Punchbowl, New South Wales

Punchbowl Sydney, New South Wales
The Boulevarde, Punchbowl
Punchbowl
Coordinates	33°56′S 151°03′E / 33.933°S 151.050°E / -33.933; 151.050Coordinates: 33°56′S 151°03′E / 33.933°S 151.050°E / -33.933; 151.050
Population	18,429 (2011 census)
Established	1869
Postcode(s)	2196
Location	17 km (11 mi) south of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Canterbury-Bankstown Council
State electorate(s)	Lakemba Bankstown
Federal Division(s)	Watson Banks
Suburbs around Punchbowl: Mount Lewis Greenacre Lakemba Bankstown Punchbowl Wiley Park Padstow Riverwood Roselands

Punchbowl is a suburb in the south-western Sydney region, 17 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2011 census, Punchbowl had a population of 18,429.

Punchbowl is named for a circular valley, called "the punch bowl", which is actually located in the nearby suburb of Belfield at the intersection of Coronation Parade, Georges River and Punchbowl Roads. This feature gave its name to "Punch Bowl Road" (now Punchbowl Road). In the 1830s, an inn built by George Faulkener, close to the corner of Liverpool Road, was called the Punch and Bowl. John Stephens had a property there in the 1830s and his son is mentioned in the Wells Gazetteer in 1848, "Clairville or Punchbowl, in the Parishes of St George and Bankstown, is the property of Sir Alfred Stephens". When a railway station opened on this road in 1909, three kilometres away from the 'punch bowl' itself, the surrounding suburb came to be known as Punchbowl.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Punchbowl was a higher-class suburb, with a number of popular theatres that were closed down or demolished thirty years later. The Punchbowl Astoria opened on 17 July 1935 with seating for 915 persons. The final programme was shown on Wednesday 4 February 1959. The Astoria was eventually gutted and refitted as a three-storey office building. The Punchbowl Regent was situated on the corner of The Boulevarde and Matthews Street. Operated by Enterprise Theatres Ltd, the Regent opened on Saturday 24 May 1923, showing The White Rose. It was a large cinema with seating for 1,287 patrons. The last programme was shown on Wednesday 4 February 1959. The Regent was demolished in August 1964 and replaced by a block of shops.

Punchbowl has a relatively small shopping centre, although the selection is diverse. It thrived until the advent of Roselands and Bankstown Square in the late 1960s and its bisection by the upgrading of Punchbowl Road in the 1970s. It is centred on Punchbowl railway station, along The Boulevarde and Punchbowl Road. Local businesses and clubs reflect the diversity of the population. Punchbowl RSL was located on The Boulevarde until it closed in 2010 and The Mirage Hotel is on Punchbowl Road. Lebanese cuisine is well regarded in the suburb, to the extent that culinary walking tours of Punchbowl sell out months ahead. There are a number of Lebanese sweet shops in the suburb. In 2009, a gym opened at the Astoria theatre site.