Cheltenham, New South Wales
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Cheltenham is a suburb of Sydney, Australia, within the Hornsby Shire local government area, about 20 kilometres north-west of the Central Business District. It is situated between Epping and Beecroft. Population (2001): 1,988.
This residential suburb (named after the English town) has a distinctive English atmosphere, with a number of 19th Century mansions on tree-lined streets.
Cheltenham is served by a railway station on the CityRail network. Cheltenham Girls' High School, a government school located within the suburb, is considered (in terms of academic performance) one of the best in New South Wales.
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Sutherland Road and its subsequent closure
For many years, Sutherland Road ran through both Beecroft and Cheltenham, and acted as a short cut between Beecroft Road and Epping Road. This road ran to the east of the Railway line and, during peak hour, was quite busy.
With the opening of the M2 motorway in 1997, Sutherland Road was closed at the Devlin's creek bridge - where the M2 enters a tunnel under North Epping. The result of this closure is that the areas east of the railway line are now very quiet - and the houses are now very expensive.
Cobran Road Bicentennial Street Party
On January 26th, 1988, in order to celebrate Australia's bicentennial, residents of Cobran Road blocked off the entrance of the street and participated in an organised street party. This included a game of Cricket in front of no. 32.
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is the name of a Buddhist meditation retreat located next to Pennant Hills Park and can be accessed at the rear of Day Road and Cobran Road (both roads are cul-de-sacs).
Ahimsa National Trust webpage (http://www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/properties/ahim.html)
Commercial Properties
From its early days, Cheltenham was almost exclusively a residential suburb with no shopping area developed at all in its planning. Residents of Cheltenham would often shop in Beecroft or Epping. A Service Station did exist along the western side of Beecroft road, but this was closed down in the early 1980s. The only other places in Cheltenham where commercial transactions take place are at the Ticket Office for the train station, the administration block at Cheltenham Girls High School, and the Bowling Club.
Relationship with Beecroft
Cheltenham shares its postcode (2119) with Beecroft, and is sometimes viewed as simply part of that suburb. Most residents of Cheltenham see themselves as distinct from Beecroft.