Castlecrag, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Castlecrag
city = Sydney
state = nsw


caption = Middle Harbour, view from Castlecrag
lga = City of Willoughby
postcode = 2068
est = 1860s
pop = 2,641
area = 1.49
propval =
stategov = Willoughby
fedgov = North Sydney
near-nw = North Willoughby
near-n = Middle Cove
near-ne = Castle Cove
near-w = Willoughby East
near-e = Seaforth
near-sw = Willoughby
near-s = Northbridge
near-se = Beauty Point
dist1 = 8
dir1 = north
location1= Sydney CBD

Castlecrag is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Castlecrag is located 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby.

Castlecrag is a suburb of historical significance that is bounded to the north, east and south by Middle Harbour and to the west by the heavily congested Eastern Valley Way. [http://www.castlecrag.org.au/crag/issue160_WeekendTrafficChaos.html Castlecrag Progress Association: Our Weekend Traffic Chaos] Castlecrag shares its postcode, 2068, with the surrounding suburbs of Willoughby, Middle Cove and North Willoughby. [http://www.whitepages.com.au/wp/checkPostcode.do Australian White Pages Find a Postcode.]

History

Castlecrag was originally planned by architect Walter Burley Griffin, who named the suburb after a towering crag of rock overlooking Middle Harbour, known locally as Edinburgh Castle. Griffin came to Castlecrag in 1925 after tiring of the politics surrounding implementation of his designs for Australia's capital city, Canberra. [ "The Book of Sydney Suburbs", Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8 ]

Early homes in Castlecrag were built using natural stone to blend into the environment, a common practice in architecture of the Arts and Crafts movement.Fact|date=March 2007 Later homes were built with bricks using Griffin's patented Knitlock system.Fact|date=March 2007 Historically Castlecrag was noted in the early 20th Century as an experiment in communal and community planning and living, and for the liberal intellectual, Theosophical, Anthroposophical and Natural history views of its inhabitants.Fact|date=March 2007

In recent times, the residents of the suburb have been noted for their opposition to the Warringah Freeway (Warringah Expressway), [http://www.castlecrag.org.au/history/History%201960%20to%201978.pdf Castlecrag Process Association: History of Castlecrag 1960 to 1978.] which was originally planned to link the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the Northern Beaches, but today terminates just south of Castlecrag in Naremburn.

Commercial area

The Quadrangle Shopping Village in Edingburgh Road features a Coles supermarket and specialty shops. A small group of shops is located opposite.

Population

Castlecrag is a rather affluent harbourside area of Sydney. More than half of its households enjoy incomes that are within the top quartile of Sydney, [http://www.id.com.au/willoughby/commprofile/default.asp?id=234&gid=120&pg=7&bhcp=1 Willoughby City Council Community Profile: Castlecrag.] reflected in the median house price of $1,750,000. [http://www.domain.com.au/public/suburbprofile.aspx?mode=rent&suburb=CASTLECRAG&postcode=2068 Domain.com.au Suburb Profile: Castlecrag.]

References

External links

* [http://www.id.com.au/willoughby/commprofile/default.asp?id=234&gid=120&pg=1 Castlecrag, Willoughby City Council] - community profile
* [http://www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au/b_expressing/images/b1_castlecrag_150.gifMap of Castlecrag]
* [http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/surveys/charlotte/0339/033924.jpgKnitlock system] .
* [http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/birmingh/research/samplech2.html Biography of Mahony Griffin] .
* [http://www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au/b_expressing/resources/wb1_wbglegacy.doc MS-Word document on "Legacy of the Griffins at Castlecrag, Sydney"] .
* [http://www.castlecrag.org.au/ Castlecrag Progress Association] .
* [http://www.thehaven.com.au/ The Haven Amphitheatre, Castlecrag] .
* [http://australianscreen.com.au/titles/beautiful-middle-harbour/ Castlecrag Estate Ad circa 1927] .