Berowra is an outer suburb of

Northern Sydney Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney’s north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney is ...

located in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

36 kilometres north of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

, in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Hornsby Shire Hornsby Shire is a local government area situated in Northern Sydney ( Upper North Shore), as well as parts of the Hills District, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The shire stretches from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to the ...

. Berowra is south-east of the suburbs of

Berowra Heights Berowra Heights is an outer suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 39 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Berowra Heights is north-west of the ...

and east of

Berowra Waters Berowra Waters is an outer suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Berowra is located 40 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Berowra Waters is ...

. The name ''Berowra'' means ''place of many shells'', referring to the many shell middens on Berowra Creek.

Geography

Berowra is located 44 kilometres north of the

Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often refer ...

and lies at an altitude of 215 metres. Surrounded by bushland, it borders the national parks of both the

Berowra Valley The Berowra Valley National Park is a protected national park that is located in northern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The national park is situated approximately north-west of the Sydney central business district. Located within t ...

and

Ku-ring-gai Chase Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, ...

Commercial area

Berowra is largely residential with a small retail precinct lining the Pacific Highway near the train station. In May 2007 a new shopping complex opened on Turner Road in Berowra Heights; this was a landmark development for the future prospects of the area. Berowra station

Transport

Berowra is located off the Pacific Highway. The Pacific Motorway runs to the east, between Berowra and the

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, sout ...

. In January 1960 a heavy vehicle checking station opened. In December 1968 the Pacific Motorway opened from Berowra to the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. ...

. As it was a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

, toll booths were installed at Berowra adjacent to the heavy vehicle checking station. This closed when the Pacific Motorway was extended south to

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb in the North Shore (Sydney)#Upper North Shore, Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia ...

in March 1989.

Berowra railway station Berowra railway station is located on the Main Northern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Berowra. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore Line services and NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line services. History Berowra stat ...

is located on the Main Northern line. It is served by

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban- suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...

North Shore & Western Line The North Shore & Western Line (numbered T1, coloured orange) is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves the North Shore, parts of the Inner West and Western Suburbs. It was previously t ...

and

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...

Central Coast & Newcastle Line The Central Coast & Newcastle Line is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service that runs along the Main North railway line in New South Wales, connecting the state's two largest cities, Sydney and Newcastle. The service runs from through to o ...

services to Sydney, Hornsby, the Central Coast and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

History

Berowra is an Aboriginal word that means ''place of many shells''. The Berowra area has many Aboriginal carvings.

British settlement

One of the early land grants in the Berowra area was to John Crumpton in 1867. George Collingridge was granted in 1880 and played a part in having the

Main Northern railway line The Main North Line (also known as the Great Northern Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisban ...

extended, so that a station was opened at Berowra in 1887. He also supported the building of a post office in 1900 and a road to Berowra Waters which opened in 1902. Berowra Post Office opened on 1 April 1897. Mary Wall was granted of land near Goodwyn Road off the Pacific Highway in 1887. Part of her grant meant she had to be there once a week and so she would walk at night through the bush from

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surroun ...

and tend to her farm.''The Book of Sydney Suburbs'', Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia , page 27 The area grew when the Pacific Highway and railway were built and settlers loved the fishing and surrounding bush. Mainly living in tents, the original settlers lived a tough existence and helped everyone. The first school was set up in Mary Wall's house before it was moved to what is now the Berowra District Hall on the corner of Berowra Waters Road and Crowley Road roundabout. Image:Berowra0001.jpg, Remains of a bush hut, Berowra area Image:Berowra Creek Sydney-1.jpg, Berowra Creek Image:Berowra0003.jpg, Aboriginal rock carving, Berowra area Image:Berowra Creek Sydney.jpg, Junction of Berowra and Calna Creeks

Primary schools

Berowra and Berowra Heights share four primary schools: * Berowra Public School (Berowra). * Berowra Christian School (Berowra). * Wideview Public School (Berowra Heights). * St Bernard's Catholic Primary School (Berowra Heights)

High schools

None

Churches

Berowra and Berowra Heights share four churches: * St Mark's Anglican Church (Berowra) * Berowra Baptist Church (Berowra) * St Bernard's Catholic Church (Berowra Heights) * Berowra Uniting Church (Berowra Heights)

Clubs and Community Groups

* Apex * Berowra Musical Society * Berowra Toastmasters * Berowra Rotary Club * Lions Club * Scouts * Girl Guides * The Probus club of Berowra * Netball Club * Soccer Club * Football Club * Cricket Club

Population

Demographics

At the time the 2016 census was conducted, the population of Berowra was 4,721, consisting of 2,353 (49.9%) males and 2,365 (50.1%) females. 73.3% of residents were born in Australia, while the next most common country of birth was England at 7.1%. 85.2% of residents only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion (29.9%), Anglican (21.5%) and Catholic (20.8%). Of the 1,493 occupied dwellings in Berowra, 94% were freestanding houses. The median weekly household income is A$2,355 and the mean household size consists of 3.1 individuals.

Notable residents

Matt Dunning Matt Dunning (born 19 December 1978) is a former Australian rugby union footballer. He played as a prop for the Waratahs and Western Force in Super Rugby, and represented Australia. He coached the Balmain rugby club in Sydney 2013/2014. Earl ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player *

Margaret Preston Margaret Rose Preston (29 April 1875 – 28 May 1963) was an Australian painter and printmaker who is regarded as one of Australia's leading modern art, modernists of the early 20th century. In her quest to foster an Australian "national art", ...

, (former resident) artist *

Rolf de Heer Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is a Dutch Australian film director. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in the Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old.

, (former resident) film director *

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...

, (former resident) actor * James Fry, author

Events

Every year on the 2nd Sunday of August Berowra hosts th
Annual Woodchop Festival
Running since 1995, this festival attracts thousands of people every year.

Restaurants

* Absolute Thai Berowra * Bambino's Pizza & Pasta * Berowra RSL Club * Berowra Village Tavern * Berowra Chinese Restaurant * Berowra Waters Fish Cafe * Berowra Pizza Restaurant * Berowra Waters Inn * Cafe Laurella * CoHo Berowra * Darcies Cafe * Golden Phoenix Berowra * Subway * Waterview Restaurant * Wise Monkey Cafe + Takeaway outlets, bakeries and grocery stores

References

External links

Berowra Community Home Page and DirectoryThe Bush Telegraph: Local newsletter for Berowra and surrounding areasBerowra Apex: An active community service club
* * C-By-SA {{DEFAULTSORT:Berowra, New South Wales Suburbs of Sydney Hornsby Shire