The veteran community across Sydney’s west will soon have greater access to integrated, localised support with the development of a new Veterans’ and Families’ Hub at the historic Bardia Barracks site in Ingleburn.
On 8 February 2024, the Government awarded a $5.445 million grant to RSL LifeCare, in partnership with RSL NSW and several ex‑service organisations, to deliver a Hub in the Hawkesbury region. This Hub will be inter-linked with the Bardia Barracks Hub in Ingleburn.
Together, these locations will support around 19,200 veterans and families of veterans across the Southwestern Corridor of Greater Sydney, with 11,500 in Greater Western Sydney and 7,700 in the Hawkesbury region.
Bardia Barracks has a long and proud military history. Built in 1940, as part of the Ingleburn Army Camp, the site was home to thousands of Australian soldiers undergoing training during the Second World War. The grounds remained in use 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. Repurposing it as a Veterans’ and Families’ Hub will ensure this legacy continues, while transforming the precinct into a welcoming, contemporary space for the veteran community.
The Hub is planned to span five buildings, including spaces for meetings, administration, social connection and a multipurpose hall. A proposed museum will honour the site’s legacy, while the grounds will be upgraded with outdoor social and play areas.
The Hub will provide a range of services and supports related to wellbeing, claims, social connection, and referral pathways into health, employment, housing and community services. This will include direct support (including claims and welfare assistance) and broader service navigation, community engagement, and referral into specialist providers.
The NSW Government is providing the site to RSL LifeCare after undertaking extensive investment and remediation works, enabling its transformation into a community asset.
The Hawkesbury Hub, inter-linked with the Bardia Barracks Hub, forms part of the Australian Government’s 2022–23 Budget announcement, committing $46.7 million to expand the network by eight new Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs nationwide, giving more veterans and families of veterans access to support. As part of this commitment, three new Hubs are now operational, with three more to be open in mid-2026.
With 11 Hubs already established across the country, the Government, together with strong partnerships across business and communities, is building an integrated support system for veterans and families of veterans.
To learn more about a Hub near you, visit Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs | Department of Veterans' Affairs.