Northern Sydney | |||||||||||||
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 Parramatta River atHunters Hill | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
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| Government | |||||||||||||
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| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+11 (AEDT) | ||||||||||||
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Northern Sydney is a large metropolitanregion inGreater Sydney,New South Wales,Australia on the north shore ofSydney Harbour andParramatta River.[1][2] The region embraces suburbs in Sydney's north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney is divided into distinctive regions such as theNorth Shore,Northern Beaches andForest 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 largefederation andbungalow style homes. Northern Sydney is home to some of Sydney's most affluent suburbs, large parks and notable landmarks, in addition to having the leafiest suburbs in the metropolitan area.[3][4]
The western end of Northern Sydney was home to the Wallumettagal (Ryde-Hunters Hill & Western Lane Cove) tribe. The first settlement in the north and in fact the third-earliest in Australia, after Sydney andParramatta, 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 fromDundas 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 betweenMeadowbank andGladesville. 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 toPennant 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 2,040 hectares (5,000 acres) 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.[5]
In the 20th century, Northern Sydney transformed from a quiet rural/residential area into a key transport hub and denser metropolitan area of suburbs, heavily influenced by the iconicSydney Harbour Bridge (1932), which spurred development, road upgrades, Art Deco buildings and increased population. Though growth paused during the Depression before rebounding with post-war suburbanisation and the rise of modern infrastructure marked a shift from early settlement to a bustling suburban fringe.[citation needed]
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Northern Sydney is described as the area betweenPort Jackson to the south,Carlingford and suburbs in line to the west/northwest,[6]Hawkesbury River andPittwater to the north and theTasman Sea to the east.
Northern Sydney is further sub-divided into regions such as theNorth Shore (the inner north and north-western part of the region between the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour),Northern Beaches (the northern coastal suburbs to the north-east of Middle Harbour) andForest 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 theLane Cove River, such asEpping,Ryde,Melrose Park andMeadowbank.
TheAustralian Bureau of Statistics defines several statistical areas (SAL-4) that are located in northern Sydney. These are:
This list is not exhaustive.
The suburbs and localities of the Northern Sydney region are:[10]
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Sporting representation in Northern Sydney often differs by areas of the region. Inrugby league, theNorth Sydney Bears represent theNorth Shore, as well as much of theHornsby area, whilst theManly Warringah Sea Eagles represent theNorthern Beaches andForest District. TheRyde area lacks a specific rugby league team, but local teams compete in theBalmain District Junior Rugby League, feeding into theWests Tigers development system.
In the main rugby union competition inSydney theShute Shield, Northern Sydney is very well represented,. On theNorth Shore,Gordon Rugby Club representsChatswood and theUpper North Shore, whilstNorthern Suburbs Rugby Club represents much of theLower North Shore.Manly RUFC represents the LowerNorthern Beaches, whilst theWarringah Rugby Club represents the UpperNorthern Beaches. TheRyde area is represented byEastwood Rugby Club. Many children from the area are sent to the elite private schools of Sydney and hold rugby union as the preferred code. Notable traditional 15 man code schools includeBarker College,Knox Grammar School,St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill andSaint Ignatius' College, Riverview.
InNSW Premier Cricket, teams in Northern Sydney includeGordon District Cricket Club,Manly Warringah District Cricket Club,Mosman Cricket Club,Northern District Cricket Club (Waitara), andUTS North Sydney Cricket Club.
Northern Sydney is very well serviced by public transport. Two railway lines operate through the region known as theNorth Shore railway line and theNorthern railway line on theSydney Trains network.
TheEpping to Chatswood rail link which opened in 2009, crosses Northern Sydney fromChatswood toEpping. The link is now part ofSydney Metro Northwest.
There is also an abundance of bus routes serving the region operated byBusways,CDC NSW andKeolis Downer Northern Beaches.
The southern part of this region is frequented by ferry services to theSydney central business district and westbound towardsParramatta, as well as ferry services to the Sydney CBD fromManly.
The main arterial roads in Northern Sydney are Military Road, thePacific Highway, theWarringah Freeway,Pennant Hills Road,Ryde Road,Epping Road, Mona Vale Road,Victoria Road, Beecroft Road, Pittwater Road and Wakehurst Parkway.
Northern Sydney has many unique landmarks such as: TheSydney Harbour Bridge,Taronga Zoo in Mosman,Admiralty House (Sydney residence of theGovernor-General of Australia),Kirribilli House (Sydney residence of thePrime Minister of Australia),Luna Park,Balmoral Beach, Palm Beach,Gladesville Bridge,Macquarie Centre & Ice Skating Rink and Curzon Hall inMarsfield.
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 ofEastwood holds a large event named theGranny 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 atLane Cove, the Guringgai Festival honouring Northern Sydney's Aboriginals, TheRyde Aquatic Festival & Bridge to Bridge run, the Moocooboola Festival atHunters Hill, theMosman Festival, Lane Cove's Cammeraygal Festival, Chinese New Year atChatswood and the Ryde Summer Festival which mainly includes outdoor cinemas.Willoughby also holds an annual art prize.