Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in
Greater Sydney
Greater Sydney is the most populous metropolitan area in Australia and Oceania. Located in the state of New South Wales, it encompasses the City of Sydney (the state capital), its neighbouring local government areas and surrounding regions. I ...
,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
on the north shore of
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...
and
Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney's north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney is divided into distinctive regions such as the
North Shore,
Northern Beaches
The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...
and
Forest District.
The region is characterised by pristine waterways with immense greenery, a well-planned public transport system, hilly roads, large plots of manicured land, and substantially large
federation
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
and
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
style homes. Northern Sydney is home to some of Sydney's most affluent suburbs, large parks and notable landmarks, in addition to having the most leafiest suburbs in the metropolitan area.
History
The western end of Northern Sydney was home to the Wallumettagal (
Ryde-
Hunters Hill
Hunters Hill is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hunters Hill is located north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government in Australia, local ...
& Western Lane Cove) tribe. The first settlement in the north and in fact the third-earliest in Australia, after Sydney and
Parramatta
Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
, was at Ryde; then known by the Aboriginal name Wallumetta. The territory from Sydney Cove to Parramatta, on the northern side of the Parramatta River, was thought to be that of the Wallumedegal, and had the aboriginal name Wallumetta, the territory of the Wallumede people.
On 3 January 1792, the first land in the Ryde area was granted to eight marines, along the northern bank of the river between Sydney and Parramatta. The area was named by Governor Phillip the "Field of Mars", Mars being the Roman god of war, named to reflect the military association with these new settlers. Today's Field of Mars Reserve is the remnant of a district which once extended from
Dundas to the Lane Cove River. Soon after, these grants were followed by grants to ten emancipated convicts in February 1792, the land being further to the east of the marines grants, thus the area was called Eastern Farms or the Eastern Boundary. The name Eastern Farms then changed to Kissing Point by 1794; a name believed to have originated from the way heavily laden boats passing the Parramatta River bumped or "kissed" the rocky outcrop which extends into the river of Kissing Point today.
Further grants were issued in 1794 and 1795, gradually occupying most of the foreshores between
Meadowbank and
Gladesville. Some of the grants were at the North Brush, north of the Field of Mars settlement, in the area of Brush Farm and Eastwood. Most of the Grants were small, from 12 to 40 hectares (30 to 100 acres).
By 1803, most of the accessible land had been granted. Settlement was based along the Parramatta River and overlooking ridges. Governor King recognised that most of the smaller settlers had insufficient land for their stock but it was not possible to grant them larger allotments. In 1804, it was decided that a 'traditional English common' – a large area of public land for use by local inhabitants – would be set aside. Six commons were gazetted.
In 1804, an area of 6000 acres of the Field of Mars was decreed as a common. The common stretched from what is now Hunters Hill, through Ryde to
Pennant Hills, incorporating a large tract of forest around the Lane Cove River. It was intended as a resource for small settlers, a place for them to graze their livestock and collect firewood, to supplement their farming practices.
The Field of Mars Connect, an area of approximately located north of the Field of Mars and the Eastern Farms, covered most of the Ryde municipality. The village itself comprised only a modest scattering of houses in a few streets around the church, surrounded by farms, orchards and some large estates. Nevertheless, the name was well established by 12 November 1870 when the Municipal district of Ryde was officially proclaimed.
Suburbs and Regions of Northern Sydney
Northern Sydney is described as the area between
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...
to the south,
Carlingford and suburbs in line to the west/northwest,
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River (Dharug language, Dharug: Dyarubbin) is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle ...
and
Pittwater
Pittwater is a semi-mature tide dominated Ria, drowned valley estuary, located about north of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia; being one of the bodies of water that separate greater Metropolitan Sydney from th ...
to the north and the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...
to the east.
Regions
Northern Sydney is further sub-divided into regions such as the
North Shore (the inner north and north-western part of the region between the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour),
Northern Beaches
The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...
(the northern coastal suburbs to the north-east of Middle Harbour) and
Forest District, a small group of suburbs between the Upper North Shore and the Northern Beaches. Despite the region being divided by distinctive definitions, parts of the region are often simply referred to as "Northern Suburbs", "North" or "North West", most notably the inner north-western suburbs to the west of the
Lane Cove River, such as
Epping,
Ryde,
Melrose Park and
Meadowbank.
The
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...
defines several statistical areas (SAL-4) that are located in northern Sydney. These are:
* Sydney – Northern Beaches, covering the customary Northern Beaches region northeast of Middle Harbour and south of the Hawkesbury River;
* Sydney – North Sydney and Hornsby, covering the customary upper and lower North Shore regions southwest of Middle Harbour, northeast of the Lane Cove River and south of the Hawkesbury River; and
* Sydney – Ryde, covering the inner north-western region southwest of the Lane Cover River.
ABS – Quickstats 2021 – Sydney – Ryde
/ref>
Suburbs and localities
''This list is not exhaustive.''
The suburbs and localities of the Northern Sydney region are:
Culture and sport
Sport is represented in many areas in the region, RydeEastwood Rugby League Club is the local rugby league club in the area, with it covering the area of the famed Holy Cross College, Ryde. This league following can be attributed to the large Catholic population of the early developmental days of Rugby League in Australia, though the area now only retains two Junior rugby league clubs, both feeding to Holy Cross. There are also several Rugby League clubs surrounding the Hornsby area such as the Asquith Magpies (with a large Leagues Club in Waitara), the Pennant Hills Stags and the Hornsby Lions in the North Sydney District Junior Rugby League. Junior Rugby League teams in the Ryde district are in the Balmain District Junior Rugby League, feeding into the Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
junior development system.
Eastwood District Rugby Union Football Club represents the region in rugby union. It is considered one of the strongest clubs in the Shute Shield, consistently performing well. This club is considered a gateway club for rugby union in the Western Sydney area. Its consistent performance is due to the fact it has established a strong Juniors and Sub-District competition within the area, many children from the area are sent to the elite private schools of Sydney and hold rugby union as the preferred code. Local school St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, is a traditional rugby school.
Transport
Northern Sydney is very well serviced by public transport. Two railway lines operate through the region known as the North Shore railway line and the Northern railway line on the Sydney Trains
Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of Railways in Sydney, suburban and intercity train services in and around Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.
The metropolitan part of the network is a hybrid urban rail, urban-suburban r ...
network.
The Epping to Chatswood rail link which opened in 2009, crosses Northern Sydney from Chatswood to Epping. The link is now part of Sydney Metro Northwest.
There is also an abundance of bus routes serving the region operated by Busways, CDC NSW and Keolis Downer Northern Beaches.
The southern part of this region is frequented by ferry services to the Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
and westbound towards Parramatta
Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
, as well as ferry services to the Sydney CBD from Manly.
The main arterial roads in Northern Sydney are Military Road, the Pacific Highway, the Warringah Freeway, Pennant Hills Road, Ryde Road, Epping Road, Mona Vale Road, Victoria Road, Beecroft Road, Pittwater Road and Wakehurst Parkway.
Image: Epping Railway Station 1.JPG, Epping railway station
Image: Huntleys Point wharf.JPG, Huntleys Point ferry wharf
Image:Beecroftstationsyd.jpg, Beecroft railway station
Landmarks
Northern Sydney has many unique landmarks such as: The Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
, Taronga Zoo in Mosman, Admiralty House (Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia), Kirribilli House (Sydney residence of the Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
), Luna Park, Balmoral Beach, Palm Beach, Gladesville Bridge, Macquarie Centre
Macquarie Centre is a shopping centre in the suburb of Macquarie Park in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney and is located opposite the main campus of Macquarie University.
History 20th Century 1960s: purchase of land
In 1968, Grace Bro ...
& Ice Skating Rink and Curzon Hall in Marsfield.
Events and celebrations
The Willoughby Spring Festival is held throughout the Willoughby local government area, in September each year. The festival lasts for a month and features over 40 events including live music/entertainment, exhibitions, cultural celebrations, business events and many more community activities. The highlight is the annual Willoughby StreetFair where the Chatswood CBD is taken over by market stalls, performers, dancers and musicians. The StreetFair features the Willoughby Street Parade which included over 1,000 participants in 2007.
The suburb of Eastwood holds a large event named the Granny Smith Festival held usually in October of each year. The festival's attendance record set in 2004 currently stands at approximately just over 90,000. Many are attracted each year by the live bands, shows, stores, rides, the main street parade down Rowe Street and of course the massive fireworks display in the skies over Eastwood.
Other main festivals/events in Northern Sydney include: Tartan Day at Lane Cove, the Guringgai Festival honouring Northern Sydney's Aboriginals, The Ryde Aquatic Festival & Bridge to Bridge run, the Moocooboola Festival at Hunters Hill
Hunters Hill is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hunters Hill is located north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government in Australia, local ...
, the Mosman Festival, Lane Cove's Cammeraygal Festival, Chinese New Year at Chatswood and the Ryde Summer Festival which mainly includes outdoor cinemas. Willoughby also holds an annual art prize.
References
External links
Moocooboola Festival – Official Hunter's Hill Council web site
{{Sydney regions
Regions of Sydney