Bass Hill is named after
George Bass, a surgeon and explorer who was granted land here in 1798. He had arrived in the colony in 1795 on
HMS Reliance and became friendly with midshipman
Matthew Flinders and on arrival they decided to explore parts of the colony. In 1796 on a small boat called the
Tom Thumb accompanied by a boy servant
William Martin, they sailed into
Botany Bay and explored the
Georges River, beyond previous expeditions. They sailed as far as present day
Georges Hall. For their exploration efforts Bass and Flinders were rewarded with land grants in this area by
Governor Hunter. The area developed rapidly after the completion of
Liverpool Road in 1814. Originally known as Irish Town because of the Irish settlements, it later became known as Upper Bankstown. It became officially known as Bass Hill in October 1924. During
World War II, Bass Hill was the location for a small
transmitting station that was owned and operated by the
RAAF. It was located on the corner of Manuka Crescent & Johnston Road. This facility worked in conjunction with the
Bankstown Bunker on Black Charlies Hill in Marion Street, Condell Park, which also worked in conjunction with a remote receiving station that was located in
Picnic Point. ==Commercial area==