Hills District (Sydney)

Hills District is a general, but unofficial, term for the north-western suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Hills District is also referred to as "The Hills". These suburbs are generally located within the local government area of Baulkham Hills Shire but parts of the City of Parramatta, City of Blacktown, and Hornsby Shire are also included in the area that is given the appellation "Hills District".

It is so called for its characteristically comparatively hilly topography, and the fact that several of its suburbs have the word 'Hills' in their names, such as Pennant Hills, Castle Hill, West Pennant Hills, Rouse Hill and Baulkham Hills.

The regional designation is a largely artificial construct and actual suburbs and localities that are considered to be in "the Hills" can be somewhat amorphous and varies according to who is doing the listing. For example the Hills District Historical Society restricts its remit to the Baulkham Hills Shire local government area. However notwithstanding this, suburbs or parts of suburbs that appear in all or some published listings of the "Hills District" such as Yellow Pages, local newspapers and businesses include: Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Carlingford, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Dural, Galston, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Glenwood, Kellyville, Kellyville Ridge, Kenthurst,Kings Langley, North Rocks, Pennant Hills, Quakers Hill, Round Corner, Rouse Hill, Thompsons Corner, Seven Hills, West Pennant Hills and Winston Hills. [http://www.hillsweb.com.au/suburb_descriptions/index.asp]

It should be noted that the Local Government Authority that comprises "the heart" of the notional region is a member of WSROC a grouping which characterises itself as "Greater Western Sydney" region.

Land grants in the district were made shortly after settlement began, however much of the district owes its development to the construction of the railway line between Strathfield and Hornsby, which wasn't declared open until 17th September 1886, some 15 years before Federation, and almost a century after land grants were first made in the area. [http://www.hillsweb.com.au/suburb_descriptions/index.asp]

At present, the district boasts Sydney's largest cinema complex, spanning both the Castle Hill Piazza and Castle Towers. [http://www.hillsweb.com.au/hills_news_articles/hills_district.asp]

Population

According to the 2006/07 edition of the Yellow Pages Local Directory, the Hills District is home to 245,098 people. The Census of Population and Housing states that as much as 30.3% of the population is over 55 years of age [2006 Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics.]

Geography

As the name indicates, the Hills District is an area of high elevation above sea level (compared with the rest of the Sydney basin) and thus creates orographic rainfall brought in by onshore winds from the Pacific Ocean. This leaves the Hills District with slightly higher rainfall than the rest of Sydney and creates a rain shadow for some places in the Blacktown district, including Marayong and Doonside.

Religion

The area is notable for the fact that it has the highest rate of religious service attendance in Australia Fact|date=June 2007 and is thus often referred to as the Australian Bible beltFact|date=June 2007. This area has a relatively high concentration of evangelical Christians Fact|date=June 2007. Many religious denominations and belief systems are represented throughout the district, including, notably, the Mormon's Sydney Australia Temple in Carlingford, the Hillsong Church situated in Norwest Business Park. As with other urban regional areas in Australia there are numerous other places of worship catering to a wide range of belief systems including Anglican, Baptist, Buddhist, Hindu, Uniting, Chinese Christian, Islamic, Spiritualist, Roman Catholic and Sikh.

Public transport

The Hills District boasts both State Transit bus services and a number of private services.

Five CityRail stations are located within the Hills District, encompassing sections of the Northern Line, the Carlingford Line, and the Newcastle & Central Coast Line, including the western terminus of the Epping to Chatswood line. Only Carlingford railway station is located within Baulkham Hills Shire, and is serviced by an infrequent service to Clyde.

An extensive number of bus routes operate in the district, operated by Hillsbus, Busways and Sydney Buses.

The deficiency of public transport in the area is often criticized. Due to low density planning the bus service within many of the suburbs is slow and infrequent. The long-promised Northwest Rail Link to the Castle Hill and Kellyville areas has been repeatedly delayed and its future is now in doubt; as a result commuters to the city are forced either to drive through expensive and congested tollways or take buses which are frequently overcrowded. Fact|date=June 2008

Education

The district is home to 53 primary schools, 24 secondary schools, two TAFE colleges and numerous pre-schools and kindergartens, including both public and private systems, and selective schools. [http://www.hillsweb.com.au/hills_news_articles/hills_district.asp]

Pubs and clubs

The area hosts a large number of licensed premises where residents and visitors can obtain alcoholic refreshments, food service, gaming and other entertainment facilities. Notable among such venues are "The Mean Fiddler" in Rouse Hill and "The Bull and Bush" in Baulkham Hills, both of which are heritage listed properties.

port

Some of the associations in which people living in the Hills District participate in include:
* [http://www.hillsbaseball.org.au/ Hills] Baseball
* [http://www.isport.com.au/netball/hills/ HDNA] Netball
* [http://www.nwsws.com.au/ NWSWS] Women's Soccer
* [http://www.isport.com.au/soccer/ghfa/ GHFA] Soccer
* [http://www.granvillesoccer.com.au/gdsa/ GDFA] Soccer
* [http://www.bdsfa.com/ BDSFA] Soccer
* [http://www.hills.rugby.net.au/ Hills] Rugby Union

Notes

External links

* [http://www.alexmay.com.au/property/castle-hill-locals-Jul04.html "Out of the Mouths of Locals"] - article discussing the geography of the area and the snob value associated with the designation.