Normanhurst, New South Wales

Normanhurst
Sydney, New South Wales

Strip of shops at Normanhurst railway station
Population 5,156 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density 2,376/km2 (6,154/sq mi)
Postcode(s) 2076
Area 2.17 km2 (0.8 sq mi)[2]
Location 23 km (14 mi) NW of Sydney CBD
LGA(s) Hornsby Shire
Region Upper North Shore
State electorate(s) Hornsby
Ku-ring-gai
Federal Division(s) Berowra, Bradfield
Suburbs around Normanhurst:
Hornsby Hornsby Hornsby
Westleigh Normanhurst Waitara
Thornleigh Thornleigh Wahroonga

Normanhurst is a suburb located in the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 23 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire.

History

Normanhurst was originally known as Hornsby, with the suburb that is now known as Hornsby called Jack's Island.[3] The construction of the Main Northern and North Shore railway lines in the 1890s brought about a name change. The two lines were joined at a station called Hornsby Junction, whereas the station one stop south on the Northern line kept the name Hornsby. Due to confusion around the similarly named stops, the postmaster demanded that Hornsby station change its name.[4]

The railway station originally known as 'Hornsby', opened on 21 November 1895 [3] and the name was changed to Normanhurst in 1900.

The first Hornsby Post Office opened on 1 August 1864 and was renamed South Hornsby in 1900 and Normanhurst in 1905.[5]

Normanhurst was derived from the name of a prominent resident, civil engineer Norman Selfe (1839–1911),[6] with hurst being the English word for a wooded hill. Ironically, Selfe protested against the name change. The railway station was renamed in 1900 and was used for the suburb that developed around it.

Geography

Normanhurst is divided by Pennant Hills Road, a major north-south thoroughfare that leads north to the M1 Motorway, and south towards Parramatta. However, both the east and west sections have extensive bush access. On the east side, a small section of bush lies between Normanhurst and Fox Valley. This is land occupied by the SAN Hospital. On the western side, the suburb backs onto the southern reaches of the Berowra Valley, a continuous section of bush stretching all the way to Broken Bay. This gives Normanhurst a very "leafy" and rural look, in comparison to its neighbours Hornsby, Pennant Hills and Thornleigh. This in turn contributes to making native bird life abundant. The area is home to cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, noisy miners and native brush turkeys. Additionally, Normanhurst has several small waterfalls, which promote reptile life. It also has encouraged the growth of retirement residences in the suburb.

Commercial area

Normanhurst has a small number of shops close to Normanhurst railway station.

Public transport

Normanhurst is serviced by rail and buses. Normanhurst railway station is on the Northern & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network.

At the 2011 census, only 25% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 55% by car (either as driver or as passenger).[1]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, the suburb of Normanhurst recorded a population of 5,156. Of these:[1]

Age and sex distribution 
The distribution of ages in Normanhurst was reasonably similar to the country as a whole. Normanhurst residents' median age was 40 years, compared to the national median of 37. Children aged under 15 years made up 21% of the population (national average was 19%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 19% of the population (national average was 14%). There was a notable difference in the proportion of people aged 85 and over, who made up 4.1% of the population (national average was only 1.9%). There was a notable over-representation of women in Normanhurst: 46.7% of residents were male and 53.3% were female, so for each 7 males there are 8 females.
Ethnic and cultural diversity 
Just over two-thirds (68%) of residents were born in Australia, which is similar to the national average of 70%; the next most common countries of birth were England, China and India. However, only 24% identify their ancestry as Australian; the other common self-identified ancestries were English 26%, Irish 8%, Scottish 8% and Chinese 5%. More than three-quarters (77%) only spoke English at home; the next most common languages spoken at home were Mandarin 2.8%, Cantonese 2.3%, Korean 2.0%, Arabic 1.8% and Hindi 1.3%.
Finances 
The median weekly household income was $1,775, compared to the national median of $1,234. Professionals and managers made up 51% of residents' occupations, compared to 34% average for the country. Real estate in Normanhurst is correspondingly priced: the median monthly mortgage payment was $2,531, compared to the national median of $1,800.
Housing 
The great majority (79%) of private dwellings were stand-alone houses, while 11% were flats, units or apartments and 10% were semi-detached. More than three-quarters (76%) were family households, while 22% were single-person households and just 1.8% were group households. The average household size was 2.8 people.
Religion 
The most common responses for religion in Normanhurst in the 2011 Census were Catholic 27.7%, Anglican 19.8%, No Religion 19.4%, Uniting Church 7.4% and Baptist 3.2%.

Schools

Loreto, 1897

Churches

Sport and recreation

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Normanhurst (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Normanhurst Community Profile". profile.id. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 Joan Rowland (2008). "Hornsby". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Pollon, Frances (1990). The Book of Sydney Suburbs. Australia: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-14495-8.
  5. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  6. ↑ Murray-Smith, S. "Selfe, Norman (1839–1911)". This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, (MUP), 1976. Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Loreto Normanhurst school
  8. ↑ Normanhurst Boys High School
  9. ↑ Normanhurst Public School
  10. ↑ St. Stephen's Anglican Church Normanhurst
  11. ↑ "Queen of Peace, NORMANHURST COMMUNITY". Established The Parish began on the second Sunday in May viz. 9th May 1971, in Loreto Chapel Normanhurst and functioned there for more than six years, courtesy of the Loreto Sisters. In 1973 the Council approved the construction of a Church and Priests’ residence. Construction of the Church commenced on 5th June 1976. The Parish Church and Presbytery were blessed and opened on 31st July 1977 by Cardinal Freeman. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "Normanhursh Uniting Church". In 1977 with the advent of the "Unitng Church in Australia" these churches combined to form one Parish. At that time there were several churches/congregations in the Parish. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  13. ↑ "Normanhurst Sports Club". Retrieved 3 November 2013.

External links

Coordinates: 33°43′31″S 151°06′03″E / 33.72521°S 151.10080°E / -33.72521; 151.10080

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