Folks,
Too many of you are applying present day criteria, which would, indeed, make 400,000 plus per year at YSBK impossible.
What many of you will never have known was that the most common runway direction was 05/23, with a runway and an all over grass area.
Four or five abreast on final was common, with probably 15-20 aircraft doing circuits at peaks, plus true arrival and departure traffic.
In those days, helicopter traffic was a very small percentage of operations, now almost a third of Bankstown movements are helos., according to "official" figures.
Tootle pip!!