Georges Hall Public School

Play Your Part

Telephone02 9707 1988

Emailgeorgeshal-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Georges Hall History

Georges Hall was originally part of Bankstown, George Bass (1771-1803) and Matthew Flinders (1774-1829) sailed the Tom Thumb up the Georges River as far as this suburb's boundary in 1795.  In 1798 Bass was given a grant of 40 hectares in the area of the present Hazel Street and Flinders Road, alongside Prospect Creek, by Governor Hunter, and Bass Hill, a neighbouring suburb, honours his name.  The grant later reverted to the Crown.  Bass's fellow explorer, Matthew Flinders, received a grant south of Bass's bounded by Marion Street,  Bellevue Avenue, Flinders Road and Prospect Creek.  He bought more land until he had 20 hectares but he did not farm it.

Captain Georges Johnston (1764-1823) Lieutenant of the First Fleet, built his first home, a farmhouse in this area on a grant of 70 hectares dated 1798.  It was situated on Prospect Creek near the present Henry Lawson Drive and Beatty Parade.  He named it Georges Hall.  His third son, David, became a grazier on this property, which was a farming area in its early days, and the suburb takes its name from the Johnston farm.  David Johnston was appointed by Governor Macquarie as superintendent of herds and stock.  In 1809 the farmhouse of Georges Hall was used as an administration centre and when convicts gathered at the centre to have a census taken, a military guard was posted there.

In 1837 another home was built by the Johnston family.  This time, it was on higher ground in present Lionel Street and well away from the danger of the Georges River Floods.  The Homestead, as they call it, is one of the oldest houses in the City of Bankstown.  Its design was simple but elegant with wide verandahs and t he interior of the house featured cedar woodwork.  The National Trust has classified this house although it is not open for public inspection.  The family is commemorated by Johnston Road.

In 1928 a post office was opened and the area became officially known as Georges Hall.

Georges Hall Public School commenced in 1942 as a wooded portable building in Birdwood Road.  The school grew in size until 1975 when the school site was deemed to be dangerous for children because of proposed extension to Bankstown Aerodrome.  Plans were drawn up for the school at our present site in Pennington Avenue.  In October 1976, children settled into the new school and the Birdwood Road school was  closed.