This place was a big freaking deal when it first opened. One of the first Westfields. The very first Westfield was in Blacktown, just west of here. The name Westfield is derived from "west" related to the West-Sydney location, and "field" due to having located on subdivided farmland. But this one in Burwood was close to follow, called Westfield Shoppingtown back then.
Went back to check it out in November 2012, and it looked a little hokey and cramped. Things seem so big when you are small. Who would want to grocery shop here now? Seems a little bit like a relic, and the stores are kinda lame now. Wish I could give it more than two stars.
Wikipedia says that Westfield Group currently has interests in total assets worth Aus$58 billion, owning 119 shopping malls in four countries - Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States - with over 10 million square meters of retail space. It is the world's largest retail property group. I've never heard this, but it seems to me they want to have the name Westfield synonymous with the term "mall", so they drop the word "mall" from the name of a shopping center they buy and refurbish. There are huge Westfields in Santa Ana near where I live, and Topanga Canyon in LA for example that had their name changed from "mall". read more