Free Photo Exhibition

When: Until 26 October 2025
Location: Lower level, outside Kmart

The People of Eastlands 

Over the past 60 years, Eastlands has been shaped not just by the shops and events, but by the people who bring the centre to life every day. 

In this final video of our 60th Anniversary series, we spoke with some of the team members who help run the centre—many of whom have a personal connection to Eastlands that goes back decades. 

Some grew up visiting the centre with their families, taking photos with Santa or watching the fireworks from the car park. Others had parents who owned shops here, or landed their very first job in one of the centre’s iconic stores. 

They share their favourite memories, their go-to shops, and what it means to see generations of families still coming together at Eastlands. 

Watch the full interview on our Facebook or Instagram page.

In 1978, Jill’s daughter Joanna was crowned Eastlands Baby, after winning a contest amongst 600 children.

Lee Cown grew up just across the road from Eastlands where Friday night shopping was her weekly tradition. By 1976, she landed her first job at Venture, one of the centre’s most iconic stores.  Joanna’s winning photo, now faded with time, still holds pride of place in the family home, and the generosity of the centre staff and store owners still brings joy into Jill’s heart.

Each store donated a prize, including a bracelet from the jeweller, a new dress, shoes a and a teddy bear. “It was really like Christmas” Jill says.

Watch the full interview on our Facebook or Instagram page.

Back in 1982, when Karin and her husband were looking for the perfect location for their Video Rental shop, they knew they had to be at Eastlands.

Their shop quickly became popular amongst locals, with lots of people coming to rent the latest movies.

But her favourite  memory is of how many children would come in to watch movies after school “It was like a family affair”, she says.

Karin is excited to be a part of Eastlands 60th Anniversary celebration, and we are excited to share her story.

Watch the full interview on our Facebook or Instagram page.

Lee Cown grew up just across the road from Eastlands. Friday night shopping was a weekly tradition and created some of her most fond memories. “It was the hype of the Eastern Shore,” she says.

By 1976, she got her first job in the centre, working at Venture, an iconic store that once took over a large part of the centre’s lower level. Lee describes the centre as a fun place to work and a great place to be.

Lee still visits every Sunday with her mum, they grab a coffee, do their groceries, and spend quality time together.

To hear more about Lee’s favourite memories, watch the interview on our Facebook or Instagram.

Eastlands has been part of the Eastern Shore’s story since 1965, when it first opened as Rosny Regional Shopping Square, but how did it come to be?

Centre Manager Luke Jamieson sits down with local historians John Sargent and Alan Townsend to uncover the social and economic forces that led to the creation of the centre, and how its unique concept at the time changed the way Tasmanians shopped.

Luke also speaks with Leigh Stephens, whose father, Don Stephens, was a well-known local photographer, working commercially and for The Mercury. Leigh recently discovered a rare collection of Don’s photographs in his archives that document the centre from its earliest days through to the mid-1970s.

These images, along with archival material, will feature in the Eastlands 60th Anniversary Photo Exhibition, on the lower level outside Kmart from 6–26 October.

The exhibition is free to visit during centre hours and offers a visual journey through the moments that helped shape Eastlands into Tasmania’s largest shopping centre.

Whether you remember shopping at Rosny Regional, working in one of the original stores, or simply visiting with family, this celebration is a chance to revisit the everyday magic that’s made Eastlands a part of life on the Eastern Shore for 60 years.

Watch the full interview on our Facebook and Instagram.