History of Homebush Bay Site

The 16 hectare site at Rhodes Peninsula was formerly owned by Union Carbide and Allied Feeds. The land is now owned by the State Government and Meriton Apartments.

The site will be remediated at an estimated cost of $90 million including $21 million in State Governmentfunding. This will allow redevelopment of the land for residential and other uses.

The Government proposes to completely remediate the site by destroying the dioxin and other toxic chemicals left behind by decades of industrial use.

This area has a reputation as one of the most polluted places in Australia and its remediation represents a massive environmental challenge. The natural habitat of the area has been degraded.

Past efforts to clean the site have involved the containment of chemicals in a concrete sarcophagus but new technology now allows permanent destruction of the contaminants.

The Homebush Remediation Project is an opportunity to clean and renew a significant piece of Sydney’s waterfront land for public use and enjoyment as a legacy for the future of Sydney.

Products manufactured in the area have included:

• 1928 to 1986: Coal tar
• 1933 to 1986: Xanthates
• 1948 to 1983: Chlorobenzenes etc
• 1949 to 1976: Chlorine gas plant established, herbicides manufactured
• 1955 to 1968: Insecticides such as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and DDD (is a compound that is created by the natural breakdown of DDT).

Historic photos

Historic photos from 1930 onwards. Click on the image to obtain a larger view (images open in a new window).

1930	1942	1949	1951
1956	1961	1965	1970

CDs

Links to relevant sites have been added to the Homebush Bay Remediation website. In particular, a new link has been established to Olympic Co-ordination Authority where a host of information exists on the issues surrounding Homebush Bay. The Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) has also produced a set of CDs which provide an aural record of the issues around the Bay. More information on these CDs can be obtained from SOPA and copies have been provided to libraries in the area.