Rooty Hill, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Rooty Hill is a suburb
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Rooty Hill is located 42 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown
and is part of the Greater Western Sydney
region.
. The origin of this name puzzled historians for many years because the clue lay not in Blacktown City but on Norfolk Island. Governor Philip Gidley King
had been in charge of the first settlement there in early 1788 and had noted that the hillside where he had built his Government House had been difficult to dig owing to the amount of tree roots beneath the surface. The hill on Norfolk became known as the rooty hill and the name is now official. When King returned to New South Wales he built the headquarters for his government reserve of 1802 at the foot of a hill that reminded him of the Norfolk Island rooty hill and there can be little doubt that he named Blacktown's Rooty Hill after that on Norfolk where he had met his future wife and spent several happy and productive years. The name Rooty Hill first appeared on a map in 1803. The Australia Day Ambassador since 2008 has been Brett Hinch.
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 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...
. Rooty Hill is located 42 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 City of Blacktown
City of Blacktown
The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area...
and 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.
History
Rooty Hill was named after a hill on Norfolk IslandNorfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
. The origin of this name puzzled historians for many years because the clue lay not in Blacktown City but on Norfolk Island. Governor Philip Gidley King
Philip Gidley King
Captain Philip Gidley King RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. He is best known as the official founder of the first European settlement on Norfolk Island and as the third Governor of New South Wales.-Early years and establishment of Norfolk Island settlement:King was born...
had been in charge of the first settlement there in early 1788 and had noted that the hillside where he had built his Government House had been difficult to dig owing to the amount of tree roots beneath the surface. The hill on Norfolk became known as the rooty hill and the name is now official. When King returned to New South Wales he built the headquarters for his government reserve of 1802 at the foot of a hill that reminded him of the Norfolk Island rooty hill and there can be little doubt that he named Blacktown's Rooty Hill after that on Norfolk where he had met his future wife and spent several happy and productive years. The name Rooty Hill first appeared on a map in 1803. The Australia Day Ambassador since 2008 has been Brett Hinch.
Commercial area
- Rooty Hill RSL Club is an entertainment and dining venue. The club, marketed for many years as "the VegasLas Vegas metropolitan areaThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
of the WestWestern SydneyWestern Sydney is a major region of Sydney, Australia. It has a number of different definitions but one consistently used is the region composed of the 11 councils which until recently were all members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils:* Auburn Council* Bankstown City Council*...
", has entered Sydney popular culture as something of a tacky contrast to venues such as the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
There has also been some controversy that Rooty Hill RSL Club should have its own postcode. - Rooty Hill NovotelNovotelNovotel is a mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group. Novotel has close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries, situated in the business districts and tourist destinations of major international cities.-History:...
Hotel is located next to the Rooty Hill RSL Club. It opened in 2002 and was a Holiday InnHoliday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
up until early 2010. - ONE55 Health & Fitness is a gym facility operated by Rooty Hill RSL Club. It offers personal training, group fitness classes and gym equipment for use.
Schools
- Rooty Hill Public School is a New South Wales public school providing education from KindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to Year 6. It has been on Rooty Hill Road North since opening in 1957 with 114 students. The entire class of the opening year attended the 50th anniversary celebrations held in May 2007. Member for ChifleyDivision of Chifley-References:*...
, Roger PriceRoger Price (Australian politician)Leo Roger Spurway Price is a former Australian politician. He was elected as a member of the Australian House of Representatives at the 1984 election, representing the Division of Chifley in western Sydney, New South Wales, for the Australian Labor Party until his retirement before the 2010...
commented that ..the influence a school can have on a student lasts their lifetime. Having the entire class of 1957 at the (50th anniversary) celebration shows just how positive that can be. - St. Aidans Primary School (Kindergarten-Year 6), located in Adelaide Street was founded in 1907.
- St. Agnes Catholic High SchoolSt. Agnes Catholic High SchoolSt Agnes Catholic High School is a secondary school located in Rooty Hill, a western suburb of Sydney, Australia. The school caters for students from Years 7-10 and draws students from St Aidan's Primary, Rooty Hill, Sacred Heart Primary, Mount Druitt, and St John Vianney's Primary, Doonside, as...
(Years 7-10). Evans Road, Rooty Hill is a secondary school located in South Rooty Hill. Established in 1962, the school is a part of the Christ Catholic College Community of schools in 1999, which is a system of three schools that broke apart in 2004, the other two being Clare Catholic High School, Hassall Grove and Loyola Senior High School, Mt Druitt, which is the only Senior High School in the Parramatta Diocese. In late 2004, St Agnes underwent a major building development, with a new building containing six classrooms, a library and an undercroft, which would provide easy access to the school hall. In late 2007, the school underwent a whole-campus redevelopment. - Rooty Hill High School (Years 7-12). North Parade, Rooty Hill. A secondary School catering for students from Year 7 to Year 12. A new library was built in 2008. Students in Year 9 receive a laptop.
Parks
- Angus Memorial Park
- Central Park
- Harry Dennison Park
- Kimberley Park
- Morreau Reserve
- Rooty Hill SkateparkSkateparkA skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
.
Notable residents
Notable residents have included:- Sir Douglas MawsonDouglas MawsonSir Douglas Mawson, OBE, FRS, FAA was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and Academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.-Early work:He was appointed geologist to an...
- scientist and explorer - Mile JedinakMile JedinakMichael John "Mile" Jedinak is an Australian professional football player. He is currently contracted to Crystal Palace of the English Championship...
footballer for the Socceroos was born and raised here.