It's been a couple of years since I was last at the shopping centre near where I grew up as a kid. Westfield Kotara (was Garden City Kotara, aka "GARDO") has become a monstrosity. It took me half an hour to get my bearings and work out where some of the old internal landmarks were to give me a starting point from which to explore.

It's come a VERY long way since 1978 when, as a 5yo kindy student, I helped paint the window of Ray Baartz Sports Store for a Mothers' Day promotion being run by the centre.

I don't know how I feel about it all now. Nostalgia is a terrible thing.

I'm speechless.

To think that, just 80 years ago, my late grandfather used to wander around the swamp that is buried under that building. During the Great Depression he and a mate used to ride their pushbikes some 40kms from Maitland to Kotara to catch snakes in the swamp, which they sold to butchers for a few pennies each.

12mins to get in and find a park.

But it's already been 23minutes and I'm only 250m from where I parked. So much for "my quick trip down to Gardo". What a shitfight they've created in terms of traffic flow.

(Well-spotted, Marty. Yep - Northcott Drive, Kotara)

Traffic gridlock on the Pacific Highway (Lindfield) due to a five vehicle accident.