Baulkham Hills, New South Wales

Baulkham Hills is a suburb in the north-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Baulkham Hills is located 31 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of The Hills Shire. Baulkham Hills is in the Hills District of the Greater Western Sydney region.

History
The land that is now called Baulkham Hills was originally home to the Bidjigal people, who are believed to be a clan of the Darug people, who occupied all the land to the immediate west of Sydney. The best-known Aboriginal person from that time is Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal leader who led the Indigenous resistance movement against the British forces, including sacking farms in Castle Hill, before his eventual capture and execution by the British militia.

The Bidjigal people are today commemorated by Bidjigal Reserve which straddles the suburbs of Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, North Rocks, and West Pennant Hills.

The first European settler in the Baulkham Hills Shire was William Joyce. In 1794, he was given a grant of 30 acres (121,000 m²) in what became Baulkham Hills. The name Baulkham Hills was given to the area by Andrew McDougall, a settler from Buckholm Hills, County of Roxburgh, Scotland. The name, which reminded McDougall of his homeland, was officially recognised in 1902.

Transport
Baulkham Hills is primarily accessible by road. At the intersection known as Baulkham Hills Junction several major roads meet including: Seven Hills Road, Old Northern Road and Windsor Road. The fastest route from the Sydney CBD is via the M2 Hills Motorway, exiting at Windsor Road.

Baulkham Hills is serviced by the Hillsbus bus company, which provides services to the nearby commercial centres of Castle Hill, Parramatta and frequent services to the Sydney CBD.

metrobus route M61 services Baulkham Hills, providing a high frequency service to Castle Hill, Hornsby, Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.

There is no railway station at Baulkham Hills. In the past, there was the Rogans Hill line, connecting the suburb to Parramatta. Railway Street near Baulkham Hills Junction is a reminder of this. It was closed down in 1930 due to traffic problems on Windsor Road and large financial losses. Land owned by the rail authority was sold to the Hills Bowling Club in the mid 1970s to build their two front bowling greens.

Commercial area
Baulkham Hills has a Stockland shopping centre, located on the intersection of Windsor Road and Old Northern Road. It features supermarkets operated by Coles, a Woolworths, and Aldi plus 70 specialty shops. A redevelopment was completed in 2008 to significantly expand the floor space of the centre.

In the northern part of the suburb there is another shopping centre called Norwest Marketown, together with many other businesses. The Norwest Business Park located nearby, is partially in Baulkham Hills and mostly in Bella Vista.

Hospital
The Hills Private Hospital on Windsor Road (near the corner of Merindah Road) includes Emergency for private patients and has a very large Maternity Ward. The current hospital site will be redeveloped into a rehabilitation centre when the hospital's owners, Healthscope, move the operations to the Norwest Business Park, which is expected to be completed in 2009.

Parks and reserves
Baulkham Hills features a number of parks and reserves, such as the Bidjigal Reserve (previously known as Excelsior Reserve), with native fauna such as koala, swamp wallaby, echidna, and eastern water dragon. Smaller reserves include the Sophia Doyle reserve and the Crestwood Reserve, which are habitat to brushtail and ringtail possums and a wide range of birds and lizards.

The Baulkham Hills Shire Bushland Conservation Committee is a voluntary committee of Council that assists with the management of the Shire's bushland.

Schools

 * Matthew Pearce Public School
 * Crestwood High School
 * Crestwood Public School
 * Baulkham Hills High School
 * Model Farms High School
 * Baulkham Hills North Public School
 * Jasper Road Public School
 * St. Michael's Catholic School
 * Davin Griffiths-Jones School of Performing Arts

Baulkham Hills High School also has an Army Cadet Unit, which is open to only school students at Baulkham Hills High School. The closest army cadet unit to Baulkham Hills for the public is located at Blacktown.

Places of worship
Baulkham Hills belongs to the area known as the "Bible Belt" of Sydney. Indeed, it has some 15 places of worship belonging to various Christian denominations. Notably, the headquarters of Hillsong is located in this suburb and Africa Inland Mission International also has an office.

A Baha'i Spiritual Assembly also maintains a presence in the suburb.

Culture
Baulkham Hills has a public library. It does not have a theatre or a cinema; although these are found in the adjacent suburb of Castle Hill where many residents make use of them.

Events
The annual Orange Blossom Festival is held in Baulkham Hills Shire each September. The HYPE Festival is held every April during National Youth Week and again in September during the Orange Blossom festival and attracts large crowds of youths each year. It has featured high-profile Australian music acts such as Gerling, Something With Numbers, Parkway Drive, The Getaway Plan and Sienna Skies.

Notable residents

 * Delta Goodrem, pop singer and actress was raised in Baulkham Hills. Her parents continue to reside in the suburb.
 * Romaan Dulloo, Aristocrat