Everything about Lower North Shore Sydney totally explained
The
Lower North Shore is an informal term for the lower northern suburbs of
Sydney, in the state of
New South Wales,
Australia which are located on the north shore of
Sydney Harbour. The area includes suburbs in the
local government areas of
Hunter's Hill,
Lane Cove,
Mosman,
North Sydney,
Ryde and
Willoughby.
Geography
The region is over 80 square kilometers (20,000 acres) in area and encompasses all of the North Shore's northern shore of Sydney Harbour stretching from the
Ryde Bridge (Ryde) in the west to
Middle Head (Mosman) in the east and includes
Hunters Hill,
Mosman,
Kirribilli and
Longueville.
The region is home to hundreds of parks and reserves, the main two being the Sydney Harbour National Park and the
Lane Cove National Park. Local sportsgrounds include
North Sydney Oval, the region's largest in capacity, followed by
Chatswood Oval and
Christie Park.
Major waterways in the region include
Port Jackson which is where the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House are located, the
Lane Cove River, the
Parramatta River,
Middle Harbour and the many creek systems that branch out from these main aquatic lifelines. The water is the most characteristic feature of the region, giving the Lower North Shore its unique character and evident affluence .
Suburbs and Localities
Suburbs
Localities
History
Before European settlement, the Lower North Shore was home to the
Gorualgal (Mosman & Southern Willoughby),
Cammeraygal (North Sydney & Eastern Lane Cove) and
Wallumettagal (Ryde-Hunters Hill & Western Lane Cove) tribes. The first settlement on the North Shore and in fact the third-earliest in Australia (behind Sydney and Parramatta) was at Ryde; then known by the Aboriginal name Wallumetta. Long before the establishment of Sydney-style local government, Lower Northern Sydney was divided into parishes.
Cumberland County mapping from 1792 to 1894 indicate that the six local governments that stand today were derived from two: the
Parish of Willoughby and the
Parish of Hunters Hill (Kissing Point). From Hunters Hill came the modern-day Municipality of Hunters Hill and the Municipality of Ryde (now the City of Ryde). From the Parish of Willoughby came the Municipality of Willoughby (now the City of Willoughby) and the municipalities of Mosman, Lane Cove and North Sydney. North Sydney was formerly known as
St. Leonards and at one time the entire North Shore went by the name of "Huntershill".
As Sydney grew, areas such as North Ryde and Lane Cove began to be more costly to move into. Lower Northern Sydney's real success stories however lie at the water's edge as suburbs to the likes of Tennyson Point, Cremorne Point,
Balmoral, Woolwich, Longueville, Castle Cove and McMahons Point skyrocketted in price.
Landmarks
The Lower North Shore has many unique landmarks such as: The
Sydney Harbour Bridge,
Taronga Zoo in Mosman,
Kirribilli House (Residence of the
Prime Minister of Australia),
Luna Park,
Balmoral Beach and the
Macquarie University. At a Sydney or local level however, landmarks are more plentiful and include: The Lane Cove Azalea Beds, the Ryde Civic Plaza, Blues Point Tower, Eden Gardens, the Balmoral Rotunda, Brush Farm House in
Eastwood, the
Gladesville and Ryde Bridges, the
Stanton Library in North Sydney, Lane Cove Mall, Zenith Towers at
Chatswood,
Microsoft Australian HQ in North Ryde, Northpoint Tower in North Sydney, Northbridge suspension bridge at
Northbridge, Echo Point Park in
Roseville Chase, the Royal North Shore and Ryde Hospitals, the 'Forum' in
St Leonards,
Macquarie Centre & Ice Skating Rink, Curzon Hall in Marsfield and
North Sydney Oval.
Landmark Churches and Cathedrals in the area include St Mary's in North Sydney, St Annes in Top Ryde (Australia's third oldest),
Cliffton Gardens in Mosman, Christ's Church in
Lavender Bay, the Gladesville-Macquarie Chapel,
St Pauls in Chatswood and St. Andrews in Eastwood.
Commercial Areas
The Lower North Shore has three large commercial centres located at
North Sydney,
North Ryde and
Chatswood. Many international companies have their Australian or Asia Pacific Headquarters in this part of Sydney.
The region's largest
central business district,
North Sydney, is home to a modern urban skyline of skyscrapers. Although North Sydney has none of Sydney's major shopping centres, it's home to scores of speciality stores and has an abundance of cafés. The Lower North Shore's three tallest buildings are in North Sydney: Optus Tower, Berry Square and Northpoint Tower.
Chatswood is sometimes described as the city in the hilltops and is the shopping heart of Northern Sydney with a cosmopolitan and vivacious city atmosphere. The busiest of the region's main centres, Chatswood is home to many apartment towers, perhaps the most prominent being The Sebel.
North Ryde is an Australian hi-tech hub and is home to scores of international corporations including
Microsoft,
Boeing,
Fujitsu,
HP,
Avaya and
Optus. North Ryde also has the Ryde-Hunters Hill Equestrian Club, a quality golf course, an
Olympic field hockey venue, the
Macquarie University and
Macquarie Centre.
Events and Celebrations
The
Granny Smith Festival is an annual event held in the suburb of
Eastwood, usually in October. 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.
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 Lower North Shore's other main festivals/events include: Tartan Day at Lane Cove, the Ryde Aquatic Festival & Bridge to Bridge run, the Guringgai Festival honouring northern Sydney's Aboriginals, the Moocooboola Festival at Hunters Hill, the Mosman Festival, Lane Cove's Cammeraygal Festival, Chinese New Year at Chatswood, and the Ryde Summer Festival which mainly includes outdoor cinemas. Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby also hold annual art prizes. All local government areas in the region and around the country celebrate
Australia Day, which is the 26th of January.
Population
Demographics
The Lower North Shore has a population of approximately 250,000 people (around 5% of Sydney).
Notable Residents
Former Prime Minister
John Howard, Olympian and Paralympian
Louise Sauvage, NSW Deputy Premier and current Transport Minister
John Watkins, author
Ruth Park, Australian Federal Minister for Workplace Relations
Joe Hockey, former World No. 1 tennis player
Pat Rafter, Veteran Wallaby (Australian Rugby Union) players
Matthew Burke,
George Gregan, and
Phil Kearns artist
Ken Done and actress'
Nicole Kidman and
Cate Blanchett (Hunters Hill) and many more.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lower North Shore Sydney'.
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