Hills District

Hills District
New South Wales
Localities around Hills District:
Greater Blue Mountains Area Central Coast Central Coast
Greater Western Sydney Hills District Forest District
Greater Western Sydney Greater Western Sydney Northern Suburbs

The Hills District (alternatively, the Hills Shire, the Hills, the Garden Shire or Sydney Hills, previously the Baulkham Hills Shire) is a general term for the north-western suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Its constituent suburbs are generally located within the local government area of The Hills Shire; some parts of the Hornsby Shire, and Blacktown and Parramatta Cities are generally given the title.

Actual suburbs and localities that are considered to be in the Hills District can be somewhat amorphous and variable. For example, the Hills District Historical Society restricts its definition to the Hills Shire local government area, yet its study area extends from Parramatta to the Hawkesbury. At its most generous, the term Hills District is applied to the area generally west of New Line, Old Northern, and Pennant Hills Roads, north of Kissing Point Roads, and James Ruse Drive, east of Sunnyholt , Old Windsor, and Windsor Roads, and extending as far north as the Hawkesbury River. It may include Seven Hills and Kings Langley, as these have historical connections with the district. Some surrounding suburbs, like Glenwood, have demographics similar to those of the Hills, and whose residents frequently visit the Hills, but are not necessarily considered part of the district.

The region is so named for its characteristically comparatively hilly topography as the Cumberland Plain lifts up, joining the Hornsby Plateau; and the Hawkesbury Plain lifting up and joining the same Hornsby Plateau. Several of its suburbs also have 'Hills' in their names, such as Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, and Winston Hills.

History

 Aboriginal settlement

Since circa 40,000 BCE, Dharug Aborigines inhabited the Hills and surrounding areas, especially near water bodies. Rock dwellings found near the Darling Mills Creek are almost 12,000 years old. The Dharug would trade with adjacent clans like the Boorooberongal clan in the northwest. In 1789, a smallpox epidemic killed many of their numbers.[1]

European settlement

Initial settlement

Governor Arthur Phillip surveyed the district in April of 1791.[2] His party was in search of a new area for settlement and farming to support a struggling colony in Sydney. In 1794, Hawkesbury Road, later Windsor Road, was built from the Toongabbie Government Farm to the Hawkesbury. In the same year, William Joyce, a pardoned convict, received the first land grant in the area, east of Hawkesbury Road, in what is now Baulkham Hills. He opened an inn on the same road. William Joyce Reserve is a reminder of his property.

Other early settlement

In 1799, Joseph Foveaux was granted 300 acres of land in what is now the Bella Vista area of Baulkham Hills. He sold this land to John Macarthur, and his wife, Elizabeth, the two of whom pioneered in wool manufacturing, and are attributed to starting Australia's wool industry. Part of this land was later acquired by Matthew Pearce. His farm was called 'Bella Vista Farm'. Foveaux Terrace, Elizabeth Macarthur Drive, and Macarthur Ridge Way, streets in Bella Vista; and Elizabeth Macarthur Creek starting in Kellyville are named after these early settlers. Matthew Pearce Public School, the largest in the state, is named after Matthew Pearce.

Government Farm in Castle Hill

Castle Hill Government Farm was established in 1801, and Castle Hill Heritage Park is built upon the land. It is third government farm in the country, built only twelve years after the historic grant of Experiment Farm to James Ruse. It was also a major site in the Battle of Vinegar Hill. Toongabbie Road, now Junction Road in Winston Hills, was built in the same year as the farm from Toongabbie to the junction in Baulkham Hills. Castle Hill Road was built from the junction to the farm in Castle Hill, and survives today as part of Old Northern Road and Old Castle Hill Road. The farm was turned into Australia's first lunatic asylum in 1811, until it was closed in 1826, when it was relocated to Liverpool.

Battle of Vinegar Hill

The Battle of Vinegar Hill, or Castle Hill Convict Rebellion (sometimes referred to as the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill, so as not to be confused with a rebellion of the same name in Ireland) is the historic first convict rebellion in Australia, and the only one suppressed under martial law. Vinegar Hill is located in Rouse Hill, and the rebellion occurred on the 4th March 1804. Over 200 convicts escaped from a prison farm with the intent to "capture ships to sail to Ireland". Martial law was instated, and the rebels were hunted down until a truce was declared.

Windsor and Old Windsor Roads

Windsor and Old Windsor Roads are historic roads in Australia, as they are the second and third roads laid in the colony. They connect Parramatta with Windsor, but are majorly used as arterial roads for residents, especially in the Hills District. There are residential streets in Wentworthville and Westmead over the original alignment of Windsor Road. The original road started at Prospect Road, which is now the Great Western Highway. It went through the Government Farm at Toongabbie. It was widened in 1797 to 20 feet (approximately 6 metres). In 1802, Howe's Bridge was constructed at the crossing of South Creek, Windsor. In 1805, James Meehan surveyed a new alignment of the road, from Parramatta to Kellyville. This was the basis of the new Windsor Road. Governrnor Lachlan Macquarie, as part of his Parramatta Town Plan, commissioned a new toll road, which would follow Church Street across the Parramatta River, then follow the line traced by Meehan to Kellyville. This is approximately the same route that today's Windsor Road follows. This rote was preferred, as it avoided many of the hills near Old Windsor Road, and the new Parramatta Government Domain, upon which Parramatta Park is built. New Windsor Road was completed in 1812, featuring 70 bridges, and was 32 feet wide (approximately 10 metres). In 1833, Windsor Road was declared a main road, maintained by public expenses. Old Windsor Road was also proclaimed a parish road. In 1835, Windsor Toll House was built, near South Creek. Bitumen for motor vehicles was laid in 1925. The upgrading for motor vehicles continued throughout the 1930s.[3] The roads are now amongst the most well-serviced roads in the state by buses. The North-West Transit-way (NW T-way) runs along the entirety of Old Windsor Road, and along Windsor Road to Rouse Hill Town Centre.[4]

Population

According to the 2011 ABS Census, The Hills Shire is home to 169,872 permanent residents. The Census of Population and Housing states that as much as 22% of the population is over 55 years of age.[5]

Geography and climate

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. This climate characteristic was well suited to orchard production of stone fruit and citrus which proved luxuriant on the deep rich soils.

Whilst Sydney mainly falls under the humid subtropical climate zone, most of the suburbs in the Hills District have an oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen climate classification, as their warmest month mean doesn't reach 22°C (71.6°F).

Religion

The area was notable for a time for having the highest rate of religious service attendance in Australia , reinforcing the status often referred to as the Australian Bible belt. The moniker dates from early settlement, where Protestant and Methodist populations chose the more distant area as a buffer to the perceived inclinations of the young officer classes located around Parramatta and at Sydney Cove . The population's strong dislike for liquor made Castle Hill a temperance town where much of the land was covenanted to prohibit manufacture, storage or consumption of alcohol. This area now has a relatively high concentration of hotels and evangelical Christians . Many of the more recent religious denominations and belief systems to take root in this highly conservative and wealthy area are represented throughout the district, including, notably, the Mormon's Sydney Australia Temple in Carlingford and 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.

The strong evangelical Christian tinge of the region has made the Hills strongly conservative, a trend that runs right through local, state and Federal politics. The federal Division of Mitchell, which covers most of the area, is one of the safest seats in metropolitan Australia for the conservative Liberal Party of Australia, and all of the Hills District seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly are held by Liberals.

Public transport

An extensive number of bus routes operate in the district, operated by Hillsbus, Busways and Sydney Buses. The region is served by the North-West T-way, connecting the Hills District with Blacktown, Parramatta and Rouse Hill. The Carlingford railway line, operated by Sydney Trains, is the only railway line located in the district. Infrequent services operate on the line from Carlingford to Clyde, where an interchange is required to continue to the city. The deficiency of public transport in the area is often criticised. Due to low density planning the bus service within many of the suburbs is slow and infrequent. However, the long-promised North West Rail Link is under construction with a proposed opening in 2019.[6]

Suburbs

Notes

  1. ↑ "Aborigenes in the Hills District" (PDF). Hills Shire Council.
  2. ↑ "History of The Hills Shire - The Hills Shire Timeline". Hills Shire Council Website.
  3. ↑ "Old Windsor and Windsor Road".
  4. ↑ "NW Transitway - Google Maps". 2017.
  5. ↑ 2011 Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
  6. ↑ "North West Rail Link | North West Rail Line". Northwestrail.com.au. Retrieved 2013-11-23.

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