Woden Plaza Of Days Gone By

Started by Bus 400, March 19, 2015, 09:28:16 PM

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Bus 400

Lately I've been discussing the original Woden Plaza with forum members & work mates.

What I didn't realize is that at the back of the shops on the lower level was a lane way used for the original Woolworths Woden. With a store man's lift being in the JB Hifi dock, this was part of the Woolworths/KFC dock. This lane way is still there,  but not accessible to the public anymore. You may of been to access this from the old Harvey Norman Woden Woden dock (the other dock was out at Hume).

As you also walked into Woden Plaza from Woden Interchange,  you had Woolworths on your right. With you passing Woolworths Parcel Pick Up there. With a lift/esculator right as you walked in.

Now I have seen photos of where David Jones is now was once the main entrance into Woden Plaza. This was back in the day when Woden Plaza was the biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere.

When you look at the latest expansion of Woden Plaza, all of the ground underneath had to be excavated out.

Buzz Killington

#1
I remember:
- the most recent expansion (from the body shop up to Coles and woolies)
- when Franklins used to be downstairs
-  the farmers market being approximately where the food court is now
- Timezone being around the Hoyts entrance
- the second entry into big w
- the mall entrances near that second big w entry and near franklins onto the former Shea and Keltie Streets
- the ramp from Harvey Norman (and Norman Ross before it) down to the other two floors
- a set of stairs much like the ones outside Bupa being approximately where the escalators are near JB Hiri (and the escalators in their former location)
- KFC on Keltie Street when it ran along the back of the mall to what is now Juliana Place
- St George being near the town square, which used to have the big fountain and pond
- The Music Shop being opposite Maccas, then near muffin break, then into the big shop under a if W and being progressively whittled down until it disappeared completely
- the old woolies downstairs
- the old row of shops in the interchange - Westpac and Collins bookstore were tenants and some point
- the signage for Palm court and clock court
- toy world being down outside Woolies (later Priceline from memory, which moved upstars when JB moved over from the marketplace, also taking part of the old freedom store on part of the old applies site)


Barry Drive

#2
As proven elsewhere, my memory is not 100% reliable, but these I know for certain :

the NAB branch (near the entrance from the square) was where National Bank of Australia was located when Woden Plaza opened - making it one of only a few tenants to have remained in the same location (other than David Jones);

Kathmandu is where Fossey's was originally located. (Fossey's also had an entrance off the square.)

Palm Court had stairs on one side and escalators on the other. It's possible that the stairs went up to level 3, connecting with the David Jones restaurant. There was, of course, a palm tree inside Palm Court.

Before the Big W / Norman Ross / Farmer's Market (stage 3) expansion, there was a Clark Rubber store on the lower level of Clock Court. Back then, the entrance was near where the Chemist is now with David Jones having a separate entrance.

There were two* entrances onto Keltie Street - one was next to the original Kingsley's Chicken store and the other led up to where Big W would be. Somewhere along Keltie St was the original location of The Hermitage restaurant - I think it was next to the Big W entry.

(* at least - could there have been a third?)

The Love Guru

There can never be too many ways to get out of Woden

Buzz Killington

Quote from: ACTbusspotter on March 20, 2015, 01:18:31 PM
Palm Court had stairs on one side and escalators on the other. It's possible that the stairs went up to level 3, connecting with the David Jones restaurant. There was, of course, a palm tree inside Palm Court.

Before the Big W / Norman Ross / Farmer's Market (stage 3) expansion, there was a Clark Rubber store on the lower level of Clock Court. Back then, the entrance was near where the Chemist is now with David Jones having a separate entrance.

Here's a couple of photos on Trove that back up your recollection:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/192542060?q&versionId=210586706

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/192546396?q&versionId=210592137