CARLINGFORD, NEW SOUTH WALES

'Carlingford' (Postcode 2118, S33.777 E151.048) is a suburb located approximately 22 km north-west of central Sydney, Australia, covering an area of 7.9 square kilometres on the south-eastern outskirts of the Hills District. It is one of the busier suburbs within the Hills with many businesses in the large town centre. To the east lies Epping; to the north lie Beecroft, North Rocks and West Pennant Hills; to the west North Parramatta and to the south Oatlands and Telopea.

History and urban character

Originally, the area of Carlingford was called Mobbs Hill, named after the ex-convict settler William Mobbs, who is credited for bringing oranges to Australia. Carlingford received its current name after a vote in 1886 by the residents. The name was suggested by Frederick Cox after he heard one of his employees describe similarities between Mobbs Hill and the town of Carlingford, located in the east of Ireland. Carlingford was also probably named in honour of The Lord Carlingford. [1]
The area was settled in the mid-1800s and, at the time, was an agricultural area on the outskirts of Sydney. Like much of the Hills District, Carlingford was a significant orange-growing area for the city. Pennant Hills Road, then a major arterial road from Parramatta to the northern suburbs, was a major route of transportation for agricultural produce from the area. When the train line which terminated at Carlingford Railway Station, then known as Simpson's Railway, was completed in 1896, it too, became a major route for the area. Carlingford Produce, a gardening and agricultural-materials seller located next to the train station, is located in the former train workshops. This store, much like James Ruse Agricultural High School (see below) remain as testaments to the agricultural history of the suburb.
In April 1923 the Wesley Central Mission established the Dalmar Children's Homes on fifteen acres of land near Marsden Road in the eastern end of the suburb. The property eventually had many cottages, together with a hospital, an orchard and vegetable gardens. The land is now the site of the Alan Walker Retirement Village.
The suburb was also home to several homes for children operated by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney since the 1920s- The Church of England Boys' Home, Church of England Girls' Home, and the Havilah Little Children's Home, Tress Manning Temporary Care, and Field Cottage. Land owned by the homes has since been developed for housing, with street names such as Trigg, Marella, Carramar, Buckland and Lisgar reflecting the names of individual houses or Anglican Home Mission Society services. Boys' Home buildings and grounds are now the regional base and Sydney Australia Temple of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Girls' Home property in the south of the suburb has become, since 1974, Anglicare's Kingsdene Special School for severely to profoundly intellectually disabled children, as well as the American International School.
The children of the Boys' Home and of Dalmar Homes attended Carlingford Public School, while the children of the Girls' Home attended Carlingford West Public School, affecting the gender balance of each school until the mid 70's, when the homes were closed.
As Sydney rapidly expanded, following World War II, Carlingford underwent rapid urbanisation. The presence of James Ruse Agricultural High School, established in 1959, is a testament to the agricultural history of Carlingford as well as the rapid pace of urbanisation; which soon made the school, and its large farm, somewhat of an anomaly amongst the 1970s- and 1980s-style houses which dominate the suburb. More recently, in the 1990s, the government policy of urban consolidation has seen the development of high-density units and apartment blocks around the town centre and the train station. There have also been redevelopments of older houses into medium-density townhouses, and duplex housing.
In 1961, the K13 memorial was unveiled, and stands as a prominent feature in Carlingford, passed by thousands of motorists along Pennant Hills Road each day.

Demographics

Population and age

Australian Bureau of Statistics data from the 2006 census records the population of Carlingford as 21,365 residents, with 10,682 males and 10,683 females.^[1] The median age of people in Carlingford was 39, compared with 37 for the whole of Australia.^[2]

Citizenship, country of birth and language

In 2006, 86.3% of people living in Carlingford were Australian citizens.^[2] 55.1% of people were born in Australia, with 9.4% born in China, 5.6% in Hong Kong, 3.2% in the Republic of Korea, 2.6% in England and 2.1% in India.^[2] 54.4% of people only spoke English at home, while 14.5% spoke Cantonese, 8.4% spoke Mandarin, 3.9% spoke Korean, 1.9% spoke Arabic and 1.2% spoke Tamil.^[2]

Religion

In Carlingford, 23.4% of people identify themselves as Catholic, 19.5% have no religion, 16.5% of people are Anglican, 5.5% are Buddhists and 5.3% belong to the Uniting Church.^[2]

Marital status

For Carlingford residents aged 15 and over, 57.8% of people were married, 29.9% had never married, 7.2% were separated or divorced and 5.1% were widowed.^[2]

Income

In 2006, the median individual income for Carlingford residents aged 15 and over was $503 a week, compared with $466 for the whole of Australia. The median household income was $1335 a week compared with $1027 for Australia; and the median family income was $1454 a week, compared with $1171 for Australia.^[2]

Commerce

Carlingford Court Shopping Centre.

Carlingford has two shopping centres - Carlingford Court, which underwent major reconstruction in the late 1990s, and Carlingford Village. Carlingford Court is a typical suburban shopping centre, managed by GPT, and is home to major businesses such as Target and Fitness First. The centre recently underwent minor redevelopment, including the relocation of Target to the old second floor Myer store which closed on the March 31, 2006. Carlingford Village is a smaller shopping complex, which has many Asian food outlets and tends to appeal more to the Chinese community.
The Carlingford town centre, located on Pennant Hills Road, also comprises a number of street shops. There are also several shopping strips elsewhere in Carlingford, including near Carlingford station, including the only pub in Carlingford (Carlingford Bowling Club).

Politics

Carlingford falls under the jurisdiction of several Local Government Areas: the City of Parramatta in the south, Hornsby Shire in the north-east, and Baulkham Hills Shire in the north-west. Similarly it falls under several Commonwealth (Berowra, Bennelong, Mitchell, Parramatta) and State (Epping, Baulkham Hills, Parramatta, The Hills) electoral divisions/districts.
The population of Carlingford, as with the rest of northern Sydney is relatively affluent. Baulkham Hills Shire and Hornsby Shire councils generally have a majority of conservative councillors. Most of the electoral divisions that Carlingford lies within have historically been held by the Liberal Party of Australia. The exception is Parramatta City Council, and the electoral division and district of Parramatta which include sections of southern Sydney and tend to be marginal seats.
The Commonwealth Electoral Divisions of Berowra, currently held by The Hon. The Attorney-General Philip Ruddock MP, and Mitchell, currently held by The Hon. Alan Cadman MP; are safe Liberal seats. The Commonwealth Electoral Division of Bennelong, currently held by The Hon. The Prime Minister John Howard MP is a marginal Liberal seat. The Commonwealth Electoral Division of Parramatta, currently held by Ms Julie Owens MP, is an ALP seat by a narrow margin; regained from the previous Liberal member Ross Cameron in the 2004 election.
The State Electoral Districts of Baulkham Hills, currently held by Mr Wayne Merton MLA; Epping, currently held by Shadow Attorney-General Andrew Tink MLA; and The Hills, currently held by Shadow Environment Minister Mr Michael Richardson MLA; are safe Liberal seats. The State Electoral District of Parramatta, currently held by Ms Tanya Gadiel MLA, is a safe ALP seat.

Transport

Cumberland Highway, Carlingford

As with much of Sydney, Carlingford has relatively limited public transport access, which is reflected in the low public transport patronage by commuters. In the 2001 census, 6% of commuters travelled to work via trains while 2% used buses.
Current bus lines operated by Sydney Buses include:

★ 513 West Ryde to Carlingford

★ 521 Parramatta to Eastwood

★ 623 Beecroft to Parramatta

★ 624 Parramatta to Epping via Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford

★ 628 Epping to Carlingford

★ 629 Epping to North Rocks
Current bus lines operated by Hillsbus include:

★ 610 Castle Hill to City via Oakes Road M2 Bus Station

★ 611 Blacktown to Macquarie Centre via Oakes Road M2 Bus Station

★ 625 Parramatta to Pennant Hills via Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford

★ 627 Parramatta to Cherrybrook via Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford

★ 630 Blacktown to Macquarie Park (in conjunction with Westbus)

Railways

CityRail provides an infrequent train service at Carlingford Station, which is the terminus of the Carlingford Line. The Carlingford Line, which opened on 20 April, 1896 as a private railway, then as a public line on 1 August, 1901,^[9] is a mostly single-track line. There is currently only one service in the early morning which connects to the city directly, at other times a train-change at Clyde, is necessary to reach other stations, and consequently the service has a low patronage. As part of the CityRail Clearways Project, a passing loop has been promised to the Carlingford Line with two services per hour all day to become effective in 2010.

Roads

Carlingford suffers from major traffic congestion during morning and afternoon peaks. Because of the limited public transport most residents travel to work by cars. In the 2001 census, 60% stated their main method of getting to work was driving their own vehicle. The Cumberland Highway, a major north-south route through greater Sydney, intersects Carlingford in the form of Pennant Hills Road. As well, many motorists commuting from the Hills District and the growing north-west areas of Sydney travel through Carlingford to the city.
The M2 Hills Motorway, part of the Sydney orbital road, runs through northern Carlingford providing a route to the city and North Sydney. Since the Westlink M7 Motorway was finished, completing the Sydney Orbital, it has replaced the Cumberland Highway as the north-south national highway.
The area of Carlingford to the east of Pennant Hills Road and North of Carlingford Road, was built mostly in the years, post WWII. There is an area of streets named after famous North African battle fields.

Sport

Carlingford has many sporting clubs participating in many different sports, and at many locations around the Hills District including:

★ Carlingford Baseball

★ Carlingford Netball

★ Carlingford Redbacks Soccer

★ Carlingford Cricket

★ North Rocks Soccer Club, which is actually in Carlingford, rather than in North Rocks.

Schools

Carlingford is the location of a large number of public and private schools. Indeed some residents have chosen to move to Carlingford because of the reputation of the schools there and in nearby suburbs.

Churches

LDS Sydney Australia Temple, Carlingford

As with much of northern Sydney, Carlingford also has a comparatively large number of Christian churches of many denominations. These include:

★ Carlingford Baptist Church

★ Carlingford Uniting Church

★ St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church

★ St. Paul's Anglican Church

★ Iglesia Ni Cristo

★ Christian City Church, Carlingford

★ Parramatta City Presbyterian Church
The Pacific headquarters and Sydney Australia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was constructed in Carlingford in 1984.

Telecommunications

The Carlingford telephone exchange is located at 413 North Rocks Rd. It serves telephony for Carlingford and nearby suburbs such as Dundas Valley, Telopea and North Rocks.

Other infrastructure

Carlingford is the site for the control room for the New South Wales electricity grid. A major electricity substation, operated by Integral Energy, is next to the building housing the control room. The same site also houses one of the major communications relay towers in northern Sydney. The substation previously had a rail siding from the adjacent Carlingford Line; the siding was opened in 1954, and closed in the late 1980s.^[10]

References

1. 2006 Census QuickStats : Carlingford (State Suburb)
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9. Bozier, Rolfe, ''"New South Wales Railways: Carlingford Railway Station"''. Accessed 4 July, 2007.
10. Forsyth, J.H. (ed.) (1988-93), ''Stations & Tracks''; Vol. 1: "Main Suburban & Branches -- Illawarra & Branches". State Rail Authority of New South Wales: Sydney, p. 74.

★ Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002). Basic community profile: Carlingford (SSC 11446). Retrieved 19 May 2005.

★ Australian Electoral Commission Divisional Profile for Bennelong. Retrieved 4 January 2006.

★ Australian Electoral Commission Divisional Profile for Berowra. Retrieved 4 January 2006.

★ Australian Electoral Commission Divisional Profile for Mitchell. Retrieved 4 January 2006.

★ Australian Electoral Commission Divisional Profile for Parramatta. Retrieved 4 January 2006.

★ Australian Electoral Commission Definitions of 'marginal', 'fairly safe' and 'safe'. Retrieved 4 January 2006.

External links

★ Carlingford Court homepage

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