Punchbowl is an Australian suburb in the state of New South Wales. It is situated around 17 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD. Punchbowl is known for its rich history, cultural diversity and friendly community. It is mainly a residential suburb with a variety of houses and a number of parks and recreation centres. Punchbowl is well-connected with its neighbouring suburbs and major Australian cities through an extensive road network and the Punchbowl railway station on the Bankstown line. Find out more interesting facts about Punchbowl in this article.

Also, read about the top Things to Do in Punchbowl

Punchbowl falls under the City of Canterbury-Bankstown LGA.

According to the 2021 census, the suburb had a population of 21,384.

The Postcode of Punchbowl is 2196. It was established in 1869.

M5 Highway, Punchbowl Road and Canterbury Road are major roads/highways passing through the suburb and providing connectivity to neighbouring suburbs and Sydney CBD. The Boulevarde and South Terrace are inner roads.

The Broadway Plaza in Punchbowl is a major shopping mall comprising retail stores including Woolworths.

Punchbowl is a residential suburb with a variety of Federation-styled and contemporary homes. The suburb went through gentrification during the early 21st century, which added new flats, townhouses, apartments and detached houses to the area.

Major schools and educational institutions in Punchbowl include Punchbowl Boys High School, established in 1955, Punchbowl Public School, Saint Charbel's College and Saint Jeromes Catholic Primary School.

Punchbowl is named after a circular valley, called "the punchbowl", which is now located in the neighbouring suburb of Belfield. It was originally called ‘punch bowl’.

Punchbowl railway station opened on the Punchbowl road (originally called “Punch Bowl Road”) in 1909. The area surrounding it was eventually called Punchbowl and became a suburb.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Punchbowl became famous as a suburb for the rich class and featured many famous theatres. The Astoria Theatre was opened in Punchbowl on 17 July 1935. It had a seating capacity of 915. It was eventually demolished in 1959 and was replaced by a three-storey office building.

The Regent Theatre was opened on 24 May 1923 on the corner of The Boulevarde and Matthews Street in Punchbowl. It had a seating capacity of 1,287. It was closed and demolished in August 1964.

Roselands, which was originally a neighbourhood within Punchbowl, was made a separate suburb in 1987, though it still has the same postcode as Punchbowl.

European settlement in the area began in the 19th century, with the British and Irish being the first settlers. Over the decades, the suburb became home to migrants coming from all over the world, specifically Italy, Greece and Lebanon.

The suburb of Punchbowl is heavily influenced by Lebanese culture, among others. There are several Lebanese restaurants and sweet shops here.

At the 2021 census, the population of Punchbowl was 21,384, of which only 45% were born in Australia. Other major countries of birth were Lebanon 12.3%, Vietnam 5.4%, Bangladesh 3.0%, China 2.8% and Pakistan 2.7%. Due to this cultural diversity, only about 22% of the suburb’s population spoke English at home; other major languages spoken by the locals were Arabic 33.7%, Vietnamese 6.9, Urdu 4.0%, Bengali 3.9% and Greek 3.4%. Major religions were Islam 38.4%, Catholic 22.6% and Eastern Orthodox 7.2%.

The top religious places in Punchbowl include the Monastery of Saint Charbel Lebanese Maronite Order, Coptic Orthodox Church of St Demiana and St Athanasius, Punchbowl Uniting Church, St Jerome Catholic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Punchbowl Baptist Church, The Korean Buddhist KwanUmSa Temple, Punchbowl Masjid and St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church.

Salt Pan Creek Reserve, McLaughlin Oval (sports complex), The Boulevarde