Bardia Barracks Veteran and Family Hub
The historic Bardia Barracks in Ingleburn will be repurposed as a Veteran and Family Hub, delivering vital support services to veterans and their families in the Southwest Sydney community.
The NSW Government, with the support of Landcom, will officially transfer Bardia Barracks to RSL LifeCare, where it will become part of the Federal Government’s Veterans’ and Families’ Hub Network.
The Bardia Barracks Veteran and Family Hub, operated by RSL LifeCare in partnership with RSL NSW, will provide integrated and coordinated services for veterans and their families living throughout the region. The hub will operate in partnership with the Hawkesbury Veteran and Family Hub, strengthening service coverage and collaboration across the corridor.
Together, the Bardia Barracks and Hawkesbury hubs will support more than 19,000 veterans and veteran family members across Greater Western Sydney.
Thank you to Ingleburn RSL sub-Branch for hosting the community announcement and event at the RSL sub-Branch Memorial Park.
The Bardia Barracks Veteran and Family Hub is expected to open in mid 2026.
The Bardia Barracks Veteran and Family Hub announcement. L to R: Ms Nicky Young, Director, RSL NSW; Mr Drew Pearce, CEO, RSL LifeCare; Ms Sangeeta Venkatesan, Chair, RSL LifeCare; Ms Anne Stanley MP, Member for Werrima; The Hon Matt Keogh MP, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs; Mr David Moncrieff MP, Member for Hughes; The Hon David Harris MP, Minister for Veterans; and Ms Margot Chappell, Development Director, Landcom.
Bardia Barracks Veteran and Family Hub renders
Top images: Former Chaplains Office. Bottom images: Former Post Office.
History of Bardia Barracks
Built in 1940 as part of the Ingleburn Army Camp, Bardia Barracks served as the entry and command precinct for Australia’s first purpose‑built infantry training facility during the Second World War.
The facility was used up until the 1990s, with soldiers who went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars, National Service schemes and the Army Reserves, training and bunking at Bardia Barracks. Thousands of service personnel have passed through the site for recruit training, specialist instruction and National Service.
Following Defence rationalisation in the late twentieth century, the Ingleburn Defence Site was progressively decommissioned and most buildings were removed. In 2002, the Ingleburn Military Heritage Precinct was established to conserve the most significant elements of Bardia Barracks as a place of remembrance. Today, surviving features such as the entrance gates, sentry boxes, P1 huts, guard house, and memorials provide a lasting link to the generations of Australians who trained and served there.
Landcom has invested in extensive remediation, conservation and site wide upgrades to enable the adaptive reuse of this important heritage site. The works have focused on restoring and protecting Second World War era buildings and memorials, upgrading essential services, improving accessibility and safety, and enhancing landscaping and outdoor gathering spaces.
These upgrades ensure the site’s long-term sustainability while honouring its military history and supporting its transformation into a welcoming, dignified space for veterans, their families and the wider community.
Bardia Barracks forms part of the wider former Ingleburn Defence site, which Landcom has progressively transformed from legacy defence land into a thriving new community, delivering homes, parks, infrastructure and now renewed community facilities that continue the site’s service to the public.
Images 1-3 courtesy of Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales. Image 4 courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, collection number C1070617.