Macquarie Centre

Macquarie Centre is a big shopping area in the neighborhood of Macquarie Park in the Northern Sydney part of Sydney. It is right across from the main campus of Macquarie University. This place is popular for people who want to shop and spend time with family and friends. There are many stores and services, making it a busy and lively spot for the community.

History

20th Century

1960s: purchase of land

In 1968, Grace Bros bought 16 acres of land in North Ryde to build a shopping centre worth $12 million. Another store, David Jones, wanted to build a centre called Garden City on Epping Road in Macquarie Park, but their plans were rejected. Grace Bros kept working on their plans despite challenges.

In 1969, Grace Bros bought more land, and by November 1969, the State Government approved their plans while rejecting David Jones'.

1980s: opening

Macquarie Centre was planned to open in 1981 but was delayed until November of that year. When it finally opened, it had an Olympic-sized ice rink, stores like Grace Bros (later called Myer in 2004), Big W, Target, Woolworths, and 130 smaller shops. It was one of the first centres in Sydney with a special design where shoppers could walk gently upwards between levels.

21st Century

In 2000, new areas called 'Escape' and 'Loft' were added, including stores like Borders and Dick Smith Powerhouse. The cinema grew from 8 to 16 screens and was renamed Event Cinemas in 2009.

In 2010, Fitness First opened, and JB Hi-Fi moved to a new spot.

AMP Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund No. 2 became the full owner in 2012. In October 2021, Cbus and UniSuper each bought a 25% share.

2010s – 2020s: Recent development

Starting in late 2012, a big redevelopment began. Stage 1 opened in July 2014 with Coles, Aldi, and a fresh food market. Stage 2 added a new wing with a full David Jones store, 130 new shops (including Sydney's first H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, and Sephora), and more parking.

Because of these changes, Macquarie Centre became the largest shopping centre in Sydney's suburbs. It was expected to reach $6 billion in spending by 2021.

Future

Plans for a $1 billion redevelopment with new apartment towers were approved. These plans include 1,000 new homes, community spaces like a library, and more parking. A new plaza between Macquarie University station and the centre is also planned. The development will happen in stages over several years.

In 2019, there were plans to close the ice rink for new buildings, but after many people spoke up, the decision was changed, and the rink stayed open.

Tenants

Macquarie Centre has a large space of 134,900 square meters for shops and stores. Some of the biggest stores there are David Jones, Myer, Big W, Kmart, Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, Cotton On, H&M, Uniqlo, Zara, JB Hi-Fi, Rebel, Fitness First, Timezone, Strike Bowling Bar, Macquarie Ice Rink, and Event Cinemas.

Transport

The Macquarie Centre is close to Macquarie University station, where trains on the Metro North West & Bankstown Line go from Tallawong to Sydenham.

You can also take buses from the Macquarie Centre to Sydney CBD, North Shore, Northern Sydney, and Greater Western Sydney, as well as nearby local areas. These buses are run by State Transit Authority of NSW, CDC NSW, and Transit Systems. Most of the buses stop on Herring Road at the front of the shopping centre. The centre also has large parking lots with space for 4,900 cars.

In popular culture

The 1984 movie Stanley: Every Home Should Have One was partly filmed at Macquarie Centre.