Beacon Hill, New South Wales

Beacon Hill is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches region.

History

Beacon Hill was given the title when the Department of Lands built a trigometric beacon there in 1881.^[2]

Aboriginal culture

Little is known of local aboriginal culture in the Beacon Hill area but other local areas towards the sea have a rich and diverse aboriginal background. There are some aboriginal carvings in rocks to the north of Red Hill.

European settlement

Daniel Egan, a member of the NSW Parliament, purchased two 40-acre (16 ha) parcels of land on 5 October 1857.

Most of the houses in the suburb were built in the boom days after World War II, in the 1950s and 1960s.^[3] Many of the streets in Beacon Hill are named after notable battles, military men or places where Australian troops served in World War II. These include Owen Stanley Avenue, Kokoda Crescent, Goroka Place and Lae Place.

Beacon Hill Post Office opened on 1 August 1949 and closed in 1986.^[4] Beacon Hill High School was established in 1964 and closed in 2002.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of Population, there were 6,900 residents in Beacon Hill. 69.2% of residents were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 6.3%, Italy 2.6% and New Zealand 2.3%. 79.2% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 4.1%, Mandarin 2.0% and Cantonese 1.8%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 33.4%, Anglican 21.1% and No Religion 20.2%.^[1]

Transport

Beacon Hill is serviced by Sydney Buses. For many years there have been plans put forward, then withdrawn again for a heavy rail line to be constructed to service the Northern Beaches. Most residents therefore drive motor vehicles to get around.

Since 1980 traffic congestion has steadily increased on the roads around Beacon Hill. Some road closures have been implemented, notably the closures of Tristram Road and Boyer Road, to prevent through traffic. Traffic calming devices were installed and remain an issue for local transportation reliant primarily on private motor vehicles.

Landmarks

Governor Phillip Lookout

This lookout is located atop Beacon Hill itself. Views of almost the entire eastern half of the Sydney region may be had from the summit which is approximately 152 metres (500 ft) above sea level.

Views extend from the southern outskirts of Sydney, west to the Blue Mountains and north to Gosford and the Central Coast. The skyline of the city is to the south. Ships, pleasure craft and occasional migratory whales can be seen out to sea in the east.

The lookout is popular with locals on New Year's Eve when the firework displays across Sydney Harbour are clearly visible, approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) to the south.

The lookout may be reached via Warringah Road. There is a small parking area adjacent to the road with stairs leading to a pathway and the summit.

Red Hill

Red Hill, not to be confused with Beacon Hill, is located at the northern end of the suburb behind the former Beacon Hill High School site. From here there are views across to the Governor Phillip Lookout, and onwards to the city. The views to the north are over the eastern sections of the Garigal National Park, to Cromer and beyond into the Pittwater Council areas of Elanora, Narrabeen and Ingleside.

Red Hill played a part in many childhood adventures of the locals over the years. The hill was latticed with many tracks, caves and "hideouts". On the southern side of the hill between Reynolds Crescent, Spilstead Place and a point approximately halfway up the hill stood an old house. The house burnt down in the 1970s and (from all accounts) was uninhabited. Known locally as "the house", it was ringed by a small dirt track that had worn away in the river sand lining the banks of South Creek. During the period of the early 1970s this track had become popular with local mini bike enthusiasts.

Children also played many other games during the school holiday periods including "playing soldiers" in and out of the washaways across the top of the hill. Adjacent bushland (which still survives today on the northern side of the hill) provided local children with many adventures over the years. There are several bush tracks which connect the Cromer Valley with the hill and back over the other side to the residential area of Beacon Hill itself. One of the first meetings of the Beacon Hill Bushfire Brigade took place in a cave on Red Hill.

A housing development was built in the 1990s. Many of the streets in Red Hill are named after notable ships and boats of the British settlement. These include Endeavour Drive, Golden Grove, Scarborough Place, Supply Avenue, Lady Penrhyn Drive, Fishburn Place, Charlotte Place, Friendship Place, Sirius Parade and Borrowdale Place.

Community services and organisations

The Governor Phillip Lookout Trust was gazetted on 9 December 1966 and was charged with the responsibility not only of protecting and developing the area as an historical feature of the district, but also for the preservation and propagation of the native flora and fauna that surrounds the lookout. The first meeting took place on 10 April 1966.^[5]

The first meeting of what was to become the Beacon Hill Bushfire Brigade took place in October 1948.

References

Coordinates: 33°45′08″S 151°15′22″E / 33.7522°S 151.2560°E / -33.7522; 151.2560