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Hills District, New South Wales

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Hills District or The Hills is a general term for the north-western suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Hills District is also referred to as The Sydney Hills and The Hills Shire. These suburbs are generally located within the local government area of The Hills Shire Council but parts of the City of Parramatta, City of Blacktown, and Hornsby Shire are also included in the area that is given the appellation "Hills District".

It is so called for its characteristically comparatively hilly topography, and the fact that several of its suburbs have the word 'Hills' in their names, such as Winston Hills, Pennant Hills, Castle Hill, West Pennant Hills, Rouse Hill, Beaumont Hills and Baulkham Hills.

The Hills District contains a number of affluent areas, with the Baulkham Hills LGA being rated 4th highest on the Quality Of Life Index for NSW in 2008, which is based on income and property wealth, only to be below Ku-ring-gai at 1, Hunter's Hill at 2 and Mosman at 3. Not only this, but the Hills District has a greater income and property wealth than such areas as Willoughby, Lane Cove and Woollahra.[1]

The regional designation is a largely artificial construct and actual suburbs and localities that are considered to be in "the Hills" can be somewhat amorphous and varies according to who is doing the listing. For example the Hills District Historical Society restricts its remit to the Hills Shire local government area.

Land grants in the district were made shortly after settlement began, however much of the district owes its development to the construction of the railway line between Strathfield and Hornsby, which wasn't declared open until 17 September 1886, some 15 years before Federation, and almost a century after land grants were first made in the area.[2]

At present, the district boasts Sydney's largest cinema complex, spanning both the Castle Hill Piazza and Castle Towers.[3]

Population

According to the 2006 ABS Census The Hills LGA is home to 167,000 people. The Census of Population and Housing states that as much as 30.3% of the population is over 55 years of age[4]

Geography

As the name indicates, the Hills District is an area of high elevation above sea level (compared with the rest of the Sydney basin) and thus creates orographic rainfall brought in by onshore winds from the Pacific Ocean. This leaves the Hills District with slightly higher rainfall than the rest of Sydney and creates a rain shadow for some places in the Blacktown district, including Marayong and Doonside.

Religion

The area is notable for the fact that it has the highest rate of religious service attendance in Australia [citation needed] and is thus often referred to as the Australian Bible belt[citation needed]. This area has a relatively high concentration of evangelical Christians [citation needed]. Many religious denominations and belief systems are represented throughout the district, including, notably, the Mormon's Sydney Australia Temple in Carlingford, the Hillsong Church situated in Norwest Business Park. As with other urban regional areas in Australia there are numerous other places of worship catering to a wide range of belief systems including Anglican, Baptist, Buddhist, Hindu, Uniting, Chinese Christian, Islamic, Spiritualist, Roman Catholic and Sikh.

Public transport

The Hills District boasts both State Transit bus services and a number of private services.

The Carlingford Line, operated by CityRail, is the only railway line located in the Hills District which houses over 160000 residents. Unfortunately this line only has infrequent services from Carlingford to Clyde, an industrial area. Residents of the Hills District usually rely on driving if they want to get anywhere.

An extensive number of bus routes operate in the district, operated by Hillsbus, Busways and Sydney Buses. The region is served by the North-West T-way, connecting the Hills District with Blacktown, Parramatta and Rouse Hill.

The deficiency of public transport in the area is often criticised. Due to low density planning the bus service within many of the suburbs is slow and infrequent. The long-promised North West Rail Link to the Castle Hill and Kellyville areas has been repeatedly delayed and its future is now in doubt; as a result commuters to the city are forced either to drive through expensive and congested tollways or take buses which are frequently overcrowded.[5]

Education

Schools

The district is home to 54 primary schools, 24 secondary schools, two TAFE colleges and numerous pre-schools and kindergartens, including both public and private systems, and selective schools.[6]
Primary Schools
St Angela's Catholic Primary School
St Agatha's Catholic Primary School
Warrah School
Our Lady Of The Rosary Primary School, Kellyville
Baulkham Hills North Public School
Berrilee Public School, Arcadia
St Gregory's Armenian School, Rouse Hill
Lorien Novalis School, Glenhaven
Excelsior Public School, Castle Hill
Jasper Road Public School, Baulkham Hills
Matthew Pearce Public School, Castle Hill
John Purchase Public School, Cherrybrook
Our Lady Of Lourdes Primary School, Baulkham Hills
St Michael's Primary School, Baulkham Hills
Holy Cross Primary School, Glenwood
St Paul The Apostle Primary School, Winston Hills
St Madeleine's Primary School, Kenthurst
Crestwood Public School, Baulkham Hills
Castle Hill Public School, Castle Hill
Beaumont Hills Public School, Beaumont Hills
Kellyville Public School, Kellyville
Rouse Hill Public School, Rouse Hill
Sherwood Ridge Public School, Kellyville
Hillside Public School, Glenorie
Kenthurst Public School, Kenthurst
Cherrybrook Public School, Cherrybrook
Winston Heights Public School, Winston Hills
Galston Public School, Galston
Annangrove Public School, Annangrove
Winston Hills Public School, Winston Hills
Samuel Gilbert Public School, Castle Hill
Crestwood Public School, Baulkham Hills
West Pennant Hills Public School, West Pennant Hills
Arcadia Public School, Arcadia
Glenorie Public School, Glenorie
Oakhill Drive Public School, Oakhill
St Bernadette's Primary School, Castle Hill
Kellyville Ridge Public School, Kellyville Ridge
John Palmer Public School, The Ponds
John XXIII Primary School, Stanhope Gardens North Rocks Public School, North Rocks

Public High Schools
Crestwood High School, Baulkham Hills
Castle Hill High School, Castle Hill
Cherrybrook Technology High School, Cherrybrook
Galston High School, Galston
Baulkham Hills High School, Baulkham Hills
Kellyville High School, Kellyville
Glenwood High School, Glenwood
Rouse Hill High School, Rouse Hill
Model Farms High School, Baulkham Hills
Middle Dural Public School, Middle Dural Muirfield High School, North Rocks

Private High Schools
Mount St Benedict College School For Girls, Pennant Hills
William Clarke College, Kellyville
The Hills Grammar School, Kenthurst
Tangara School for Girls, Cherrybrook
Lorien Novalis School, Glenhaven
Oakhill College, Castle Hill
Northholm Grammar School, Arcadia
Pacific Hills Christian School, Dural
Redfield College, Dural Gilroy Catholic College, Castle Hill
Marian College, Kenthurst
Rouse Hill Anglican College, Rouse Hill
St Marks Catholic College, Stanhope Gardens

Pubs and clubs

The area hosts a large number of licensed premises where residents and visitors can obtain alcoholic refreshments, food service, gaming and other entertainment facilities. Notable among such venues are The Mean Fiddler in Rouse Hill and The Bull and Bush in Baulkham Hills, both of which are heritage listed properties. The Australian Hotel and Brewery is now open and operating also. Other popular places include Castle Hill RSL, The Hillside Hotel and Castle Hill Tavern, all in central Castle Hill, along with the Ettamogah Pub in Kellyville Ridge.

Sport

Some of the associations in which people living in the Hills District participate in include:

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.bankwest.com.au/library/scripts/objectifyMedia.aspx?file=pdf/42/94.pdf&str_title=Quality of Life Report 2008 - NSW.pdf
  2. ^ http://www.hillsweb.com.au/suburb_descriptions/index.asp
  3. ^ http://www.hillsweb.com.au/hills_news_articles/hills_district.asp
  4. ^ 2006 Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
  5. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2009/s2702210.htm
  6. ^ http://www.hillsweb.com.au/hills_news_articles/hills_district.asp
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