Westfield Chermside
A major indoor and outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment centre in Chermside, Brisbane, Queensland.
Last updated November 4, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Westfield Chermside is a large shopping, dining, lifestyle, and entertainment centre in the northern Brisbane suburb of Chermside, Queensland. It is operated under the Westfield brand by Scentre Group and serves Brisbane's northern suburbs as a major regional retail destination. The complex combines department stores, supermarkets, discount department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, cinemas, leisure venues, professional services, and extensive transport and parking infrastructure. The centre originated as Chermside Drive-In Shopping Centre, which opened on 30 May 1957. Developed by Allan & Stark on the former Early's Paddock site, it was promoted as a modern, car-oriented post-war shopping destination and is generally described as the first major post-war shopping centre to open in the Southern Hemisphere. The original centre occupied approximately 28 acres and provided parking for about 650 vehicles. Its opening included an Allan & Stark department store, a Brisbane Cash & Carry supermarket, specialty shops, food outlets, personal services, and a children's nursery. Engineering work was required to manage flooding, including large drainage pipes beneath the site. The centre changed ownership and retail identity several times during its early decades. Woolworths entered the Queensland supermarket market through the takeover of Brisbane Cash & Carry in 1958. The Myer Emporium Group acquired Allan & Stark in 1959, bringing the centre and its department store into the Myer portfolio. A major 1965 redevelopment introduced escalators, air-conditioning, and a restaurant, followed by a large Woolworths store in 1966. Target joined the tenant mix in 1972. A major fire in December 1972 destroyed the Woolworths store and damaged Myer, Clark Rubber, and other specialty stores. The centre responded with a substantial rebuilding program announced in 1974. The resulting works included a new three-level Myer store, an expanded Target, additional specialty shops, increased floor space, and improvements to the bus terminal and parking. Further refurbishment and expansion followed in the 1980s, after Myer Emporium merged with Coles to form Coles-Myer in 1985. Westfield Group purchased the centre from Coles Myer in December 1996 for a reported £127 million in contemporary Australian reporting, after which it was renamed Westfield Chermside. A major redevelopment began in 1999 and substantially transformed the site. New stages added a Coles supermarket, a bus station, Kmart, Bi-Lo, Target, a large food court, specialty retailers, and an entertainment precinct known as The Street. A 16-screen Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema complex opened in 2000. Another major expansion during the mid-2000s increased the centre's floor area from approximately 78,000 square metres to about 110,000 square metres. The works added Woolworths, Big W, JB Hi-Fi, Market Square, alfresco dining, additional specialty stores, and parking. David Jones opened a two-level store in 2007. Later tenant changes included the replacement of Bi-Lo by Harris Scarfe in 2008 and the opening of an Apple Store in 2009. Between 2015 and 2017, Westfield Chermside underwent a further redevelopment reported at approximately $355 million. The project added a two-level gallery mall, around 33,000 square metres of floor area, new retailers, expanded dining and entertainment facilities, additional parking, and ticketless parking technology. Its first stage introduced retailers and brands including Zara, H&M, Sephora, JB Hi-Fi, and Rebel. The second stage created a subtropical, resort-style dining and lifestyle precinct centred on the sculptural aluminium structure known as the Urchin. Restaurants, cafes, a gym, child-minding facilities, and Kingpin were added, followed by Uniqlo in October 2017. iFLY opened an indoor skydiving venue at the centre in 2019. The tenant mix continued to evolve in the 2020s. Zara's two-level store closed in 2021, with portions of the space reconfigured…
History
Westfield Chermside began as Chermside Drive-In Shopping Centre, built by Allan & Stark on a former paddock in Brisbane's northern suburb of Chermside. Construction began in October 1955, with major drainage works required because the site was vulnerable to flooding. The centre opened on 30 May 1957 under the official opening of Queensland Premier Vince Gair. Its car-oriented layout, large parking area, department store, supermarket, specialty retailers, food outlets, services, and children's nursery made it an important example of post-war suburban retail development. The original anchor tenants were Allan & Stark and Brisbane Cash & Carry. Woolworths took over the supermarket business in 1958, marking its entry into Queensland, while Myer Emporium acquired Allan & Stark the following year. The first major redevelopment came in 1965 and added escalators, air-conditioning, and a restaurant. A large Woolworths store opened in 1966, and Target joined the centre in 1972. On 19 December 1972, a serious fire destroyed Woolworths and damaged Myer, Clark Rubber, and several smaller stores. A rebuilding and expansion scheme, announced in 1974, was described as a project rising from the ashes. It expanded Target, replaced the damaged Myer facility with a new three-level store, added approximately 40 specialty shops, enlarged the retail area, and upgraded parking and bus facilities. The new Myer opened in 1977 and the new Target followed in 1979. During the 1980s, the centre came under Coles-Myer ownership following the merger of Myer Emporium and Coles in 1985. A multi-stage refurbishment commenced in 1986, adding stores and underground parking. A business mall opened in 1992. The site experienced another fire in 1993 and major storm-related flooding in 1994, with contemporary accounts reporting extensive damage to the shopping centre. Westfield Group purchased the property from Coles Myer in December 1996 and renamed it Westfield Chermside. The first stage of a large redevelopment began in 1999. This program substantially removed and rebuilt much of the earlier complex while retaining the Myer store and parts of the adjoining mall. It added a Coles supermarket and a new bus station in 1999, followed in 2000 by Kmart, Bi-Lo Mega Fresh, Target, a 900-seat food court, approximately 100 specialty stores, and The Street entertainment and lifestyle precinct. A 16-screen Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema complex also opened in 2000. A further expansion began in 2005. Its first stage opened in October 2006 with Market Square, alfresco dining, Woolworths, Big W, JB Hi-Fi, approximately 80 specialty stores, and additional parking. Borders, Dan Murphy's, and further specialty retailers joined before the end of 2006. David Jones opened a two-level store in August 2007. Bi-Lo closed in 2008 and was replaced by Harris Scarfe, while an Apple Store opened in 2009. In 2011, the centre introduced parking-management measures, including Park Assist and paid parking intended to reduce commuter parking. From 2015, a further redevelopment created a two-level gallery mall, expanded the centre by approximately 33,000 square metres, added parking, and introduced new retail and dining facilities. The first stage opened in April 2017 with Zara, H&M, Sephora, JB Hi-Fi, Rebel, and numerous specialty stores. The second stage opened in June 2017 with a subtropical dining and lifestyle precinct, restaurants, cafes, fountains, landscaping, the Urchin structure, a gym, and child-minding facilities. Kingpin opened later that year, and Uniqlo completed the principal retail rollout in October. The centre continued to diversify beyond conventional retail. iFLY opened an indoor skydiving attraction in May 2019. In 2021, Zara's former two-level space was reconfigured, with Cotton On Mega taking the lower level and the upper floor divided into additional tenancies. H&M closed in early 2022; Holey Moley and Hijinx Hotel subsequently occupied parts of the former space. In July 2025, Dexus acquired a 25 percent interest from Scentre Group for $683 million. Westfield Chermside remains an active major centre operated by Scentre Group and supported by a large bus interchange and extensive multi-level parking.
- 2025
Dexus takes a minority interest
[1]Dexus acquires a 25 percent interest in the centre from Scentre Group.
- 2019
iFLY opens
[1]An indoor skydiving attraction opens outside the main centre complex.
- 2017
Major gallery mall redevelopment completed
[1]The two-stage redevelopment adds a gallery mall, international retailers, restaurants, lifestyle services, entertainment, landscaping, and parking.
- 2006
Market Square expansion opens
[1]A major expansion adds Market Square, dining, Woolworths, Big W, JB Hi-Fi, specialty retailers, and substantial parking.
- 2000
Entertainment precinct opens
[1]The Street precinct and a 16-screen cinema complex open during the major redevelopment.
- 1996
Westfield acquires and renames the centre
[1]Westfield Group purchases the property from Coles Myer and adopts the Westfield Chermside name.
- 1977
New three-level Myer opens
[1]A rebuilt Myer department store opens as part of the post-fire expansion program.
- 1972
Major fire damages the centre
[1]A December fire destroys Woolworths and damages Myer, Clark Rubber, and specialty stores.
- 1965
First major redevelopment
[1]Escalators, air-conditioning, and a restaurant are added to modernise the centre.
- 1957
Chermside Drive-In Shopping Centre opens
[1]The centre opens on 30 May with a department store, supermarket, specialty shops, services, food outlets, and parking for approximately 650 cars.
Products and positioning
A large regional shopping, dining, lifestyle, and entertainment destination serving Brisbane's northern suburbs.
Retail property · 1957
Regional shopping centre
The core offering is a large regional shopping centre combining department stores, supermarkets, discount department stores, specialty retail, services, dining, entertainment, and public amenities. Its indoor and outdoor areas are organised into several mall, market, gallery, and lifestyle precincts designed to support both everyday shopping and destination visits.
Dining and leisure · 2017
Dining and lifestyle precinct
Created and expanded through the 2017 redevelopment, the dining and lifestyle precinct provides restaurants, cafes, street-food formats, outdoor landscaping, fountains, a gym, child-minding services, and leisure venues. It extends the centre's role beyond conventional retail and provides evening and social uses.
Entertainment · 2000
Entertainment offering
Westfield Chermside's entertainment offer has included a large Event Cinemas complex and venues such as Kingpin, iFLY, Holey Moley, and Hijinx Hotel. These attractions support longer visits and position the centre as a combined shopping, dining, and leisure destination.
Centre infrastructure · 1957
Transport and parking infrastructure
The centre is integrated with Chermside bus station, where multiple Brisbane bus services commence, terminate, or stop. Its multi-level car parks provide approximately 7,200 to 7,300 spaces depending on the redevelopment stage, supported by Park Assist and later ticketless parking technology.
Marketing campaigns
- 198730th anniversary celebrations
Australia · Queensland
The centre marked its 30th anniversary with public appearances and stage programming, including a visit by international cricketer Ian Botham.
Outcome. The event reinforced the centre's role as a community and promotional venue.
- 1957Chermside Drive-In opening promotion
Australia · Queensland
The opening was staged as a high-profile public event with prominent guests, bands, publicity, and crowd-control measures. The promotion presented the centre as a modern and entertaining post-war shopping experience.
Outcome. More than 15,000 people attended on opening day, establishing the centre as a significant Brisbane retail destination.
Brand decisions
2025
Sell a minority interest to DexusM&ABackground
Scentre Group adjusted its ownership exposure to the mature Westfield Chermside asset while retaining its operating role.
Action taken
Dexus Group acquired a 25 percent interest for $683 million.
Aftermath
Scentre Group remained the Westfield operator and continued to hold the remaining interest.
Transaction value. $683 million (July 2025)
2015
Undertake a major centre redevelopmentStrategyBackground
Scentre Group planned to modernise the centre, expand its retail offer, and strengthen dining, entertainment, and lifestyle uses.
Action taken
A multi-stage redevelopment created a two-level gallery mall, new retail space, dining and entertainment precincts, additional parking, and ticketless parking.
Aftermath
The two principal stages opened in 2017 and added international retailers, restaurants, leisure facilities, and approximately 33,000 square metres of floor area.
Reported redevelopment cost. $355 million (Redevelopment commencing in 2015 and substantially opening in 2017)
2011
Introduce parking-management measuresStrategyBackground
The centre sought to improve the availability of customer parking and discourage commuters from leaving vehicles on the site for extended periods.
Action taken
Westfield announced Park Assist and introduced paid parking later in the year.
Aftermath
The policy generated controversy among some shoppers and local residents.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/westfield-chermside · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled