Picture the bustling Homebush Abattoir. Imagine the cacophony of bleating sheep and lowing cattle. The air thick with the smell of blood and animal hide. This was Homebush in its prime. Not the serene parkland you see today.
Homebush Bay was once vast wetlands and thick bush. Captain John Hunter noted it as “The Flats” in 1788. Aboriginal people lived here long before then. Sadly the official records of their history are scant.
By 1797 land grants started. Samuel Haslam was one of the first landowners. His name lives on in Haslams Creek. Two large estates dominated the area: Newington and Home Bush. John Blaxland established the Newington estate. He built a saltworks producing eight tons of salt a week by 1827. His stunning Regency-style villa Newington House still stands. It is in the Silverwater Correctional Complex.
Meanwhile D’Arcy Wentworth established the Home Bush estate. He started Australia’s first horse stud. His son William Charles Wentworth built a racecourse here in 1840. It was the center of Australian horse racing until 1859. The only remnant is the Horse & Jockey Hotel on Parramatta Road. William is famously known for crossing the Blue Mountains with Lawson and Gregory Blaxland.
The NSW Government gradually acquired land. In 1907 much of the Home Bush estate became the State Abattoir. This abattoir was a giant. Employing 1600 people it processed over 20000 animals daily. It closed in 1988. Its administration building however was beautifully restored and is now the Homebush Bay Visitor Centre. The Olympic Stadium now stands on the former saleyards.
Homebush also had a State Brickworks. The government started it to control brick prices. It operated at a loss in the 1930s and was sold. After WWII the government restarted it. One of its clay pits is now home to Green and Golden Bell Frogs.
The area suffered extensive land filling. Much of it was industrial waste. By the 1980s Homebush was neglected. But the 2000 Olympics changed everything. The area was remediated. Now it’s a vibrant hub of parklands and sporting venues. A testament to transformation. A legacy for the future.