Beacon Hill, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Beacon Hill is a suburb
of northern Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Beacon Hill is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of Warringah Council
and is part of the Northern Beaches region.
built a trigometric beacon there in 1881.
Many of the streets in Beacon Hill are named after notable battles, military men or places where Australian troops served in World War II
. These include Owen Stanley Avenue, Kokoda
Crescent, Goroka Place and Lae Place. Beacon Hill had a high school until 2002: Beacon Hill High School
.
background. There are some aboriginal carvings in rocks to the north of Red Hill.
, a member of the NSW Parliament, purchased two 40 acres (16.2 ha) parcels of land on 5 October 1857.
Most of the houses in the suburb were built in the boom days after World War II
, in the 1950s and 1960s.
network to service the Northern Beaches
. Most residents therefore drive motor vehicles to get around.
Since 1980 traffic congestion has steadily increased on the roads around Beacon Hill. Some road closures have been implemented, notably the closures of Tristram Road and Boyer Road, to prevent through traffic. Traffic calming devices were installed and remain an issue for local transportation reliant primarily on private motor vehicles.
Views extend from the southern outskirts of Sydney, west to the Blue Mountains and north to Gosford and the Central Coast. The skyline of the city is to the south. Ships, pleasure craft and occasional migratory whales can be seen out to sea in the east.
The lookout is popular with locals on New Year's Eve when the firework displays across Sydney Harbour are clearly visible, approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) to the south.
The lookout may be reached via Warringah Road. There is a small parking area adjacent to the road with stairs leading to a pathway and the summit.
and beyond into the Pittwater
Council areas of Elanora, Narrabeen
and Ingleside
.
Red Hill played a part in many childhood adventures of the locals over the years. The hill was latticed with many tracks, caves and "hideouts". On the southern side of the hill between Reynolds Crescent, Spilstead Place and a point approximately half way up the hill stood an old house. The house burnt down in the 1970s and (from all accounts) was uninhabited. Known locally as "the house", it was ringed by a small dirt track that had worn away in the river sand lining the banks of South Creek. During the period of the early 1970s this track had become popular with local mini bike enthusiasts.
Children also played many other games during the school holiday periods including "playing soldiers" in and out of the washaways across the top of the hill. Adjacent bushland (which still survives today on the northern side of the hill) provided local children with many adventures over the years. There are several bush tracks which connect the Cromer
Valley with the hill and back over the other side to the residential area of Beacon Hill itself. One of the first meetings of the Beacon Hill Bushfire Brigade took place in a cave on Red Hill.
Now Red Hill as it is locally known to be a housing development site that was built in the 1990s. Many of the streets in Red Hill are named after notable ships and boats of the British settlement. These include Endeavour Drive, Golden Grove, Scarborough Place, Supply Avenue, Lady Penrhyn Drive, Fishburn Place, Charlotte Place, Friendship Place, Sirius Parade and Borrowdale Place
The first meeting of what was to become the Beacon Hill Bushfire Brigade took place in October 1948.
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 northern 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...
. Beacon Hill is located 17 kilometres north-east 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 Warringah Council
Warringah Council
Warringah is a local council area in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Australia. Warringah Council overlaps with a number of suburbs from the Manly Council area to the south and the Pittwater Council area to the north...
and is part of the Northern Beaches region.
History
Beacon Hill was given the title when the Department of LandsLand and Property Management Authority
The News South Wales Land and Property Information, a division of the Department of Finance and Services in the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for land titles, property information, valuation, surveying, and mappping and spatial information in New South Wales.The division is led by...
built a trigometric beacon there in 1881.
Many of the streets in Beacon Hill are named after notable battles, military men or places where Australian troops served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. These include Owen Stanley Avenue, Kokoda
Kokoda
Kokoda is a station town in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is famous as the northern end of the Kokoda Track, site of the eponymous Kokoda Track campaign of World War II. In that campaign, it had strategic significance because it had the only airfield along the Track...
Crescent, Goroka Place and Lae Place. Beacon Hill had a high school until 2002: Beacon Hill High School
Beacon Hill High School (New South Wales)
Beacon Hill High School also known for a time as Beacon Hill Technology High School is a former high school in the northern Sydney suburb of Beacon Hill, New South Wales, Australia. It was a co-educational high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training with...
.
Aboriginal culture
Little is known of local aboriginal culture in the Beacon Hill area but other local areas towards the sea have a rich and diverse aboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
background. There are some aboriginal carvings in rocks to the north of Red Hill.
European settlement
Daniel EganDaniel Egan
Daniel Egan was an Australian politician. Egan served as Mayor of Sydney in 1853 and was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....
, a member of the NSW Parliament, purchased two 40 acres (16.2 ha) parcels of land on 5 October 1857.
Most of the houses in the suburb were built in the boom days after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the 1950s and 1960s.
Transport
Beacon Hill is serviced by Sydney Buses. For many years there have been plans put forward, then withdrawn again for a heavy rail line to be added to the CityRailCityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
network to service the Northern Beaches
Northern Beaches (Sydney)
The Northern Beaches is an informal term used to describe the northern coastal suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean...
. Most residents therefore drive motor vehicles to get around.
Since 1980 traffic congestion has steadily increased on the roads around Beacon Hill. Some road closures have been implemented, notably the closures of Tristram Road and Boyer Road, to prevent through traffic. Traffic calming devices were installed and remain an issue for local transportation reliant primarily on private motor vehicles.
Governor Phillip Lookout
This lookout is located atop Beacon Hill itself. Views of almost the entire eastern half of the Sydney region may be had from the summit which is approximately 152 metres (500 ft) above sea level.Views extend from the southern outskirts of Sydney, west to the Blue Mountains and north to Gosford and the Central Coast. The skyline of the city is to the south. Ships, pleasure craft and occasional migratory whales can be seen out to sea in the east.
The lookout is popular with locals on New Year's Eve when the firework displays across Sydney Harbour are clearly visible, approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) to the south.
The lookout may be reached via Warringah Road. There is a small parking area adjacent to the road with stairs leading to a pathway and the summit.
Red Hill
Red Hill, not to be confused with Beacon Hill, is located at the northern end of the suburb behind the former Beacon Hill High School site. From here there are views across to the Governor Phillip Lookout, and onwards to the city. The views to the north are over the eastern sections of the Garigal National Park, to CromerCromer, New South Wales
Cromer is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cromer is located 20 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region. Its lush bushland setting is highly...
and beyond into the Pittwater
Pittwater
Pittwater is a body of water extending south from Broken Bay, New South Wales, Australia parallel to the coast.The waterway was surveyed by crew members of HMS Sirius in 1788, and named Pitt Water after British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger...
Council areas of Elanora, Narrabeen
Narrabeen, New South Wales
Narrabeen is a beachside suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narrabeen is located 23 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region.-History:There are a...
and Ingleside
Ingleside, New South Wales
Ingleside is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ingleside is located 28 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Pittwater Council and Warringah Council. Ingleside is part of the Northern Beaches region, about...
.
Red Hill played a part in many childhood adventures of the locals over the years. The hill was latticed with many tracks, caves and "hideouts". On the southern side of the hill between Reynolds Crescent, Spilstead Place and a point approximately half way up the hill stood an old house. The house burnt down in the 1970s and (from all accounts) was uninhabited. Known locally as "the house", it was ringed by a small dirt track that had worn away in the river sand lining the banks of South Creek. During the period of the early 1970s this track had become popular with local mini bike enthusiasts.
Children also played many other games during the school holiday periods including "playing soldiers" in and out of the washaways across the top of the hill. Adjacent bushland (which still survives today on the northern side of the hill) provided local children with many adventures over the years. There are several bush tracks which connect the Cromer
Cromer, New South Wales
Cromer is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cromer is located 20 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region. Its lush bushland setting is highly...
Valley with the hill and back over the other side to the residential area of Beacon Hill itself. One of the first meetings of the Beacon Hill Bushfire Brigade took place in a cave on Red Hill.
Now Red Hill as it is locally known to be a housing development site that was built in the 1990s. Many of the streets in Red Hill are named after notable ships and boats of the British settlement. These include Endeavour Drive, Golden Grove, Scarborough Place, Supply Avenue, Lady Penrhyn Drive, Fishburn Place, Charlotte Place, Friendship Place, Sirius Parade and Borrowdale Place
Community services and organisations
The trust was gazetted on 9 December 1966 and was charged with the responsibility not only of protecting and developing the area as an historical feature of the district, but also for the preservation and propagation of the native flora and fauna that surrounds the lookout. The first meeting took place on 10 April 1966.The first meeting of what was to become the Beacon Hill Bushfire Brigade took place in October 1948.