North Sydney is a suburb and major commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council.

History
- Trams
- Heritage
Transport
Places of worship
Landmarks
Sport and recreation
Redevelopement
Gallery
Notable people
Images for kids
See also

History

Aborigines on the southern side of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) called the north side warung which meant the other side, while those on the northern side used the same name to describe the southern side.

The first name used by European settlers was Hunterhill, named after a property owned by Thomas Muir of Huntershill (1765–1799), a Scottish political reformer. He purchased land in 1794 near the location of north pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is now located, and built a house which he named after his childhood home. This area north to Gore Hill became known as St Leonards. The township of St Leonards was laid out in 1836 in what is now North Sydney, bounded by what is now Miller, Walker, Lavender and Berry Streets. By 1846 there were 106 houses here and by 1859, the commercial centre had extended from Milsons Point to Miller Street. A bus service operated by Jeremiah Wall ran between Milsons Point and North Sydney Shops, and North Sydney thus developed its own identity.

Aerial view of North Sydney during construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The North Sydney municipality was incorporated in 1890 and after naming disputes, North Sydney was settled upon. The post office which opened in 1854 as St Leonards was changed to North Sydney in 1890. The first public school which opened in 1874 as St Leonards was renamed North Sydney in 1910.

North Sydney underwent a dramatic transformation into a commercial hub in 1971–72. In this period no less than 27 skyscrapers were built.

Trams

Main page: Trams in Sydney

The history of the North Sydney tramway system can be divided into three periods – the first from the original opening in 1886 to 1909, when the McMahons Point line opened. The second period covers the time until the Wynyard line was opened across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, and the third from then until the general closure of the system in 1958.

The first part of the North Sydney tramway system was a double-track cable tramway which commenced at the original Milsons Point Ferry wharf, located where the north pylon of the Harbour Bridge is now. The line originally extended via Alfred St (now Alfred Street South), Junction St (now Pacific Highway), Blue St and Miller Sts to the engine house and depot in Ridge St. It used cable grip cars called "dummies" and un-powered trailer cars.

A feature of these lines was the underground tram terminus at Wynyard railway station (the only one in Australia), and the tracks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Trams ran from Blue St, North Sydney over a now-demolished steel arch bridge over the Harbour Bridge Roadway, then over the eastern side of the harbour bridge (now road lanes), through a tram platform at Milsons Point railway station, before descending underground into platforms 1 and 2 of Wynyard station.

Heritage

Woodstock (1870), one of the last 19th century homes on the Pacific Highway, was the home of John Brown, an early settler in the area

HSBC Building (built in the 1800s)

The following buildings are heritage-listed:

Christ Church, Walker and Lavender Streets
Church of England Rectory, Lavender Street
St Francis Xavier's War Memorial Church, Mackenzie Street
St Francis Xavier's Presbytery, Mackenzie Street
St Francis Xavier's Church School Hall, Mackenzie Street
Chinese Christian Church, Alfred Street
Former North Sydney Technical School (now Greenwood Hotel), Blue Street
St Peter's Presbyterian Church and Manse, Blues Point Road
Graythwaite, Union Street (currently under development by Shore School, the new owners, causing public outcry )
St Thomas's Church of England, West and Church Streets
St Thomas's Kindergarten Hall, Church and McLaren Streets
St Thomas's Church Rectory, McLaren Street
Don Bank, Napier Street
North Sydney Post Office, Pacific Highway and Mount Street
Houses: 11–37 Walker Street and 20–30 Walker Street
Mercedes, 9 Walker Street
Woodstock, Pacific Highway

Transport

North Sydney is directly linked to the Sydney CBD by road and rail across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. North Sydney railway station is on the North Shore railway line of the Sydney Trains network. Bus services by Busways, Forest Coach Lines, Hillsbus and Keolis Downer Northern Beaches are heavily present in Blue Street, connecting train and bus services towards North Sydney's neighbouring suburbs as well as connecting train services to Richmond via City from the T1 North Shore & Northern Lines. The Warringah Freeway links North Sydney south to the Sydney CBD and north to Chatswood. High Street, North Sydney wharf is a wharf served by Neutral Bay ferry services, which is part of the Sydney Ferries network. It is possible to walk from parts of North Sydney to the city centre in less than 30 minutes, by way of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A new Victoria Cross metro station, located two blocks north of the existing North Sydney railway station, is planned to open in 2024 as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.

Places of worship

St Mary's Church

Churches include St Mary's Catholic Church on Miller Street, St Francis Xavier's War Memorial Church in Mackenzie Street, St Thomas Anglican Church on West and Church Streets, Christ Church on Walker and Lavender Streets, St Peter's Presbyterian Church and Manse on Blues Point Road and Chinese Christian Church on Alfred Street.

A Hare Krishna temple is located on the corner of Falcon Street and Miller Street.

Landmarks

A WWI German Field Gun near North Sydney Oval. The State War Trophy Committee allocated the gun to Council in 1921. It was unveiled by Major-General Sir Granville Ryrie[1].

Museum at Mary MacKillop Place, which tells the story of Australia's first Catholic saint
Don Bank Museum, devoted to the history of the local area
Greenwood Plaza shopping complex, built under the historic Greenwood Hotel (formerly a public school, founded 1878 and renamed after its Principal)
North Sydney railway station
Victoria Cross railway station
North Sydney Oval
Stanton Library
Walker Street Cinema

Sport and recreation

St Leonards Park which includes North Sydney Oval is the suburbs major recreation area, popular among joggers and those wishing to walk their dogs. North Sydney Ovals are notably cricket pitches during the summer and the home ground for the Northern Suburbs Rugby Union Club and the North Sydney Bears Rugby League Club during the winter.

The Norths Pirates Junior Rugby Union Club, is North Sydneys local junior village rugby union team who play all home games at Tunks Park in the adjoining suburb of Cammeray together with North Sydney Brothers, a junior rugby league club and the rugby league teams of Marist College North Shore.

North Sydney Bears (rugby league team based in the area)
North Sydney Cricket Club
North Sydney Chess Club
Norths Pirates Junior Rugby Union
Northern Suburbs Rugby Club
UTS Northern Suburbs Athletic Club
Gordon-North Sydney Hockey Club
North Sydney Symphony Orchestra

During the 2000 Summer Olympics, the city was the starting point of the marathon course that would end 26.2 mi (42.2 km) later at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney.

Redevelopement

Gallery

North Sydney Post Office
Upton Grange, designed by William Wardell
Mary Mackillop Memorial Chapel, Mount Street
St Francis Xavier Church
St Peter's Church
St Thomas's Church
North Sydney farmers market

Notable people

Billy Blue, a convict after whom several places were named, such as Blues Point
Arthur Bollard, Rugby league player
Theodora Cowan, Australia's first locally born sculptress, was living at 84 Berry Street when she died
Paul Cuneo, Rugby league player
Sid Deane, Rugby league player
Antonella Gambotto-Burke, an author, born at the Mater Hospital, North Sydney
Joe Hockey, politician, Treasurer of Australia
Henry Lawson, a poet and short-story author
Kel Nagle, a golfer who won the 1960 Open Championship
Peter Taylor Test cricketer

Images for kids

North Sydney's high-rise commercial district
North Sydney Post Office

North Sydney, New South Wales facts for kids

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