding established a growth centre in the region. An agreement between the Liberal Government in NSW and the Whitlam Labor Government in Canberra provided funds for land acquisition and urban development. The Growth Centre was called Macarthur Growth Centre and established a development board. The Macarthur Development Board bought and sold land, developed industrial estates and the Macarthur Square shopping centre. In December 1983 a 3 year old boy named Ali Elassad while looking at Christmas decorations with his older brother plunged 10 metres from one of the balconies to the floor below and fractured his skull however he survived and returned home in time for Christmas and was dubbed "The miracle boy of Sydney".

Shopping / Facilities

Major retailers of Macarthur Square include David Jones,

Big W Big W (stylized as BIG W) is an Australian chain of discount department stores, which was founded in regional New South Wales in 1964. The company is a division of Woolworths Group and as at 2019 operated 176 stores, with around 22,000 employee ...

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, Coles,

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...

Lincraft Lincraft is a retail chain in Australia that specialises in the sale of homewares, including crafts, material, and patterns. As of October 2022, it has 48 locations around Australia and New Zealand. Lincraft (formerly Suzanne Silks) was nurtured ...

, H&M,

Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...

, Woolworths,

Dan Murphy's Dan Murphy's is an Australian liquor store owned by Endeavour Group, with over 250 stores across the country. The business was founded in 1952 by winemaker Daniel Francis Murphy. Dan Murphy's competes principally with Coles Group brands First C ...

JB Hi-Fi JB Hi-Fi Limited is an Australian consumer electronics and home appliances retail company. It is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Its headquarters are located in Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria. The company has 316 stores ...

Cotton On Cotton On Group is Australia's largest global retailer, known for its fashion clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across seven brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton O ...

Kingpin Bowling Kingpin or king pin may refer to: Vehicular part * Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism ** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...

and

Event Cinemas Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 Multiplex (movie the ...

. The centre also features an outdoor entertainment and restaurant precinct known as "Kellicar Lane". This area opened during the expansion in November 2005. Above Kellicar Lane is a

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...

that has large glass windows that look over Kellicar Lane, Campbelltown and the surrounding countryside.

2016/17 Development

This $240 million development added a relocated and refurbished Coles supermarket, a redeveloped flagship David Jones store, and a new H&M, as well as a new fresh food hall, dining terrace and 45 speciality stores. In addition, a new Aldi supermarket and full line

Harris Scarfe Harris Scarfe is an Australian retailer that sells bed linen, kitchenware, homewares, electrical appliances and apparel. It has a e-commerce retail presence in Australia and is considered a multi-channel lifestyle and homewares store. Founded in ...

store were developed end of 2017, in order to cement the destinations title as the most important shopping centre in the Macarthur region. Harris Scarfe has since closed down.

References

External links

Macarthur Square home page
{{Shopping centres in New South Wales Shopping centres in Sydney Shopping malls established in 1979 1979 establishments in Australia Squares in Sydney