North Shore (Sydney)
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The North Shore is a region within
The term "North Shore", used to describe this region of Sydney is customary, not legal or administrative, and is often subjective.
History
The region now referred to as the North Shore was home to a number a clans of the
Other clans included:
- Boregegal at Bradleys Head[4]
- Cannalgal at Manly Beach[4]
- Birrabirrigal at The Spit[4]
- Georges Head in Mosman[4]
After the British establishment of Sydney in 1788, settlement on the North Shore of the harbour was quite limited. One of the first settlers was
Four of the five local government areas that form the Lower North Shore (the City of Willoughby and the municipalities of Mosman, Lane Cove and North Sydney) were created from the
Geography
The "North Shore" is a term used to describe a region of Northern Sydney. It is a customary term, not administrative or legal, and its boundaries are not definitive. Generally, the "North Shore" includes the peninsula north of Sydney Harbour and is bounded in the west by the Lane Cove River/National Park, in the north west by the M1 motorway to Newcastle, in the southeast by Middle Harbour, and in the northeast by Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. East and north of this boundary are the Northern Beaches region and to the west is the general Northern Sydney region.
Local government areas within the North Shore include
In this conception, the North Shore roughly corresponds with the cadastral parishes (used for land title purposes) of the Willoughby (in the south) and Gordon (in the north).[8][9]
However, these boundaries are not fixed, and those suburbs that sit close to the boundary between, for example, the cadastral Parish of Gordon and the neighbouring
Most of the North Shore suburbs are part of the Hornsby Plateau, a large sandstone plateau overlaid by a system of ridges and gullies. The Plateau begins north of the Port Jackson and runs up until the Hawkesbury River. Thus much of the North Shore is hilly with many steep valleys running down into the harbour and the rivers on either side.[12]
Parks and areas of sclerophyll forest are present throughout the area. The Lane Cove National Park,
Upper North Shore
The "Upper North Shore" usually refers to all suburbs within the local government area of
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data collected from the Australian census of 2016, the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council, which makes up almost the entirety of the Upper North Shore region, is the wealthiest local government area in Australia.
In 2015, the NSW government proposed merging Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Council. In July 2017, the Berejiklian government decided to abandon the forced merger of the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai local government areas, along with several other proposed forced mergers on the North Shore following backlash from members of the community and court proceedings.[15]
Lower North Shore
The "Lower North Shore" usually refers to the land that is located to the north of the
In 2016, the NSW government proposed merging three of the four lower north shore councils (Mosman, Willoughby, and North Sydney councils). In July 2017, the Berejiklian government decided to abandon the forced merger of the North Sydney, Willoughby and Mosman local government areas.[16] The other lower north shore council, Lane Cove, was similarly proposed to be merged with nearby Hunters Hill and Ryde councils, but that plan was also eventually abandoned.
The Lower North Shore suburbs adjacent to Sydney Harbour include
.Port Jackson, including the Parramatta River, Lane Cove River, Sydney Harbour, and Middle Harbour, defines the region's southernmost extent.
Transport
The main road routes on the North Shore are
Much of the North Shore is accessible to railway transport with the
Many bus routes also serve the area, particularly the lower North Shore, and ferries connect many of the harbourside suburbs with Circular Quay in the central business district.[17] CDC NSW provide frequent bus services to the Upper North Shore.[18] Buses on the Lower North Shore are mainly operated by the Busways out of Willoughby Bus Depot.[19]
Commercial areas
Significant commercial and retail centres on the North Shore include North Sydney, Crows Nest, Chatswood, St Leonards, Neutral Bay, St Ives and Hornsby.
The North Shore's largest commercial centres are at North Sydney and Chatswood. A number of international companies have their Australian or Asia–Pacific Headquarters in this part of Sydney. North Sydney does not have any of Sydney's major shopping centres, however, it has a number of speciality stores and cafés. Chatswood is one of the largest retail precincts in Sydney, and has a large amount of high density residential buildings. It is home to large shopping centres such as
Attractions
The Lower North Shore has many unique landmarks such as: The Sydney Harbour Bridge,
The region is home to hundreds of parks and reserves, including Sydney Harbour National Park and the Lane Cove National Park. Major local sports grounds include North Sydney Oval, the region's largest in capacity, and Chatswood Oval.
Events and celebrations
The North Shore holds a number of festivals/events throughout the year, including: Tartan Day at Lane Cove, the Guringgai Festival honouring northern Sydney's Aboriginal people, the Moocooboola Festival at Hunters Hill, the Mosman Festival, Lane Cove's Cammeraygal Festival, and Chinese New Year at Chatswood. Mosman, North Sydney, Willoughby also hold an annual art prize. All local government areas in the region and around the country celebrate Australia Day, which is on 26 January.[21]
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 Street Fair 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.
Media
The local newspapers are the Sydney Observer, Hornsby and Upper North Shore Advocate, The North Shore Times, The Mosman Daily, Northern District Times and the North Shores' local lifestyle publication Northside.
Politics
Throughout history and on all three levels of politics (federal, state and local), the North Shore has been a stronghold for the Liberal Party, the main centre-right, liberal conservative party in Australia. However, in recent years, teal independents (centrist or centre-left independents who are economically liberal, but environmentally and socially progressive, most of whom are women, whose campaigns are mostly funded by Climate 200, an organisation founded and headed by businessman Simon Holmes à Court that advocates for climate action) have won gained support in the area. However, on the state level, the Liberal Party has managed to hold off challenges from teal candidates.[22][23][24] Similar trends are present in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and on the Northern Beaches, as well as in some parts of Melbourne.
Climate
Like the rest of the Sydney basin, the North Shore has a
List of suburbs
This list is not exhaustive. The North Shore is not strictly defined by government authorities.
The suburbs and localities of the region generally known as North Shore are:
Upper North Shore
Lower North Shore
References
External linksWikivoyage has a travel guide for Lower North Shore. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Upper North Shore. |