Lower North Shore (Sydney)

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 and WilloughbyFact|date=March 2008.

Geography

The region is over 80 square kilometers (20,000 acres) in areaFact|date=March 2008 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 Fact|date=March 2008.

uburbs and Localities

uburbs

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) tribesFact|date=March 2008. The first settlement on the North Shore and in fact the third-earliestFact|date=March 2008 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 twoFact|date=March 2008: 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. LeonardsFact|date=March 2008 and at one time the entire North Shore went by the name of "Huntershill"Fact|date=March 2008.

As Sydney grew, areas such as North Ryde and Lane Cove began to be more costly to move intoFact|date=March 2008. 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 priceFact|date=March 2008.

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, Cammeray suspension bridge at Cammeray, 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 is home to scores of speciality stores and has an abundance of cafés. The Lower North Shore's three tallest buildingsFact|date=March 2008 are in North Sydney: Optus Tower, Berry Square and Northpoint Tower.

Chatswood is the one of the largest retail areas on the Lower North Shore. It is home to large shopping centres such asWestfield Chatswood, chatswood Chase and apartment towers such as The Sebel. St Leonards is another large commercial area featuring mostly office space and apartments.

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 90,000Fact|date=March 2008. 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%Fact|date=March 2008 of Sydney). [http://abs.gov.au - Australian Bureau of Statistics]

Notable Residents

*John Howard former Prime Minister
*Louise Sauvage Olympian and Paralympian
*John Watkins Deputy Premier of NSW State Government
*Ruth Park author
*Joe Hockey member for the Division of North Sydney in the Federal Government
*Pat Rafter former World No. 1 tennis player
*Matthew Burke veteran Wallaby player
*George Gregan veteran Wallaby player
*Phil Kearns veteran Wallaby player
*Ken Done artist
*Nicole Kidman actress
*Cate Blanchett actress

References

* [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/LatestProducts/10555Main%20Features12000-2004?OpenDocument Australian Bureau of Statistics - Lower Northern Sydney]

External links

*Hunters Hill Municipal Website - [http://www.huntershill.nsw.gov.au]
*Lane Cove Municipal Website - [http://www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au]
*Mosman Municipal Website - [http://www.mosman.nsw.gov.au]
*North Sydney Municipal Website - [http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au]
*City of Ryde Website - [http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au]
*City of Willoughby Website - [http://willoughby.nsw.gov.au]
* [http://www.stpauls.org.au St. Pauls in Chatswood]