North Sydney is one of the major districts on the Lower North Shore. Located three kilometres north of the Sydney CBD, the suburb occupies approximately 147 hectares, surrounded by the suburbs of Cammeray and Crows Nest in the north, Waverton in the west, McMahons Point, Lavender Bay and Milsons Point in the south and Neutral Bay in the east.
North Sydney serves as the administrative centre for the local government area of the North Sydney Council.
ABOUT NORTH SYDNEY
History
The suburb of North Sydney lies on the traditional land of the Cammeraygal people. Aborigines inhabiting the southern side of the harbour used to call the north side warung, or “other side”.
European settlement dates back to 1794, when Thomas Muir of Huntershill (1765-1799), a Scottish political reformer, purchased land and built a house near the location of where the north pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is now located. Consequently, European settlers started to call the area Hunters Hill.
In 1836, the township of St Leonards was laid out in what is now North Sydney, bound by the current-day Miller, Walker, Lavender and Berry Streets. After a decade, there were more than a hundred houses within the area, and after another 10 years, a commercial centre has extended from Milsons Point to Miller Street. During the said period, a bus service operation ran between Milsons Point and North Sydney shops, thus developing an identity for what will ultimately pave the way to modern-day North Sydney.
By 1854, a post office was opened, followed in 1874 by the suburb’s first public school. From 1886 to 1909, the tramway system operated lines in McMahons Point, and by 1932, another line was established in Wynyard line. The double-track cable tramway 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.
The North Sydney municipality was established in 1890, the same year that the name “North Sydney” was decided for the suburb. Sydney as a state capital derived its name from Thomas Townshend, first Viscount Sydney.
From 1971 to 1972, North Sydney went through a dramatic transformation into a commercial hub, with over 25 skyscrapers built across the area, ultimately gaining a reputation as the “Twin City” to Sydney.
Demographics
As of 2018, North Sydney is home to 8,494 people, with a population density of 57.69 persons per hectare. Apart from Australia-born citizens, which represents about 48 per cent of the local population, other residents list their countries of birth as England, India, China, New Zealand and the US. Some of the common languages spoken in the suburb apart from English are Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Spanish and Japanese.
Covering 14 per cent of the total land area of the North Sydney Council, the suburb features both urban and green characteristics, with thriving CBDs, smaller suburban centers, residential areas, parks and open spaces.
Famous residents
Historical figures such as Theodora Cowan, Australia’s first locally born sculptress, and Billy Blue, a convict whose name inspired several places such as Blues Point, both hail from the suburb of North Sydney, as well as authors Antonella Gambotto-Burke and Ruth Park, and poet and short story writer Henry Lawson.
Golfer and 1960 Open Championship winner Kel Nagle, Olympian and Paralympian Louise Sauvage, former World No. 1 tennis player Pat Rafter, and Australian Rugby Union players Matthew Burke, George Gregan and Phil Kearns are also from the Lower North Shore.
Ken Done, an Australian artist best known for his design work, and Nicole Kidman, an award-winning Hollywood actress also hail from the region.
LIFESTYLE
The commercial district of North Sydney is home to the second-largest concentration of office buildings in NSW, with most offices dedicated to the advertising, marketing and information technology industries, such as Cisco Systems, Vocus Communications, NBN Co, Sun Microsystems, AGL, Hyundai, AAMI, Sophos, Symantec, and Vodafone NAB.
North Sydney also boasts several popular Australian landmarks, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Stanton Library, Northpoint Tower and St Mary’s Cathedral.
Apart from benefiting from rich infrastructure, the suburb also celebrates its unique multiculturalism through several cultural festivals, where locals and tourists gather to enjoy live music and entertainment, exhibitions, cultural celebrations, business events and community activities.
North Sydney joins several other suburbs as part of the North Sydney Council, including Crows Nest, Waverton, Neutral Bay, McMahons Point, Kirribilli, Cremorne, and Cammeray.
Unlike other major suburban hubs across NSW, North Sydney has limited shopping facilities and almost no Sunday trading.
Public transport
Road and rail transport systems across the Sydney Harbour Bridge directly link the suburb of North Sydney to the Sydney CBD.
The North Sydney railway station joins the North Shore and Western Line of the Sydney Trains network, while bus services operated by State Transit traverse Blue Street and connect train services to Richmond via city from the T1 North Shore and Northern Lines, as well as other train and bus services towards neighbouring suburbs.
Among the major roads in North Sydney is the Warringah Freeway, which links the suburbs south to the Sydney CBD and north to Chatswood.
Ferry services are also available in the suburb, with High Street, North Sydney wharf acting as a stop on the Neutral Bay ferry service, which is part of the Sydney Ferries network.
Residents often use the Sydney Harbour Bridge to walk to the city centre, which could take approximately 30 minutes.
Schools and universities
Primary schools
- North Sydney Demonstration School
- Mosman Preparatory School
- St Mary’s Primary School
High schools
- North Sydney Boys High School
- North Sydney Girls High School
- Cammeraygal High School
- Catholic Marist College North Shore
- Wenona School
- Sydney Church of England Grammar School
Colleges and universities
- St Aloysius’ College
- Australian Catholic University
- APM College of Business and Communication
- Raffles College of Design and Commerce
- Walker and Miller Training
- Billy Blue College of Design
Hospitals
- Mater Hospital
- Royal North Shore Hospital
- North Shore Private Hospital
- Greenwich Hospital
- Northside Cremorne Clinic
Landmarks
- North Sydney Post Office
- North Sydney Oval
- Stanton Library
- Brett Whiteley Square
- Mary MacKillop Museum
- Don Bank Museum
- North Sydney railway station
- The Independent Theatre
- Upton Grange
Shopping centers
- ALDI
- IGA
- Coles
- Woolworths Metro
- Greenwood Plaza
- Berry Square
Sports and recreation
- St Leonards Park (North Sydney Oval)
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