Waitara, New South Wales

Waitara Sydney, New South Wales
Waitara Station
Population	5,370 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	2077
Location	23 km (14 mi) north-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Hornsby Shire
State electorate(s)	Ku-ring-gai
Federal Division(s)	Bradfield
Suburbs around Waitara: Hornsby Hornsby Asquith Normanhurst Waitara North Wahroonga Normanhurst Wahroonga Wahroonga

The Grange Retirement Village, part of a complex founded by the North Sydney Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy

Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral

Waitara is a suburb of Upper North Shore 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

Waitara is a word in the New Zealand Maori language that means hail, pure water or hail, wide steps. Waitara is a town in New Zealand.^[2]

European settlement

Miles McCrae once owned land in Southern Sydney, near Hurstville. When he sold that land to a development company, the manager used the name Waitara for the subdivision project. McCrae later bought land near Hornsby and when the railway station opened in 1895 he suggested the name Waitara, which was formally adopted.^[2]

Waitara Post Office opened on 1 October 1913 and closed in 1986. Waitara East Post Office opened on 1 June 1966 and closed in 1994.^[3]

Transport

Waitara railway station is on the North Shore, Northern & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network. It was originally known as Sandy Bank.

Commercial and community facilities

Waitara is a centre for all things automotive, car dealerships both new and used, car maintenance and smash repairers.

Waitara has just one hotel, the Blue Gum Hotel. There has been a hotel on the site since 1884, but two fires have destroyed the older buildings. The current building dates from 1962.^[4]

Waitara also has a Rugby League Club, called Asquith Rugby League Club, and a gym, called Millennium Health Club.

Police and Community Youth Clubs run a Performing Arts Centre in Edgeworth David Avenue (the latter is named after the scientist Edgeworth David).

Schools

• The public school is Waitara Public School, which has two O.C (opportunity class) classes.
• The Catholic school is Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School. It was established in approximately 1918 and was located on the Pacific Highway opposite the railway station. It has since been relocated to Yardley Avenue.

Churches

• Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church was originally situated on the Pacific Highway opposite Hornsby railway station. It was later relocated to 27 Yardley Avenue. It has since become the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay and is known as Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara.
• Waitara is home to a large Korean Catholic Community Church,^[5][6] which has produced the youth activity group WCKYS. The latter can be divided into three subgroups: Kerygma, J.O.Y. and Youth Legion of Mary. Kerygma group organises the youth mass, while J.O.Y. (Jesus Others and You) consists of teachers of Waitara Korean Sunday School.
• The Anglican Church of Waitara (All Saints) is located on the corner of Burdett Street and Palmerston Road. In addition to church services, there are a number of other events during the week including ESL classes, kids groups, youth groups and Bible studies.^[7]
• The Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at the corner of Park Avenue and Alexandria Parade, was established in 1903.^[8]

Population

The 2011 census community profile for Waitara revealed roughly equal proportions of men (48.1%) and women (51.9%) in a total population of 5,370. The median age of the Waitara population was 34 years of age, which was similar to the national median of 37. The most common ancestries in Waitara (State Suburbs) were English 16.3%, Chinese 15.1%, Australian 12.6%, Indian 7.7% and Korean 6.2%. The average household had 2.3 people. The most common religious affiliation was "no religion".^[1]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Waitara (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
2. The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 262
3. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 1 June 2012.
4. Blue Gum Hotel - Waitara Hornsby Sydney
5. http://www.waitaraparish.org.au/ Our Lady of the Rosary, Waitara website
6. http://www.sydneycatholic.com/ Our Lady of the Rosary, Korean Catholic Community website
7. http://www.waitara.anglican.asn.au Waitara Anglican Church
8. http://www.waitarachurch.org.au/ Waitara Seventh-day Adventist Church

External links

• Joan Rowland (2008). "Waitara". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 29 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]

Coordinates: 33°42′44″S 151°06′02″E / 33.71217°S 151.10064°E