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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Rowland, Joan

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Rowland, Joan

Author

Joan Rowland is a Sydney local studies librarian. She retired in 2014.

Arcadia as Author

Asquith as Author

Beecroft as Author

Berowra as Author

Berowra Waters as Author

Berrilee as Author

Bradfield as Author

Brooklyn as Author

Canoelands as Author

Castle Hill as Author

Cheltenham as Author

Cherrybrook as Author

Cowan as Author

Dangar Island as Author

Dural as Author

Epping as Author

Fiddletown as Author

Forest Glen as Author

Galston as Author

Glenhaven as Author

Glenorie as Author

Gordon as Author

Hornsby as Author

Hornsby Heights as Author

Hornsby Shire as Author

Killara as Author

Killarney Castle as Author

Laughtondale as Author

Lindfield as Author

Maroota as Author

Mount Colah as Author

Mount Kuring-gai as Author

Normanhurst as Author

North Turramurra as Author

Pennant Hills as Author

Singletons Mill as Author

South Turramurra as Author

St Ives as Author

Thornleigh as Author

Turramurra as Author

Wahroonga as Author

Waitara as Author

West Lindfield as Author

West Pennant Hills as Author

Westleigh as Author

Wisemans Ferry as Author

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Arcadia

Originally Dharug country, Arcadia was named in 1894. Timber-getting in the tall forests gave way to citrus orchards by the late nineteenth century, and the area remains semi-rural.

Asquith

Asquith's early settlement was based on timber and orcharding. Subdivision followed the construction of a railway station in 1915, and Asquith benefitted from the postwar boom in housing and industry.

Beecroft

The Wallumedegal clan were the traditional owners of the land that became Beecroft. The area was part of the Field of Mars common proclaimed in 1804, and remained common land until 1874. Beecroft was subdivided in 1887 after the railway went through, and sold to middle-class people looking for a healthy suburb. Today, bushland remains amid the houses.

Berowra

The first European landowner in Berowra was Mary Wall in 1879, and settlement was slow until the railway platform was built in 1887, bringing holiday visitors and bushwalkers.

Berowra Waters

Berowra Waters was settled in the 1820s by timber-getters, fishermen and lime burners who mined the Aboriginal middens for lime. In the twentieth century, tourists hired boats at Rex Jones's boatshed and walked in the surrounding bush.

Berrilee

Part of Dharug country before Europeans came, Berrilee was named in 1840. It remains a rural locality, with open forest and woodland.

Bradfield

A new subdivision created in 1924, Bradfield was home to world Scouts, the Royal Australian Air Force, and thousands of new migrants, and relocated inner-city dwellers, before becoming the site of the CSIRO's National Measurement Lab. Unusually among Sydney suburbs, it was re-integrated into surrounding suburbs and no longer exists.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn was settled by the 1830s though it remained remote until the railway bridge was built in 1885-89. In the twentieth century, Brooklyn was a fishing and tourist town.

Canoelands

A new suburb named for the Dharug canoes made of bark taken from trees in the area, leaving scars.

Castle Hill

Originally Dharug country, the area that became Castle Hill was granted to settlers in the 1790s and some set aside for the Government Farm in the 1800s. Sydney's only convict rebellion started there in 1804. Farming gave way to orchards and later market gardens. By the 1960s Sydney was encroaching, and Castle Hill has since turned into a residential suburb.

Cheltenham

The Wallumedegal were the traditional owners of the land that became Cheltenham, but it was made part of the Field of Mars common in 1804, and timber and charcoal were taken from it. When the land was subdivided in the 1890s by William Chorley, covenants prevented buyers from building commercial concerns or unnecessary clearing. The suburb still has bush and is almost entirely residential.

Cherrybrook

Dharug country before the Europeans came, Cherrybrook was created out of West Pennant Hills. It was named after the Harrison orchard, planted on the land cleared for the Castle Hill Government Farm. From the 1940s the orchards were broken up and sold. Further subdivision took place in the late 1970s to produce Hornsby's newest suburb.

Cowan

Cowan was explored by botanist George Caley in 1805, and its timber harvested for use in coach building. After the railway came through in 1901 it became a popular holiday and picnic spot, with bushland surrounding the town.

Dangar Island

Home to Aboriginal people until at least 1828, the island called Mullet Island by Arthur Phillip was leased to Andrew Thompson, salt maker, in the 1790s. In the 1860s it was bought by the Dangar family, becoming Dangar Island officially in 1922, by which time it had been sold and subdivided. It is now a residential community and holiday island.

Dural

Dharug land before the arrival of Europeans, Dural was settled from the 1820s by timber-getters, farmers and orchardists. With its large blocks of land and remnant forest, Dural remains a semi-rural area.

Epping

Wallumedegal land in the area that became Epping was granted to European settlers from 1794, and provided timber, fruit and vegetables to Sydney Town. When the railway came though in 1886, the name Epping was chosen, and subdivision of the rural properties began the process of suburbanisation.

Fiddletown

Dharug country before the Europeans came, Fiddletown was named for the violin-playing of the area's landowners in the 1890s. The area is still rural.

Forest Glen

Dharug country that was once deep forest, cleared for farms from the 1890s.

Galston

Built on Dharug land, Galston provided ironbark and white mahogany to the growing settlement in Sydney, and orchards and farmland as the land was cleared.

Glenhaven

In a valley originally part of Dharug land, Glenhaven's mix of bush and famland make it a popular area for families.

Glenorie

As timbergetters cleared the land from 1817, Glenorie orchards supplied citrus and stone fruits for the city and abroad. Today it remains an attractive semi-rural area.

Gordon

Gordon grew around the railway station as businessmen sought fine vistas and spacious home sites with easy access to the city.

Hornsby

Named for a police constable who killed a bushranger, Hornsby expanded rapidly with the construction of the north shore railway line in 1890.

Hornsby Heights

Part of the traditional land of the Dharug people, Hornsby Heights shares its development history with that of Hornsby, though retaining some of its bushland setting.

Hornsby Shire

The second-largest shire in the Sydney region, Hornsby Shire dates from 1906, when it was largely a rural area. Now a thriving suburban shire, it still contains large areas of bushland.

Killara

Killara's first European settlement was a convict timber-getting camp established in 1805. In 1821 land was granted to settlers who continued to clear timber and then farm, but Killara remained remote because of bad roads. The railway enabled closer settlement from 1899, and Killara became a garden suburb of large houses and parks.

Killarney Castle

Opened by Governor Davidson in 1918, Killarney castle at Gordon was built from local stone for Thomas Taylor to replicate an Irish castle.

Laughtondale

Traditionally owned by the Dharug people, Laughtondale was named after John Laughton, who jumped ship in Sydney and became a boatbuilder and orchardist.

Lindfield

Aboriginal people were the traditional owners of Lindfield until the timber-getters of the convict camp arrived in 1810. Land grants to farmers and orchardists followed, with more development as the highway north, and later the railway, made transport easier. Suburban development proceeded side by side with dairies and small farms. From the late twentieth century, new medium density development has increased Lindfield's population.

Maroota

Maroota, in Dharug country, was first settled in 1832 as Forest Glen, but the farms failed. In 1892 another village was proclaimed there, called Maroota. Quarries supplied sand and gravel to Sydney for many years.

Mount Colah

Mining and farming were early industries, but suburban development in Mount Colah came with the building of a Housing Commission estate in the 1960s.

Mount Kuring-gai

Set high on the ridge between Cowan and Berowra creeks, Mount Kuring-gai developed around the railway station opened in 1903.

Normanhurst

Wallumedegal country until the Europeans came, the area that became Normanhurst was known as Hornsby until 1895 when the railway came through. Another station was named Hornsby Junction and the station at Hornsby was called Normanhurst.

North Turramurra

Inhabited by the Terramerragal people until Europeans arrived, the area that became North Turramurra was first called Irish town. Suburban development was slow, because of limited transport and services, until after World War II.

Pennant Hills

The area that became Pennant Hills was Dharug country before the Europeans arrived. A convict timber-getting camp was set up in 1816, but by 1830 the forest had been felled, and farms and orchards covered the land. When the railway came through in 1887, produce could be taken to market more quickly, and the town grew, catering for travellers and holidaymakers.

Singletons Mill

Named for Singleton's Water Mill, built in the 1820s.

South Turramurra

Terremerregal country until Europeans arrived South Turramurra developed slowly, with orchards and chicken farms lasting into the 1950s.

St Ives

The area that became St Ives was cleared by timber-getters, and later planted with orchards and market gardens. It remained rural until the 1950s, when immigration brought numbers of Italian, Jewish and later South African migrants. While housing density has increased, there are still areas of bushland in St Ives.

Thornleigh

Named for John Thorn, to whom the land was granted as a reward for capturing bushrangers, Thornleigh became an orchard and dairy district, with a quarry that provided rock for the railway line that went through in the 1880s. Citrus fruit and vegetables grown in Thornleigh went to the Sydney markets by rail.

Turramurra

Traditional country of the Terremerregal people, Turramurra was mainly farms and orchards until the railway opened it up for commuters in 1890. Reputed to have a climate 'as bracing as the Blue Mountains', it attracted well-off residents who built elegant homes.

Wahroonga

The early timber-getters of Wahroonga gave way to orchardists and country mansions for commuters after the railway came through. In the twentieth century, infill housing increased the population, though there is still little commercial development.

Waitara

Named for a river in New Zealand, Waitara was not closely settled until after World War I, when orchards gave way to homes and shops.

West Lindfield

One of the earliest areas of the North Shore to be settled, West Lindfield was built on Aboriginal land, prized by the Europeans for its tall timbers and fertile river flats.

West Pennant Hills

Built on Dharug land, West Pennant Hills was an early timber-getting district, later covered with orchards and dairy and poultry farms.

Westleigh

A new suburb built on Dharug land, Westleigh was mostly orchards and bushland until development in the late 1960s.

Wisemans Ferry

Named for Solomon Wiseman, ferryman, this village on the edge of the Sydney region has retained some of its historic buildings and cemetery.