Bella Vista, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Bella Vista is a suburb
of north-western Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Bella Vista is located 33 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the The Hills Shire. Bella Vista is part of the Greater Western Sydney
region and the Hills District
. Bella Vista is known for stylish Large Houses and posh Morden Homes.
and Parramatta
. For much of the time that the Macarthur's owned this farm John was overseas and it fell to Elizabeth to manage the various Macarthur properties and flocks. Reference is made by her to "my Seven Hills Farm" and this refers to the property, part of which later became "Bella Vista". Although claims are made by some that the Seven Hills Farm exclusively was used by the Macarthurs for the breeding of their merino flocks, this is clearly not the case as the documentary evidence of the Macarthur papers shows that their Merino rams were paddocked at "Elizabeth Farm" at Parramatta. The Seven Hills farm was isolated and stock there were always in danger from theft and aboriginal attack. Two of Macarthur's stockmen were killed on the farm by natives in 1805. In fact the sheep at the Macarthur's Seven Hills farm had their genesis in the 600 sheep which were purchased from Foveaux at the same time as the property. What can justifiably be claimed about the site is that it was one of the first major Australian sheep breeding farms and that the results later achieved at Camden with fine merino sheep only followed Elizabeth's efforts at Seven Hills. Part of this land was later acquired by the Pearce family and became known as Bella Vista. All the buildings on the site today date from this period of its history with no extant buildings from the Macarthur period. In the 1890s, Edward Henry Pearce (1839–1912) of Bella Vista was declared the "largest and most successful orange grower in the colony." Bella Vista was sold by the Pearces in 1950.
Until the mid-1990s, the area was primarily used for small-scale agriculture. Since then, significant changes have become apparent as it incorporates a residential area and a busy business district. However, the homestead and old farm buildings have been preserved and this portion of the former Pearce family property is now owned by The Hills Shire Council. The Friends of Bella Vista Farm Park has been formed and they are working actively to achieve the continued restoration of all buildings on this unique site.
. The biggest commercial area is the Norwest Business Park
on Norwest Boulevard to the east. Norwest Business Park incorporates retail, commercial, industrial and hotel developments. The industrial areas in West Bella Vista are still heavily under development, with many new warehouses appearing recently.
featuring a Coles and many specialty stores including Subway
, Gloria Jeans, Michel's Patisserie
, Joeys', Blockbuster movie rentals, small electronic and clothing stores and a day care centre. Circa Retail is a shopping centre in South Norwest Business Park (West Bella Vista) featuring a Woolworths
supermarket as the anchor tenant with 25 speciality stores.
, a public Australian retail company, joined all of its sub-management offices into a $200 million complex in Norwest Business Park in Bella Vista. The move meant Bella Vista was listed in Fortune's Global 500 list
as one of the suburbs (Bella Vista is a suburb of Sydney) where Global 500 companies have their headquarters, ranked above Singapore, Miami and Baltimore and alongside Bangkok and Boston.
Other large scale corporations with corporate headquarters in the Norwest Business Park include Homeart, ResMed
and AAMI
Insurance and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
. The motorway (opened in 1997) means that in very good traffic conditions takes just over half an hour to get from Bella Vista to the CBD
. This also puts Bella Vista close to two major north-south transport routes through Sydney, the Cumberland Highway and the Westlink M7
.
Buses are the only form of public transport available to Bella Vista residents. The suburb is serviced by private bus companies Hillsbus and Busways. Relatively frequent buses connect Bella Vista with the nearby hubs of Parramatta (bus number T62, T63, T64, T65 and T66), Castle Hill
(bus number T70, T62, 715 and 745), Blacktown (bus number T70) and Seven Hills
(bus number 714 and 715). There are also peak services available directly to the CBD
(bus number 613,616/616X and 617X) and Macquarie Park (bus number 740). Many routes use the North-West T-way
.
The closest railway station is at Seven Hills
. Several proposals have been released by the New South Wales state government
to develop a train line with a stop at Norwest near Hillsong Church. The proposed $360 million North West Rail Link would be the main public transport line linking residents of north-western Sydney with Epping
, Chatswood
, North Sydney
and Sydney CBD
. It would also improve access to Castle Hill
Norwest Business Park and Rouse Hill
.
Evangelical Christian group Hillsong operate Hillsong International Leadership College
, located in Norwest Business Park
. It is also close to St Michael's Parish in Baulkham Hills.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of north-western Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Bella Vista is located 33 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, in the local government area of the The Hills Shire. Bella Vista is part of the Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney is a term used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. The University of Western Sydney defines Greater Western Sydney as comprising 14 local government areas...
region and the Hills District
Hills District (Sydney)
Hills District or The Hills is a general term for the north-western suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Hills District is also referred to as The Sydney Hills and The Hills Shire...
. Bella Vista is known for stylish Large Houses and posh Morden Homes.
History
In 1799, Joseph Foveaux was granted 300 acres (1.2 km²), which he expanded to over 2000 acres (8.1 km²) and later sold to John Macarthur in 1801. John and Elizabeth Macarthur farmed sheep on this property in addition to their properties at CamdenCamden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
and Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
. For much of the time that the Macarthur's owned this farm John was overseas and it fell to Elizabeth to manage the various Macarthur properties and flocks. Reference is made by her to "my Seven Hills Farm" and this refers to the property, part of which later became "Bella Vista". Although claims are made by some that the Seven Hills Farm exclusively was used by the Macarthurs for the breeding of their merino flocks, this is clearly not the case as the documentary evidence of the Macarthur papers shows that their Merino rams were paddocked at "Elizabeth Farm" at Parramatta. The Seven Hills farm was isolated and stock there were always in danger from theft and aboriginal attack. Two of Macarthur's stockmen were killed on the farm by natives in 1805. In fact the sheep at the Macarthur's Seven Hills farm had their genesis in the 600 sheep which were purchased from Foveaux at the same time as the property. What can justifiably be claimed about the site is that it was one of the first major Australian sheep breeding farms and that the results later achieved at Camden with fine merino sheep only followed Elizabeth's efforts at Seven Hills. Part of this land was later acquired by the Pearce family and became known as Bella Vista. All the buildings on the site today date from this period of its history with no extant buildings from the Macarthur period. In the 1890s, Edward Henry Pearce (1839–1912) of Bella Vista was declared the "largest and most successful orange grower in the colony." Bella Vista was sold by the Pearces in 1950.
Until the mid-1990s, the area was primarily used for small-scale agriculture. Since then, significant changes have become apparent as it incorporates a residential area and a busy business district. However, the homestead and old farm buildings have been preserved and this portion of the former Pearce family property is now owned by The Hills Shire Council. The Friends of Bella Vista Farm Park has been formed and they are working actively to achieve the continued restoration of all buildings on this unique site.
Commercial area
The suburb now sports several shopping complexes and a major hotel. It is rapidly becoming the main business centre within the Hills DistrictHills District (Sydney)
Hills District or The Hills is a general term for the north-western suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Hills District is also referred to as The Sydney Hills and The Hills Shire...
. The biggest commercial area is the Norwest Business Park
Norwest Business Park
The Norwest Business Park is a business park in the suburb of Bella Vista, New South Wales in Australia. Norwest Business is bordered by Windsor Road to the East, and Old Windsor Road to the West, with Norwest Boulevard stretching the length of the park between the two main arterial roads. It is...
on Norwest Boulevard to the east. Norwest Business Park incorporates retail, commercial, industrial and hotel developments. The industrial areas in West Bella Vista are still heavily under development, with many new warehouses appearing recently.
Shopping centres
Norwest Marketplace is a shopping centreShopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
featuring a Coles and many specialty stores including Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, Gloria Jeans, Michel's Patisserie
Michel's Patisserie
- About :Michel's Patisserie is a chain of bakery-style food outlets selling cakes, pies, savouries and espresso coffee. The company is a franchise system that was founded in 1988 and is based in Australia with over 360 retail outlets in all Australian states and territories except Northern...
, Joeys', Blockbuster movie rentals, small electronic and clothing stores and a day care centre. Circa Retail is a shopping centre in South Norwest Business Park (West Bella Vista) featuring a Woolworths
Woolworths (supermarkets)
Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.-History:Woolworths Limited was founded in 1924, with the first store opening up in Sydney's Imperial Arcade.-2008 rebranding:...
supermarket as the anchor tenant with 25 speciality stores.
Corporate hub
In 2006, Woolworths LimitedWoolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
, a public Australian retail company, joined all of its sub-management offices into a $200 million complex in Norwest Business Park in Bella Vista. The move meant Bella Vista was listed in Fortune's Global 500 list
Fortune Global 500
The Fortune Global 500 is a ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue. The list is compiled and published annually by Fortune magazine....
as one of the suburbs (Bella Vista is a suburb of Sydney) where Global 500 companies have their headquarters, ranked above Singapore, Miami and Baltimore and alongside Bangkok and Boston.
Other large scale corporations with corporate headquarters in the Norwest Business Park include Homeart, ResMed
ResMed
Founded in Australia, ResMed is now a global manufacturer of products for the treatment of sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea . ResMed employs about 2700 employees worldwide, it has direct operations in 18 countries and distribution in more than 50 countries...
and AAMI
AAMI
AAMI may refer to:* Age-associated memory impairment* Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation* Australian Associated Motor Insurers Limited , an Australian insurance company brand of Suncorp-Metway Limited...
Insurance and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Transport
A major factor in the recent growth of Bella Vista has been its prime location near the end of the Sydney M2 motorwayMetroad 2
Metroad 2 is a Metroad in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It links Windsor to Artarmon.-Route Information:* Extremities: Lane Cove Tunnel at Artarmon to Windsor* Approximate length: 53 km...
. The motorway (opened in 1997) means that in very good traffic conditions takes just over half an hour to get from Bella Vista to the CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. This also puts Bella Vista close to two major north-south transport routes through Sydney, the Cumberland Highway and the Westlink M7
Westlink M7
Westlink M7 - formerly Western Sydney Orbital - is one of Sydney, Australia's urban motorways and a part of Metroad 7 and the Sydney Orbital Network. It connects three Metroads: M5 at Prestons, M4 at Eastern Creek and M2 at Baulkham Hills...
.
Buses are the only form of public transport available to Bella Vista residents. The suburb is serviced by private bus companies Hillsbus and Busways. Relatively frequent buses connect Bella Vista with the nearby hubs of Parramatta (bus number T62, T63, T64, T65 and T66), Castle Hill
Castle Hill, New South Wales
Castle Hill is a suburb in the north-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Castle Hill is located 31 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Hills District of the Greater Western Sydney region...
(bus number T70, T62, 715 and 745), Blacktown (bus number T70) and Seven Hills
Seven Hills, New South Wales
Seven Hills is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Seven Hills is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Blacktown. Seven Hills is part of the Greater Western Sydney region...
(bus number 714 and 715). There are also peak services available directly to the CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(bus number 613,616/616X and 617X) and Macquarie Park (bus number 740). Many routes use the North-West T-way
North-West T-way
The North-West T-way is a bus rapid transit line in the north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. T-way is short for rapid bus transitway.The T-way consists of two sections, one linking Parramatta railway station and Rouse Hill, the other linking Blacktown and Parklea. The lines intersect at...
.
The closest railway station is at Seven Hills
Seven Hills, New South Wales
Seven Hills is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Seven Hills is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Blacktown. Seven Hills is part of the Greater Western Sydney region...
. Several proposals have been released by the New South Wales state government
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
to develop a train line with a stop at Norwest near Hillsong Church. The proposed $360 million North West Rail Link would be the main public transport line linking residents of north-western Sydney with Epping
Epping, New South Wales
Epping is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Epping is located 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the City of Ryde, the City of Parramatta and Hornsby Shire and is located in the Northern...
, Chatswood
Chatswood, New South Wales
Chatswood is a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chatswood is located 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Chatswood West is a separate suburb...
, North Sydney
North Sydney, New South Wales
North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...
and Sydney CBD
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
. It would also improve access to Castle Hill
Castle Hill, New South Wales
Castle Hill is a suburb in the north-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Castle Hill is located 31 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Hills District of the Greater Western Sydney region...
Norwest Business Park and Rouse Hill
Rouse Hill, New South Wales
Rouse Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rouse Hill is located 42 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of The Hills Shire...
.
Schools
Bella Vista is close to many schools including;- Crestwood High;
- Crestwood Public School;
- St Michaels Primary;
- Matthew Pearce Primary;
- Model Farms High SchoolModel Farms High SchoolModel Farms High School is a public high school in Baulkham Hills, a suburb in the northwest Sydney, New South Wales. The school is named so because the area was set up to demonstrate farming practices to convicts and others who wished to start a farm when the first settlers arrived...
; - Baulkham Hills HighBaulkham Hills High SchoolBaulkham Hills High School is an academically selective high school located in Baulkham Hills. The school was established in 1971 by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, and currently caters for approximately 1200 students from Years 7 to 12.The school is noted for its...
.
Evangelical Christian group Hillsong operate Hillsong International Leadership College
Churches
Bella Vista is also the home of Hillsong ChurchHillsong Church
Hillsong Church is a Pentecostal megachurch affiliated with Australian Christian Churches and located in Sydney, Australia. The church's senior pastors, Brian and Bobbie Houston, began the church in 1983 as the Hills Christian Life Centre in Baulkham Hills...
, located in Norwest Business Park
Norwest Business Park
The Norwest Business Park is a business park in the suburb of Bella Vista, New South Wales in Australia. Norwest Business is bordered by Windsor Road to the East, and Old Windsor Road to the West, with Norwest Boulevard stretching the length of the park between the two main arterial roads. It is...
. It is also close to St Michael's Parish in Baulkham Hills.