Hi All There was apparently a Shepherd's Bush in Sydney. Have a look at Banjo Patterson's poem "Uncle Bill", which is on-line. He talks about the gangs of Surrey Hills and Shepherd's Bush. I'd never heard of it before, I must admit. You learn something new every day. It must have been somewhere around Central Railway. Jean ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi. Just arrived on this List and saw the above message from Jean Pearce. Shepherd's Bush appears to have been in the Botany Bay area -- at least the area had a Shepherd's Bush Coursing Ground used for greyhound racing. This would tie in with Banjo's reference to "gangs" as they were a common feature at racecourses in the good old/bad old days (at least in the UK). The following is an extract from the City of Botany Bay site www.botanybay.nsw.gov.au/history.html under the heading "Sport and Entertainment". <<<The local love of racing extended to horses and greyhounds. The district was well served by racetracks. Ponies went through their paces at the Ascot and Rosebery Racecourses, while the Shepherd's Bush Coursing Ground held greyhound races. Later, motor bikes and planes took over from the horses and dogs. In the 1930s, bike riders, barnstormers and races organised by New South Wales Aero Club got top billing.>>> There is no date given for the Coursing Ground and no sign of it in my "Gregory" suburban maps, nor on the Whereis Street Atlas site at www.whereis.com.au/ "Uncle Bill" was penned in 1888 so we know the gang were operating prior to that date. We have a site in the UK which is very handy for old maps circa 1860, scale six inches to the mile. www.old-maps.co.uk/ Something similar covering Sydney and suburbs would probably give the answer ---- anything available ? Failing that, if SKS in Botany Bay could spare half an hour in the main library or made contact with the New South Wales Aero Club I'm sure an answer to the mystery could be found. Perhaps the tarmac at Sydney Airport (Kingsford-Smith) covers the old Coursing Ground. By the way, thanks for two magnificent Olympic Games. I'm now off to watch the Scotland v Australia football match tonight --- supporting both teams so I cannot lose! Regards, Andy (Dalgety Bay, Fife, Scotland)