Chatswood

Chatswood is located approximately 12 kilometres from Sydney CBD, and is well serviced by buses and train lines to Town Hall, Central, Hornsby and north. Chatswood is divided by the Pacific Highway, and is usually referred to in terms of Chatswood and Chatswood West.

The area has two distinct characters, the residential streets in Chatswood West and the Eastern section of Chatswood, and the shopping centres and high rise business and residential buildings in Chatswood CBD. Approximately half of the housing stock is freestanding houses, with the rest being apartments, including a number of low rise older apartment buildings and modern high rise buildings in Chatswood CBD.

The most recent census shows that approximately 60% of properties in the Chatswood postcode are owner-occupied (either fully owned or being bought). In the Eastern section of Chatswood, adjoining Willoughby, there are many freestanding Federation homes and Californian bungalows set on substantial blocks in tree-lined streets. Chatswood West has a leafy, bushland atmosphere with plenty of bushland reserves as well as Ferndale Park, Fuller Park and Mowbray Park, along with Chatswood Golf Course, Chatswood Tennis Club, Chatswood Bowling Club and bush walks through to the Lane Cove River. There are five schools in the area: Chatswood Public School (established in 1883), Mowbray Public School and Chatswood Co-Educational High School (started in 1934), both located on the Western side of Pacific Highway; along with Mercy College and St Pius X College in Chatswood CBD.

In addition to the major shopping centres, Chatswood also provides the benefit of a range of cafes and restaurants, boutiques, medical centres and two cinema complexes. Chatswood first began to develop when the railway station was opened in 1890, and the first shop appeared in Victoria Avenue in 1894. It was not until around 1960 that Chatswood's current shopping district began to take shape with the opening of Grace Brothers (now Myers) and Waltons. The major shopping centres in Chatswood today were not developed until the 1980s with the opening of Chatswood Chase and Westfield and the construction of Chatswood Mall in 1989. At the same time, commercial high rise office development was being undertaken and Chatswood is now considered as a secondary Central Business District, along with Parramatta. Chatswood is part of the City of Willoughby. For more information about Willoughby City Council, services and history, please visit the Willoughby City Council website.

Naremburn

Naremburn is located approximately 6.5 kilometres from Sydney CBD, and is well serviced by buses to the City and Chatswood. It is one of the smallest of the Willoughby City suburbs and is also one of the oldest.

Naremburn retains much of its original architecture, with plenty of turn-of-the-century weatherboard cottages still in existence, along with Federation cottages, a scattering of Victorian terraces and some original sandstone homes built from locally quarried stone. On the western side of the Expressway, there are many modern low rise apartment buildings.

The Naremburn local shops, cafes and restaurants are on the corner of Willoughby Road, and it's just a short walk from there to Crows Nest's café society. It's also only a few minutes walk to Willoughby Road shops and cafes. The area has extensive parkland, including Naremburn Park off Park Road; West Street Reserve; Flat Rock Reserve; and Bicentennial Park which provides sports ovals, Willoughby Leisure Centre and walking and cycling tracks through Flat Rock Creek valley to the waterfront of Long Bay. One of the attractions of Naremburn is its proximity to the Harbour Bridge and City, with traffic from most streets having to negotiate just one traffic light to get onto the expressway and into Sydney CBD.

Naremburn was first settled from 1853, and was originally a battler's district - variously known as Central Township, Dog Town, Pension Town and Struggle Town. The area was well known for its sandstone quarries, with stone transported along Flat Rock Creek. Other early businesses included piggeries, slaughterhouses, dairies and plasterworks. Sir Henry Lawson lived from time to time in Market Street and is said to have used a cave, just below what was then Naremburn Falls, as a refuge. The terrain of Naremburn means it has always been cut off from neighbouring suburbs, and more recently the area has also been isolated by the Warringah Expressway.
A bridge crossing Flat Rock Creek was first built in 1868 and rebuilt in 1886 (it is still used as part of Willoughby Road), and the Cammeray Suspension Bridge on the boundary of Northbridge was built in 1892. This was closed in 1936 due to safety concerns, was rebuilt and re-opened in 1939 for pedestrian traffic only. Naremburn is part of the City of Willoughby. For more information about Willoughby City Council, services and history, please visit the Willoughby City Council website.

Roseville

Roseville is located approximately 13 kilometres from Sydney GPO, and is well serviced by the North Shore rail line and buses to the City, North Sydney and Chatswood. Roseville is flanked by the Lane Cove National Park, Lane Cove River and Garigal National Park, creating a peaceful, leafy environment and a wealth of recreational opportunities. The area has a predominance of freestanding homes (approximately 82% of housing stock), many on large blocks with beautiful gardens or parkland and water views. There are also some older apartment buildings along Pacific Highway and adjacent streets, and some new apartment and villa style development is currently taking place.

Roseville Chase is an area of approximately 1 sq kilometre adjoining Castle Cove, bordered by Boundary Street, Warringah Road and the waterfront of Middle Harbour. This attractive bushland area is renowned for its quiet, "peninsula" atmosphere and the attractions of Echo Point marina, café and restaurant. There are two schools in the area: Roseville Public School and the Anglican girls day school Roseville College, along with a number of kindergarten and childcare facilities. There is a shopping strip adjacent to the railway station, and it's just a few minutes drive to Chatswood's major shopping centre.

One of the attractions of Roseville is the Art Deco Roseville Cinema, an independently owned cinema complex which specialises in arthouse films, as well as the Hollywood blockbusters. There are also a number of restaurants along Roseville's main shopping strip. The Roseville Bridge and Spit Bridge are the only bridges across Middle Harbour. The original Roseville Bridge, opened in 1924, was a low-level two-lane bridge located downstream of the current bridge. However, the rapid growth of the Middle Harbour suburbs led to the building of a new six-lane, high-level bridge that was opened in 1966.

The first settlers moved into Roseville from around 1814, attracted by the fertile farming land along the Lane Cove River, and the first land grants were made in 1821. One of the early settlers was Daniel Dering Mathew, who owned the 400-acre Clanville Estate - after which Clanville Road is named. By the 1890s, there were also many market gardens in the suburb, and subdivision for housing commenced in 1896 after the opening of the North Shore railway line.

One of the prominent families of this time was the Archbold family, after whom Archbold Road is named. However, the area remained semi-rural until the 1940s, with the bulk of housing development taking place in the post-war years. Roseville is part of Ku-ring-gai Council. For more information about the Council, services and events, please visit the Ku-ring-gai Council website.

Willoughby

Willoughby is located approximately 9 kilometres from Sydney CBD, and is well serviced by buses to the City, North Sydney, Manly and Chatswood. The area is mainly residential, with shopping and café precincts on High Street, Penshurst Street and Willoughby Road. Willoughby is split into three precincts: Willoughby, North Willoughby and Willoughby East. The majority of housing is freestanding houses (72%), and there are also a number of Art Deco semis, a scattering of Victorian terraces, 1970s apartment buildings and some new developments. The housing style is predominantly full brick Californian bungalows set on large blocks which were built from the 1920s onwards.

The most recent census shows that approximately 70% of properties in the area are owner-occupied (either fully owned or being bought). The wide, tree-lined streets are laid out in a regular grid pattern between the main arterial roads - Eastern Valley Way and Penshurst Street. Willoughby has an abundance of parkland, including Willoughby Park with its two ovals, pavilions and bowling club; Bales Park; Bicentennial Reserve and Willoughby Leisure Centre; and a number of parkland reserves. There are three schools in the area.

Willoughby Public School (established in 1863) in Oakville Road; Willoughby Girls High School (started in 1934) in Willoughby Road; and St Thomas School, which was opened in 1928. Willoughby is part of the City of Willoughby, and was named by Sir Thomas Mitchell after his friend and superior office Sir James Willoughby Gordon. The area was first sub-divided in 1854, and was named "The Township of North Sydney" until 1865 when it was incorporated into a municipality and renamed The Municipality of North Willoughby.

Until the turn of the century, there were many orchards, Chinese market gardens, dairies and farms in the area, along with tanneries (including the Rosewall tannery established in 1869 by James Forsyth). Some areas of Willoughby (such as around Willoughby Park) are conservation areas, and there are many historic buildings still in existence, which are identified by Heritage Plaques. For more information about Willoughby Council, services and history, please visit the Willoughby City Council website.