Berowra is an outer suburb of Northern Sydney 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 ...

of Hornsby Shire. 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. 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 is located on the Main Northern line. It is served by Sydney Trains

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 services to Sydney, Hornsby, the Central Coast and Newcastle.

History

Berowra is an

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

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 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 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 Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

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,

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, (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