Willoughby, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Willoughby is a suburb
on the lower North Shore
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Willoughby is located 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby
.
The City of Willoughby takes its name from the suburb but its administrative centre is located in the adjacent suburb of Chatswood
, which is the local area's major commercial centre.
and was the quartermaster-general in England
when the First Fleet
sailed to Botany Bay
.
Captain Arthur Phillip's search for “good land, well watered” led to the discovery and colonisation of the rough shores of Roseville Chase, where Samuel Bates built a farm at Echo Point.
Later developments included the building of the first post office in 1871 and the construction of Pommy Lodge in the same year. The latter -- a small sandstone building in Penshurst Street -- was originally the Congregational Church, which later changed premises. Laurel Bank Cottage, a single-storey home, was constructed in Penshurst Street in 1884. The cottage is now owned and run by the local Masonic Lodge as a function and conference facility.
Circa 1920, Telford Lane -- between Fourth Avenue and Eastern Valley Way -- was created and paved; the method used was the one pioneered by Thomas Telford in England in the nineteenth century. This lane is one of the few surviving examples of the Telford method in Sydney.
In 1934, the Willoughby incinerator was built in Small Street, after a design by Walter Burley Griffin
. It has been described as "a particularly successful example of an industrial building integrating function with site." Like Telford Lane, the incinerator is listed on the Register of the National Estate
.
Willoughby has a number of small shops, restaurants and hotels and is also the News & Finance centre of the Nine Network
television, under the callsign of TCN-9
. Next to this site is the TXA TV tower which at 233 metres high is the tallest in Australia. There are several small groupings of shops, the majority of which are on Mowbray Road, Willoughby Road, Penshurst Street and High Street.
, a route into the Sydney CBD, runs along the southern border of Willoughby, with entrance and exit at Willoughby Road. STA Bus Routes are 272 Penshurst St - Wynyard(city) via Freeway, 273 Chatswood CBD - Wynyard via North Sydney, 257 Chatswood CBD - Balmoral Beach via Neutral Bay and 267 Chatswood CBD - Crows Nest via Castlecrag and Northbridge.
community, who arrived in the area in the 1960s-1970s. More Armenian families made their home here once an Armenian Apostolic Church
was built on Macquarie Street, Chatswood, close to the border with Willoughby. Willoughby contains several Armenian Churches and Community Centres (Cultural Clubs). It is home to the first Armenian Saturday School which still operates on Saturdays at Willoughby Girls High.
, an Olympic swimmer who won gold for Australia in the 1952 Summer Olympics was from the suburb.
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...
on the lower North Shore
North Shore (Sydney)
The North Shore is an informal term used to describe the primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, up to...
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...
. Willoughby is located 8 kilometres north 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 Willoughby
City of Willoughby
The City of Willoughby is a Local Government Area on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 6 km north of the Sydney central business district....
.
The City of Willoughby takes its name from the suburb but its administrative centre is located in the adjacent suburb of 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...
, which is the local area's major commercial centre.
History
There is some conjecture as to how Willoughby was named. Some historians believe it was named after a parish, while others believe that Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell decided to commemorate Sir James Willoughby Gordon whom he had served during the Peninsular WarPeninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
and was the quartermaster-general in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
when the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
sailed to Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
.
Captain Arthur Phillip's search for “good land, well watered” led to the discovery and colonisation of the rough shores of Roseville Chase, where Samuel Bates built a farm at Echo Point.
Circa 1920, Telford Lane -- between Fourth Avenue and Eastern Valley Way -- was created and paved; the method used was the one pioneered by Thomas Telford in England in the nineteenth century. This lane is one of the few surviving examples of the Telford method in Sydney.
In 1934, the Willoughby incinerator was built in Small Street, after a design by Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
. It has been described as "a particularly successful example of an industrial building integrating function with site." Like Telford Lane, the incinerator is listed on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
.
Commercial area
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
television, under the callsign of TCN-9
TCN-9
TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in...
. Next to this site is the TXA TV tower which at 233 metres high is the tallest in Australia. There are several small groupings of shops, the majority of which are on Mowbray Road, Willoughby Road, Penshurst Street and High Street.
Parks and recreation
Bicentennial Reserve which includes Hallstrom Park, features a soccer field, T Ball & softball fields and a children's playground. Willoughby Leisure Centre features a 25m lap pool, spas, children's pool, swim school, gym, basketball courts, netball courts and baseball field. Flat Rock Gully, built on an old rubbish tip, is bushland with two walking tracks to Long Bay, following the creek line.- Carlson Park
- Julian St Park
- Willoughby Squash courts
Transport
While this suburb is not on one of Sydney's train lines, it is serviced by Sydney Buses, with a number of bus routes that cover the area. It is close to St Leonards, Artarmon and Chatswood railway stations. The Gore Hill FreewayGore Hill Freeway
The Gore Hill Freeway is a major freeway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This freeway forms part of Metroad 1 andthe Sydney Orbital Network to provide access to most of the suburbs in Sydney and is also a major route to the north, south, east and west of the metropolis.It connects to the...
, a route into the Sydney CBD, runs along the southern border of Willoughby, with entrance and exit at Willoughby Road. STA Bus Routes are 272 Penshurst St - Wynyard(city) via Freeway, 273 Chatswood CBD - Wynyard via North Sydney, 257 Chatswood CBD - Balmoral Beach via Neutral Bay and 267 Chatswood CBD - Crows Nest via Castlecrag and Northbridge.
Schools
- Willoughby Public School (K - Year 6)
- Willoughby Girls High SchoolWilloughby Girls High SchoolWilloughby Girls' High School is a public, secondary, day school for girls, located in Willoughby, a lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
(Year 7 - Year 12, girls only) - St Thomas' Catholic Primary School (K - Year 6, Catholic School)
Other
- Willoughby Fire Station, Laurel Street
- 1st Willoughby Scouts, Laurel Street
- Bridgeview Hotel, Willoughby Road
- The Willoughby Hotel, Penshurst Street
Churches
- Armenian Evangelical Church
- St Stephen's Anglican Church
- St Thomas's Catholic Church
Population
Willoughby is known for a large ArmenianArmenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
community, who arrived in the area in the 1960s-1970s. More Armenian families made their home here once an Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
was built on Macquarie Street, Chatswood, close to the border with Willoughby. Willoughby contains several Armenian Churches and Community Centres (Cultural Clubs). It is home to the first Armenian Saturday School which still operates on Saturdays at Willoughby Girls High.
Notable Residents
John DaviesJohn Davies (swimmer)
John G. Davies was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1940s and 1950s who won a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
, an Olympic swimmer who won gold for Australia in the 1952 Summer Olympics was from the suburb.
External links
- Willoughby, Willoughby City Council - community profile
- North Willoughby/Willoughby East, Willoughby City Council - community profile
- Willoughby City Council - Official Willoughby City Council website
- Willoughby Girls High School - Official Willoughby Girls High School website
- Willoughby Public School - Official Willoughby Public School website
- 1st Willoughby Scouts - 1st Willoughby Scouts Website