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This article is about the local government area. For the suburb of Bankstown, see Bankstown, New South Wales . The City of Bankstown is a Local Government Area in south-west Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . Bankstown was established by Governor Hunter in 1797 in honour of botanist Sir Joseph Banks , who travelled to Australia with Captain James Cook in 1770 . The area was discovered during an expedition of the Georges River by George Bass and Matthew Flinders . The area of first European settlement along the river has been partially preserved as part of the Mirrumbeena Regional Reserve. Bankstown also includes large areas of the Georges River National Park . It became a Municipality in 1895, and then declared official city status in 1980. Famous Australians who lived or grew up in Bankstown include former Prime Minister Paul Keating , actor Bryan Brown , Australian test cricket captain Steve Waugh and his brother Mark , swimmer Ian Thorpe and Australian Rugby League test player Terry Lamb . IMPORTANT SITES In the centre of Bankstown is the large Paul Keating Park. It stands on what was once the Council Chambers, which burned down in an accidental fire in 1997. Nowadays, all of the council operations are contained in the Civic Tower, adjacent to the Park. The Park is used for a variety of concerts and festivals (including the annual Bankstown Christmas Carols), and is otherwise a large playing field. Facing it is the Bankstown Town Hall. There are a wide variety of commercial shops. Most notable is the large and extensive Mall , now known as Centro Bankstown (formerly known as Bankstown Square). It opened in 1966 and is currently undergoing expansion which is scheduled for completion later in 2006. Other shopping precincts include the various stores in the Bankstown Plaza, a large pedestrian thoroughfare located near the Bankstown railway station. It features several small businesses including Asian and discount stores. Bankstown is the site of Sydney's second major airport, Bankstown Airport . It is also the site of Bankstown Lidcombe Hospital , a 454-bed Major Metropolitan Acute General Hospital. Major educational sites include the Bankstown Campus of the University Of Western Sydney , and TAFE NSW Bankstown College. Bankstown also has a large central library, which services the Bankstown metropolitan area, alongside smaller branches in the surrounding suburbs. During the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney, Olympic cycling events were held at the Dunc Gray Velodrome at the Crest of Bankstown Park, a centrally-located public reserve that also includes soccer, rugby league and field hockey grounds, an athletic track and bush walking tracks. COUNCIL The Bankstown local government area is divided into four wards, with three councillors elected to each ward. The mayor of Bankstown City Council is elected by the councillors annually. Clr Helen Westwood became Bankstown's second female mayor in 2002 and continues in that capacity today. GEOGRAPHY The boundaries of Bankstown City are, clockwise, the Prospect water supply pipeline and Liverpool Road (also known as Hume Highway ) along the north, Roberts Road, Juno Parade, Koala Road, Punchbowl Road, Canterbury Road and the Salt Pan Creek along the east, the Georges River in the south and the Georges River, Prospect Creek, the Hume Highway and Woodville Road along the west. POPULATION The Bankstown Local Government Area is the seventh largest in New South Wales by population, with about 170,000 people after Blacktown , Sutherland , Fairfield , Wollongong , Lake Macquarie , and Penrith , and the fifth largest in Sydney . ROADS The M5 Motorway runs through the Bankstown suburbs of Padstow, Revesby and Milperra, and is accessible by ramps on Henry Lawson Drive, The River Road and Fairford Road. Other major roads include the Canterbury Road, Milperra Road, Stacey Street and Liverpool Road. Bankstown also features Henry Lawson Drive, a scenic drive that runs parallel to Georges River near the Western and Southern borders of the local government area. RAIL Railway formed an important part of the development of Bankstown. After the extension of the railway from Belmore to Bankstown, rapid development of the area followed - so much so that the commercial centre of Bankstown moved from its former position in Irish Town on Liverpool Road to the vicinity of Bankstown Railway Station, Sydney . Today, two railway lines of the CityRail Network provide passenger services to the Bankstown local government area. Yagoona , Bankstown , Wiley Park and Punchbowl Railway Stations of the Bankstown Line line service the north part of the local government area, while Padstow , Revesby , Panania and East Hills Railway Stations of the East Hills Railway Line service the south. Bankstown is also served by the Sydney Freight Terminal in Chullora . The intermodal terminal is one of Sydney's largest freight terminals. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT On the lower eastern border of Bankstown local government area, sandwiched between the Bankstown suburb of Padstow and the Hurstville suburb of Riverwood is the Salt Pan Creek . The creek is a saltmarsh and mangrove swamp that extends from Canterbury Road to Georges River . SISTER CITIES
TOURISM Bankstown Airport is a major tourist attraction in Bankstown. The site includes 28 training schools and, with its strong popularity for private flying, is recognised as the centre of the general aviation industry in Australia. SUBURBS OF THE BANKSTOWN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ] There are 21 suburbs in the local government area:
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