HORNSBY, NEW SOUTH WALES

'Hornsby' is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hornsby is located 25 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Hornsby Shire.

Contents

History

European Settlement

Transport

Commercial Areas

Residential Areas

Schools

Population

Culture

References

See also

External links

History

The name Hornsby is derived from Convict-turned-Constable Samuel Henry Horne, who took part in the apprehension of bushrangers Dalton and MacNamara on June 22, 1830. In return he was granted land which he named Hornsby Place.

European Settlement

The first white settler in the area of what is now the suburb of Hornsby was Thomas Higgins, who received a grant of land in Old Mans Valley.
A railway station named "Hornsby Junction" opened on the 17th of September, 1886 to the north of the town of Hornsby, which had developed on the site of Horne's grant. It formed the junction of the Northern Line and the North Shore Line which were still be completed at that time. ^[2]. ''Hornsby'' station was one stop further south on the Northern Line. Due to confusion by commuters alighting at the incorrect station expecting to transfer to a connecting train, the old Hornsby station was renamed Normanhurst on the 17th of November, 1898^[3] after prominent local activist and engineer Norman Selfe, while the Hornsby Junction station assumed the current name of Hornsby.
The Hornsby Shire Council was established in 1906.
In 1963, The Westfield Group built a shopping centre at Hornsby, making it one of the first suburbs in Sydney with a modern-style shopping centre. A competing shopping centre, ''Northgate'', was built some years later but was eventually bought by Westfield. In late 1999, the two sites were amalgamated when the original Westfield was demolished and Northgate was renovated to create the new Westfield Hornsby which opened in November 2001.

Transport

Hornsby is 26 km by train from the Sydney central business district and is approximately 24.5 km by road. Hornsby railway station ^[4] is a junction of the Northern Line and the North Shore line of the City Rail network. There are frequent railway services to the central business district via Strathfield on the Northern Line or via North Sydney on the North Shore Line. Hornsby is also a transport junction of Northern Sydney with Intercity and Express trains stopping here on the way to the Central Coast, Newcastle and further north.
The Pacific Highway, which passes through Hornsby, was formerly the main road link between Sydney and north-eastern Australia. The completion of the F3 Sydney-Newcastle Freeway, which has its southern end at the neighbouring suburb of Wahroonga, means that the heavy traffic now bypasses the already busy Hornsby town area ^[5].

Commercial Areas

Hornsby remains a busy commercial centre, just as it was a century ago. Over the years, the town centre has developed distinct characteristics on either side of the railway line.
The western half consists of a traditional high street shopping village along the Old Pacific Highway. A short section of the highway north of the shops still has several antique lamp posts preserved. On the eastern side of the highway from south to north are the police station, the court house ^[6] and the historic Hornsby Shire Council chamber (built in two stages in 1915 and 1930). On the western side is Hornsby Park with a swimming pool and bushland beyond it^[7]. A large war memorial and the adjacent RSL Club is located at the southern end of the shops.
The eastern half, centred on Florence Street, was pedestrianised in the early 1990s. It is now dominated by a large Westfield Hornsby, a The Westfield Group shopping centre. It includes two department stores, a cinema multiplex, a food court and several restaurants. At the centre of the pedestrian mall is a large water clock sculpture, designed by Victor Cusack. The public library is also located in the area.
The north-western side of Hornsby is occupied by various industries; at the northern end there is a major Cityrail railway workshop.

Residential Areas

Residential areas, consisting of low-to-medium density housing, are located on both sides of the railway line. In recent years, a number of high-rise apartments have been built at the south-eastern side of Hornsby towards Waitara, completely transforming Hornsby's skyline.

Schools

Hornsby is home to a number of schools, including the secondary schools Barker College and Hornsby Girls' High School. There is also a TAFE College at the north-western side of Hornsby. The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital on Hornsby's eastern side is the main public hospital for the Upper North Shore.
Hornsby is the home to Mt Wilga Private Hospital, which is a rehabilitation hospital. It is on the western side of the railway line.

Population

Hornsby had a population 18,702 in 2006.

Culture

Hornsby has long been associated with ''Ginger Meggs'' ^[8], a cartoon by Jimmy Bancks who grew up in Hornsby, which has appeared in Australian newspapers since 1921.

References

1. 2006 Census QuickStats : Hornsby (State Suburb)
2. Hornsby Shire Council History
3. Rail Page
4. photo
5. F3 Freeway
6. court house
7. Gregory's Street Directory, 59th Edition 1995, Map 191 F16
8. Ginger Meggs

See also

★ Rosamond Street

External links