1 day Ago By Martyn McLaughlin
It was a home from home for a family of Scottish emigres who would go on to form one of the world’s most successful rock bands. Now, nearly 60 years after AC/DC’s founding members put down their roots in Australia after setting sail from Glasgow , fans of the group have condemned the decision to bulldoze their childhood home. Lead guitarist Angus Young and his older brother, Malcolm, who played rhythm guitar, grew up in the modest property in a suburb of Sydney, honing their musical skills alongside their sibling, George, who enjoyed fame with his own band, The Easybeats, before co-producing AC/DC’s first six albums.
The brothers continued to live at the property after forming the band in 1973, playing gigs across Australia as they slowly built up a following. The group would go on to become a commercial juggernaut, selling more than 200 million albums around the world. For years, the former Young family home at 4 Burleigh Street in Burwood, west of Sydney, has attracted fans of the band, who routinely posed outside for photographs.
Only last year, the local authority in the Burwood area of Sydney commissioned a mural on a nearby building, depicting Angus and Malcolm - who died in 2017 - in their pomp. The former Young home was also listed on Australia’s National Trust Register of Historic Houses in 2013. But it has emerged in recent days that the semi-detached property has been razed to the ground, prompting a backlash from AC/DC’s loyal fanbase and criticism of Australian authorities for failing to recognise the site’s cultural significance.
Photographs circulating online show a vacant site surrounded by fencing where the house once stood, sparking angry comments on AC/DC fan sites online. One follower of the band, Rodger Johnson, wrote on Facebook: “It’s awful to see such destruction of history, not only for Australian music and cultural history, but also a possible museum tourist destination.” Another fan, Sue Scarcella, pointed out that given the building had links not only to AC/DC, but The Easybeats, who are still regarded as one of Australia’s most successful pop bands, more should have been done to save it.
“In other countries, a building where two of the country's most influential bands developed their craft would be preserved,” she said. “It was heritage listed, for goodness sake. As an amateur historian, I am appalled.
Would they pull down Hitsville in Detroit?” Before becoming vacant, the house was used as a family medical practice. It is understood that the property was purchased in 2023 by Burwood Square Pty Ltd, a company which also bought nearby buildings amid plans to develop a multimillion pound new residential site. In a statement, Burwood Council said the fact the house was on the historic register did not prevent it from being knocked down.
“As it is not heritage listed or protected under local or state legislation, and because the National Trust is a community-based, non-government organisation, with no statutory authority, the property does not have enforceable protections,” it explained. “Burwood Council remains committed to finding new ways to celebrate the Young family and the area’s rich musical heritage.”.
