Menai in the 1970s was a semi-rural area that was about to be transformed into what the council was calling "a new satellite city" for Sutherland Shire.
Photos of Menai Road and the area's first shopping centre, at Bangor, are among Sutherland Shire Libraries' local studies collection of images.
Compare them with photos taken this week by the Leader's chief photographer John Veage.
The 1970s photo of Menai Road was taken looking west towards the then Menai Public School, which served the area until a new school was built in Hall Drive in the 1980s. Bangor Public School also opened in 1984 as the state's first "solar school".
When the photos were published on the Leader Facebook page, readers recalled Menai Oval, which had a cricket pitch, being located on the other side of Menai Road.
Heading towards Sutherland was a primitive petrol station and shop (really just a shed), operated by a lovely man named Fred. It was the only place in the area where you could buy milk and bread or a pie and drink.
Several readers recalled learning to ride motor bikes in bushland in the area.
Comments included, "Ex girlfriend's old man back in the early 70's told me to buy land there. Mates and I thought he was crazy".
The Bangor shopping centre, which included the first branch library and other services, opened in 1984.
The library was relocated to the new Menai Town Centre in July 1995.
Bangor shopping centre recently underwent a major upgrade.
The council approved plans in 1971 for the first stage of "unique" housing development in Menai, which was to be criss-crossed by cycle and walking paths and endowed with extensive community facilities.
It would take till the latter part of the decade before developers completed subdivisions, and home sites went on sale.
Alfords Point Bridge, which was completed in 1973, helped open up the area, but the one-lane bridge at Woronora remained until 1980.
The state government released enough land for 10,000 building blocks, of which about one-third was Crown land offered by ballot.
"Menai will be a far better place to live in than any other part of the shire," shire president Ray Thorburn said.
"It is a very beautiful area, and if it goes ahead the way we anticipate its development, it will be quite a revolution.:"
The Leader reported Menai home sites were likely to sell for an average of about $18,000. Recent sales at Woronora River had averaged $10,000 a block and it was nowhere near the quality of the Menai land.
