Standing at the corner of Railway Parade and Burleigh Street in Burwood, it’s not AC/DC but rather Elvis Costello that springs to mind. This is the intersection of hell-bent and heaven-sent in a part of Sydney that has heeded the call to pump it up and embrace high-density housing.
On one side stands a fenced-off patch of overgrown grass that once belonged to a house that once belonged to a family that produced an unholy number of future rock gods. The place where the brothers Young lived when The Easybeats and AC/DC were founded was notoriously knocked down in December 2024, before plans were revealed for a 144-metre hotel and apartment complex that would loom large to the south of Burwood railway station. Cue outrage about Sydney not being able to protect its history and headlines about it being a long way to the top of the tower and highways to development hell.
On the other side of the road, a Victorian Gothic church built in 1879 and doomed to live next to the 39-storey tower. The church has been home to the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Burwood and District Saint Nectarios since 1970. They objected, as did Burwood Council and a dozen others, over fears the design of the driveway would pose a traffic hazard and danger to parishioners.
Those concerns were justified. The NSW Planning Department has approved the proposal, but attached strings to ensure pedestrian safety before construction can start. On hearing the news, Burwood Mayor John Faker sighed.
“My wish and vision would have been that that area should have been a public square,” he said. “And then the development potential could have, you don’t have to lose that, but we could have just pushed it back towards the council car park [to the south].”
The church has taken the high road. In a statement on behalf of the church board, secretary and director Christina Efthymiades said Saint Nectarios was satisfied with the way the Planning Department responded to its concerns about pedestrian safety.
“We of course also need to ensure the protection of our heritage church. We are pleased that several conditions have been imposed for the construction phase, and we sincerely hope that these conditions will protect our church and minimise disruption to our services and community activities during construction.”
Burwood is among the Sydney councils grappling with how to balance the state government’s push for greater housing density, particularly around public transport areas, with the desire to preserve heritage and the character of its suburbs. Faker said the council had been upfront with residents about its desire to preserve heritage areas in Burwood, Croydon and Enfield while allowing higher-density development in the town centre near the railway station and near the future Burwood North metro station.
“The challenge has been getting good design, getting good amenity, making sure that these developments, if they get to be there, last a long time and they don’t get outdated,” Faker said.
A block and a half away, past the neon of Chinatown, the 1970s plaza is in the early stages of its transformation into a sleek, modern shopping space called Burwood Place. Just beyond that, the council’s library car park has been excavated and the creation of Burwood Culture House is taking shape. Within will be a 300-seat performance space called the Young Theatre: a name chosen after the destruction of the former family home came to light but which Faker said would provide a lasting tribute.
The council is firming its plans to turn Railway Square into a renamed and amped-up AC/DC Square permanently; it was the site of a tribute when the band toured in November, and Angus Young donated an autographed guitar that the council will auction off to support emerging artists.
Along with a mural of AC/DC brothers Angus and Malcolm, a second has been created featuring older brother George and songwriting and production partner Harry Vanda. (Another older Young brother, Alex, also had a long music career, if Burwood has any spare walls left.)
“It’s been disappointing what’s happened,” Faker said of the flattened 4 Burleigh Street. “But we’ve got to look at the future now, and we believe the AC/DC story, which has a deep connection to Burwood and our community, should be celebrated beyond just a building and a home.”
Hell’s bells will ring on, and so will the church bells.
Efthymiades said: “Despite the ever-changing landscape since the church was built almost 150 years ago, it continues to be a welcoming place for all, a beautiful local landmark and the hub of a thriving community, which will continue to deliver services and activities for the local area, long into the future.”
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Michael Ruffles
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