Badgerys Creek is a suburb everyone in Sydney has been talking about but you could be forgiven for thinking it was the area that time forgot.
Caught in the transition between a suburb full of people enjoying a rural lifestyle and the new home of a major airport, the Badgerys Creek of today resembles a ghost town.
Monday, June 15 was the deadline residents were given to leave their homes and make way for construction to begin on the proposed airport.
When The Western Weekender visited Badgerys Creek on Tuesday, just 20 minutes from the Penrith CBD, it was eerily quiet. Houses have now been boarded up and gated with rubbish left behind for clean up.
The school is no longer in operation, and has been damaged by fire.
Most of the 455 people who lived in Badgerys Creek left the area, with around 40 people remaining. They are believed to be involved in court action.
Families with cattle and animals also still remain in the area, with empty houses to be demolished.
The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, who are overseeing the airport project, are aiming to start construction as early as next year, all going to plan.
Ultimately, only memories of what was a semi-rural farming community will remain, as construction grows and a new major piece of Sydney infrastructure is created. The
Badgerys Creek of a decade’s time will look nothing like it does today.
However, it is expected people will return to the area in under a decade, giving Badgerys Creek a new life.
Site analysis is expected to begin shortly with the possibility of the first sod to be turned by the middle of next year.
– Jade AliprandiÂ
