Crows Nest is a suburb on the Lower North Shore and part of the local government area of the North Sydney Council. Located 5 kilometres north of the Sydney CBD, the suburb occupies approximately 76 hectares, bounded by Chandos Street, Wheatleigh Street and the Warringah Freeway in the north, West Street, Rosalind Street, Macarthur Avenue, Miller Street and Falcon Street in the east, West Street and Emmett Street in the south, and the Pacific Highway, Sinclair Street, Shirley Road, Nicholson Place, Oxley Street and Sargeants Lane in the west.
ABOUT CROWS NEST
History
Sydney’s North Shore was originally inhabited by the Birrabirragal, Boregal, Kuringgai, Wallumedegal, Gorualgal and Cammeraygal Aboriginal people.
Between 1794 and 1814, the first European settlement was recorded across the land now known as the local government areas of Hornsby Shire, Ku-ring-gai Council, Municipality of Lane Cove, Mosman Council, City of Willoughby, Municipality of Hunters Hill and North Sydney Council. The LGAs were named after notable European settlers, including Police Constable Samuel Horne, John Lane, Archibald Mossman, Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Captain John Hunter, and 1st Viscount Sydney Thomas Townshend. Only the Ku-ring-gai Council was named after its original inhabitants, the Kuringgai Aboriginal people.
Based on the Cumberland County mapping from 1792 to 1894, four local government areas were derived from the Parish of Willoughby, including the City of Willoughby, Mosman Council, Municipality of Lane Cove and North Sydney, which was formerly known as St Leonards.
Crows Nest was originally part of a land grant made to Edward Wollstonecraft in 1821, which extended from the site of the present day Crows Nest to Wollstonecraft. Edward Wollstonecraft built a cottage and called it “the Crow's Nest”?—a name chosen "on account of its elevated and commanding position", according to his business partner Alexander Berry.
Berry later built a more substantial Crow's Nest House on the estate in 1850, taking the name of the earlier cottage. This site is now the location of the North Sydney Demonstration School.
During the post-war years, North Shore saw the most significant development, with population and medium- to high-density housing growing rapidly. Several suburbs stood out as growth centres, including Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Dural, Gordon, Killara, St Ives, Turramurra, Wahroong, Chatswood, Artarmon, St Leonards and North Sydney,
Demographics
As of 2016, Crows Nest is home to 4,798 people. Australia-born citizens represent 54.2 per cent of the local population, with other residents born in England, New Zealand, Japan, India and China. About 69.2 per cent of people spoke only English at home, while others speak Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese.
LIFESTYLE
Crows Nest lives up to its name as a “small suburb with a commanding presence”, with an ever expanding multicultural dining scene and shopping districts, a busting commercial hub, quiet backstreets and cosy cottages.
Connected to major hubs such as Chatswood, North Sydney and Sydney CBD, Crows Nest boasts a balance of charm and trends, making it a hotspot for single professionals and young families who crave connectivity and vibrancy with intimate neighbourhoods. The residential parts of Crows Nest are filled with beautiful tree lined streets, multiple storey townhouses and freestanding homes.
Due to its convenient location and good public services, Crows Nest was named Sydney’s most liveable suburb in the 2015 Urban Living Index.
Public transport
All local government areas in the North Shore region are serviced by the Pacific Highway.
Hornsby Shire and Ku-ring-gai Council are served by the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway while the Lane Cove Council is served by the Lane Cove Tunnel, the City of Willoughby served by the Gore Hill Freeway, the North Sydney Council served by the Bardfield Highway and Warringah Freeway and Hornsby Shire served by the Hills (M2) Motorway, and Pennant Hills Road.
The North Shore railway line runs through Hornsby Shire, Ku-ring-gai Council, the City of Willoughby and the North Sydney Council, while the Northern and Central Coast & Newcastle railway lines run through Hornsby Shire.
T1 North Shore line services multiple suburbs from Chatswood north to Hornsby, including Chatswood, Roseville, Lindfield, Killara, Gordon, Pymble, Turramurra, Warrawee, Wahroonga, Waitara and Hornsby. Meanwhile, railway stations within Lower North Shore serve Milsons Point, North Sydney, Waverton, Wollstonecraft, St Leonards, Artarmon & Chatswood.
The upcoming Sydney Metro, which is expected to commence operations in 2019, will run through Chatswood and Crows Nest, linking Sydney’s North West and South West to Sydney City.
Schools and universities
Some of the most notable schools across Sydney’s North Shore are:
- North Sydney Girls High School
- Naremburn School
- Cammeraygal High School
- North Sydney Boys High School
- Royal North Shore Hospital School
- Bradfield College
- TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute (Hornsby College)
- TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute (St Leonards Campus)
- TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute (Bradfield Senior College)
- Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview
- The Northern Sydney Institute (Crows Nest Campus)
- Australian Catholic University (North Sydney - MacKillop Campus)
- Sydney Church of England Grammar School
- St Joseph’s College
Hospitals
Among the major hospitals in North Shore are:
- Sydney Adventist Hospital (The SAN)
- Lady Davidson Private Hospital
- Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital
- HammondCare Greenwich Hospital
- Royal North Shore Hospital
- North Shore Private Hospital
- The Mater Hospital
Landmarks
- St Thomas Rest Park
- Northside Community Church
- Sydney Harbour National Park
- HMAS Penguin Naval Base
- Taronga Zoo
- Mosman Art Gallery
Shopping centers
Some of the major shopping centres and shopping districts across North Shore are:
- St Ives Village Shopping Centre
- Westfield Hornsby Shopping Centre
- Hornsby Mall
- Lane Cove Plaza
- Lane Cove Market Square
- Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre
- Westfield Chatswood Shopping Centre
- Chatswood Central
Sports and recreation
- Cammeray Golf Course
- North Sydney Olympic Pool
- North Sydney Oval
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