On Friday, 12 May, the Northern Territory’s largest shopping centre, Casuarina Square, held celebrations to mark its 50th birthday. Festivities included family fun activities and giveaways, headlined by a live performance from ARIA award-winning dance group, Sneaky Sound System.

Casuarina Square officially opened its doors on 23 May 1973, with the first stage of the proposed centre complete. The centre had been up and running for just over a year when tragedy struck, on Christmas Eve 1974, as Darwin was devastated by Cyclone Tracy. Casuarina Square reopened in September 1975 and in the following years, wasted no time in expanding the centre and bringing exciting new stores and events to Darwin.

Conveniently located in Darwin’s north, the centre draws customers from all over Greater Darwin and beyond. The centre has more than 180 specialty stores, a gross lettable area of 55,000m2 and 2,500 car parking spaces. Key retailers and majors include Kmart, Big W, JB Hi-Fi, Coles, Woolworths, BCC Cinemas and Mecca. The centre’s outdoor dining and entertainment precinct, The Quarter, is home to several national and locally branded dining and dessert options as well as Edge Health Club and Timezone.

The centre has been owned and managed by Sentinel Property Group since March 2022, who purchased the centre from GPT Group for $418 million in the biggest deal in the Group’s history. It was the largest single shopping centre transaction in Australia for more than a decade and the biggest equity raise for an unlisted retail asset ever achieved in Australia.

Warren Ebert, CEO at Sentinel Property Group said, “It was the realisation of a dream for Sentinel to become the owners of Casuarina Square. If you’re a retailer and you want to come to the Northern Territory, Casuarina Square is where you go, it just dominates.

“We are delighted to now be part of Casuarina Square’s 50th birthday celebrations. We are very excited about the centre’s future, and we have big plans for it to be a major part of the growth in the NT.”

Being at the heart of its community, the momentous occasion was celebrated by generations of families across the Northern Territory.

Polly Lamond, Centre Manager, said, “Casuarina Square was built for the community by the community, and so we believe it is only right to celebrate this momentous occasion with the people who made it possible, our customers.”

“The event was a great success, and we were delighted to share this huge milestone with the community,” said Lamond.

During the event, the Casuarina Square team served over 300 pieces of cake and gave away lots of great prizes to its customers. One lucky customer will win a brand new car valued at $19,490 on the 23rd of May 2023, which is the 50th anniversary of the centre’s official opening date.

One lucky customer will win a brand new car valued at $19,490 on the 23rd of May 2023