Hornsby, New South Wales

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Hornsby is the seat of Hornsby Shire, in the North Shore region of Sydney, Australia. It is 26 km by train from the Sydney central business district and is approximately 24.5 km by road. Hornsby is located at the junction of the Northern Line and the North Shore line and has a population (2001) of 16,349.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Culture
4 Gallery
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The name Hornsby is derived from Convict-turned-Constable Samuel Henry Horne, who took part in the apprehension of bushrangers Dalton and MacNamara on June 22, 1830. In return he was granted land which he named Hornsby Place.

During the 1886 two railway lines (the Northern Line and the North Shore Line of the current Cityrail network) were completed, joining at a railway station called Hornsby Junction, with Hornsby station was one stop further south on the Northern Line. To avoid confusion, the old Hornsby station was renamed Normanhurst after prominent local activist and engineer Norman Selfe, while the Hornsby Junction station assumed the current name of Hornsby.

In 1906 the Hornsby Shire Council was established.

In 1961 The Westfield Group built a Shopping Center at Hornsby, making it one of the first suburbs in Sydney with a modern-style shopping centre. Another shopping centre, Northgate, was built some years later, and was eventually bought by Westfield. In late 1999, the original Westfield Hornsby was demolished, and Northgate was renovated and amalgamated into the new Westfield Hornsby which opened in November 2001.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Railway station

The Hornsby town centre remains a busy railway town, just as it was a century ago; its railway station (photo) continues to provide frequent railway services to the central business district via Strathfield (the Northern Line) or North Sydney (the North Shore Line), as well as trains to the Central Coast, Newcastle and even further north. Over the years the town at two sides of the Northern Railway Line have developed their distinct characteristics.

[edit] Western town

Hornsby Shire Council Chamber

The western half consists of a traditional high street shopping village along the Old Pacific Highway. A short section of the highway north of the shops still has several antique lamp posts preserved; on the eastern side are (from south to north) the police station, the court house, and the historic Hornsby Shire Council chamber (built in two stages in 1915 and 1930). On the western side is Hornsby Park with a swimming pool and bushland beyond it^[1]. A large war memorial and the adjacent RSL Club is located at the southern end of the shops.

[edit] Eastern town

Florence Street Mall with fountain and Westfield Shoppingtown

The eastern half, centred on Florence St, was pedestrianised in the early 1990s. It is now dominated by a large Westfield (See also The Westfield Group) shopping centre, which includes two department stores, a cinema multiplex, a food court and several excellent restaurants. At the centre of the pedestrian mall is a large water clock cum sculpture, designed by Victor Cusack. The public library is also located in the area.

[edit] Neighbourhood

Residential areas, consisting of low-to-medium density housing, are located at both sides of Hornsby. However in the last few years a number of high-rise apartments were being built at the south-eastern side of Hornsby towards Waitara, completely transforming Hornsby's skyline. The north-western side of Hornsby is occupied by various industries; at the northern end there is a major railway workshop.

Hornsby is home to a number of schools, including the secondary schools Barker College and Hornsby Girls' High School. There is also a TAFE College at the north-western side of Hornsby. The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital on Hornsby's eastern side is the main public hospital for the Upper North Shore.

The Pacific Highway, which passes through Hornsby, was formerly the main road link between Sydney and north-eastern Australia. The completion of the F3 Freeway, which has its southern end at the neighbouring suburb of Wahroonga, means that the heavy traffic now bypasses the already busy Hornsby town area.

[edit] Culture

Hornsby has long been associated with Ginger Meggs ([1]), a cartoon by Jimmy Bancks who grew up in Hornsby, which has appeared in Australian newspapers since 1921.