Punchbowl, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PunchbowlNew South Wales |
|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Boulevarde, Punchbowl c. 2007
|
|||||||||||||||
| Established | 1869 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2196 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 40 m (131 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 17 km (11 mi) south-west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Canterbury-Bankstown | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Bankstown | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
Punchbowl is a suburb located in the south-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 17 kilometres (11 mi) west of the main city centre, known as the Sydney CBD. Punchbowl is part of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown area. In 2021, about 21,384 people lived here.
Contents
History of Punchbowl
Punchbowl gets its name from a natural bowl-shaped valley. This valley is actually in a nearby suburb called Belfield. It's found where Coronation Parade, Georges River, and Punchbowl Roads meet. This unique shape led to the name "Punch Bowl Road."
In the 1830s, an inn called the Punch and Bowl was built near Liverpool Road. Later, in 1909, a railway station opened on Punchbowl Road. Even though the station was three kilometres (1.9 mi) away from the actual 'punch bowl' valley, the area around it became known as Punchbowl.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Punchbowl was a fancy suburb. It had several popular theatres. The Punchbowl Astoria opened in 1935 and could seat 915 people. It closed in 1959 and later became an office building. The Punchbowl Regent was another big cinema, opening in 1923 with 1,287 seats. It also closed in 1959 and was pulled down in 1964 to make way for shops.
Until 1987, Roselands was considered part of Punchbowl. Today, both suburbs still share the same postcode, 2196.
Shopping and Businesses
Punchbowl has a shopping area that offers many different types of stores. This area used to be very busy. However, when bigger shopping centres like Roselands and Bankstown Square opened in the late 1960s, Punchbowl's shopping scene changed. Also, upgrading Punchbowl Road in the 1970s split the shopping centre in half.
The main shopping area is around Punchbowl railway station, along The Boulevarde and Punchbowl Road. You'll find many local businesses and clubs that show how diverse the people living here are. For example, Punchbowl is well-known for its delicious Lebanese cuisine. There are also many Lebanese sweet shops. In 2013, a new shopping centre called "The Broadway Plaza" opened near the train station. It has two levels of shops, including a Woolworths supermarket.
Getting Around Punchbowl
Major roads like Canterbury Road and Punchbowl Road help people travel in and out of Punchbowl. The Boulevarde and South Terrace are also important roads.
Punchbowl railway station is on the Bankstown line of the Sydney Trains network. This train line first opened in 1895 and was made electric in 1926. A train ride to Sydenham takes about 25 minutes, and to Central Station, it's about 40 minutes.
In 1981, a new, wider railway bridge was built on Punchbowl Road. This new bridge made traffic flow much better. However, it also meant the shopping centre was effectively cut into two parts.
 |
Homes in Punchbowl
Punchbowl is mostly a residential area, meaning it has many homes. Much of the suburb was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was especially true after the railway line to Bankstown was completed.
You can see different styles of houses here. Some are from the Federation era, others are Art Deco, and there are also many modern homes. Since the early 2000s, some parts of Punchbowl have been redeveloped. This means new flats, townhouses, and modern detached houses have been built.
Schools in the Area
Punchbowl has several schools for students of different ages:
- Punchbowl Boys High School on Kelly Street opened in 1955.
- Famous Australian cricket players, Len Pascoe and Jeff Thomson, went to this school.
- Punchbowl Public School is located on Canterbury Road.
- Saint Charbel's College is on Highclere Avenue.
- Saint Jeromes Catholic Primary School is on Rossmore Avenue.
Who Lives in Punchbowl
The first European settlers in Punchbowl in the 1800s were from Britain and Ireland. By the middle of the 1900s, many people from Italy and Greece moved to the suburb. From the mid-1970s, Punchbowl became a very popular place for people migrating from Lebanon.
According to the 2021 census, 45% of people in Punchbowl were born in Australia. The next largest groups were from Lebanon (12.3%), Vietnam (5.4%), and Bangladesh (3.0%).
The most common backgrounds people reported were Lebanese (26.9%), Australian (12.0%), and Chinese (6.8%).
For languages spoken at home, 22.3% of people spoke only English. Other common languages included Arabic (33.7%), Vietnamese (6.9%), and Urdu (4.0%).
When it comes to religion, the most common responses were Islam (38.4%), Catholic (22.6%), and No Religion (9.6%).
Famous People from Punchbowl
Many well-known people have connections to Punchbowl:
- Danny Adcock, an actor
- Lex Banning (1921–1965), a poet
- Mark Bouris, a businessman
- John Burgess, a television host
- Wes Davoren (1928–2010), a politician
- Yahya El Hindi, a football player
- Akmal Saleh, a comedian
- Mark Saliba, a comedian
- Vince Sorrenti, a comedian
- The Hard-Ons, a punk rock band
Fictional Characters
- Trent from Punchy is a made-up character who says he's from Punchbowl.
Punchbowl in Books and Movies
Punchbowl has appeared in several Australian stories:
- The funny book They're a Weird Mob by "Nino Culotta" (which was a pen name for John O'Grady) featured Punchbowl. This book was also made into a movie.
- The film The FJ Holden (1977) showed different places in Punchbowl. This included the Sundowner Hotel, which was a popular pub and music venue.
- The TV show Dangerous was set in and around Punchbowl.
- The YouTube celebrity Trent from Punchy is a fictional character played by Nicholas Boshier. His name comes from his claim to be from Punchbowl.
