Hornsby, New South Wales
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Hornsby is the seat of Hornsby Shire, in the North Shore region of Sydney, Australia. It is 26 km by train from the Sydney central business district and is approximately 24.5 km by road. Hornsby is located at the junction of the Northern Line and the North Shore line and has a population (2001) of 16,349.
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History
The name Hornsby is believed to be derived from Convict-turned-Constable Samuel Henry Horne, who earned distinction by capturing bushrangers Dalton and MacNamara on June 22, 1830. In return he was granted land in the locality known as "Horne's grant".
During the 1880s two railway lines within what is now the Cityrail network (namely, the Northern Line and the North Shore Line) were built, and were joined together at today's Hornsby. At that time this railway station was called Hornsby Junction, while Hornsby railway station was one station down the Northern Line. This caused some confusion, however, and subsequently the old Hornsby station was renamed Normanhurst after a railway engineer, while the old Hornsby Junction station assumed the current name of Hornsby station.
In 1907 the Hornsby Shire Council, incorporated the year before, held its first meeting at Hornsby. In 1961 The Westfield Group built a Westfield Shoppingtown at Hornsby, making it one of the first suburbs in Sydney with a modern-style shopping centre. Another shopping centre, Northgate, was built some years later, and was eventually owned by Westfield as well. In the early 2000s the old Westfield Shoppingtown was demolished, and the Northgate shopping centre was completely renovated and expanded into a single new Westfield Shoppingtown.
Geography
Railway station
The Hornsby town centre remains a busy railway town, just as it was a century ago; its railway station (photo (http://www.waitara-waldorf-apartments.com.au/photos/images/dscf0064_jpg.jpg)) continues to provide frequent railway services to the central business district via Strathfield (the Northern Line) or North Sydney (the North Shore Line), as well as trains to the Central Coast, Newcastle and even further north. Over the years the town at two sides of the Northern Railway Line have developed their distinct characteristics.
Western town
The western half consists of a traditional high street shopping village along the Old Pacific Highway. A short section of the highway north of the shops still has several antique lamp posts preserved; on the eastern side are (from south to north) the police station, the court house (http://www.cjc.nsw.gov.au/lc.nsf/files/hornsby_courthouse.jpg/$FILE/hornsby_courthouse.jpg), and the historic Hornsby Shire Council chamber (http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/uploads/images/chambers.jpg) (built in two stages between 1907 and 1930), beautifully restored and still used for its original purpose. On the western side is a park with a swimming pool, with a vast bushland beyond it. A large war memorial and the adjacent RSL Club is located at the southern end of the shops.
Eastern town
The eastern half, centred on Florence St, was pedestrianised in the early 1990s. It is now dominated by a large Westfield shopping centre, which includes two department stores, a cinema multiplex, a food court and several excellent restaurants. At the centre of the pedestrian mall is a large water sculpture doubled as a giant clock, designed by Victor Cusack. (photo (http://www.waitara-waldorf-apartments.com.au/photos/images/dscf0062_jpg.jpg)) A library is also located in the area.
Neighbourhood
Residential areas, consisting low-to-medium density housings, are located at both sides of Hornsby. However in the last few years a number of high-rise apartments were being built at the south-eastern side of Hornsby, completely transforming Hornsby's skyline. The north-western side of Hornsby is occupied by various industries; at the northern end there is a major railway workshop.
Hornsby is home to a number of schools, including the prestigeous Barker College and the respected Hornsby Girls' High School. There is also a TAFE College at the north-western side of Hornsby. The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital on Hornsby's eastern side is the main public hospital for the Upper North Shore.
The Pacific Highway, which passes through Hornsby, was formerly the main road link between Sydney and north-eastern Australia. Thankfully the completion of the F3 Freeway, which has its southern end at the neighbouring suburb of Wahroonga, means that the heavy traffic are now bypassing the already busy Hornsby town area.
Hornsby is a notable part of Sydney, not only due to its juxtaposition of urban and bushland environments, but also because of its diverse population and strong commitment to community living.
Culture
Hornsby has long been associated with Ginger Meggs ([1] (http://www.hinet.net.au/~meggs)), a cartoon boy character who has appeared on Australian newspapers more or less contiuously since 1921. Although Ginger Meggs comics does not specify its location, it is widely held that its setting closely resembles that of Hornsby, particularly as it was before the post-WWII urban sprawl took place.
ro:Hornsby