Wahroonga, New South Wales

Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wahroonga is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire.

History
Wahroonga is an Aboriginal word meaning our home. In the early days of British settlement in New South Wales, the main activity was cutting down the tall trees which grew there. Wahroonga was first settled in 1822 by Thomas Hyndes, a convict who became a wealthy landowner. Later there were many orchards, and when the railway was built it became a popular place for businessmen to build out-of-town residences with large gardens in the 1920s and 1930s.

A common misspelling is 'Wahroongah'. This can be seen in the captions of the Broadhurst postcards of Wahroonga available on the State Library of NSW website. Note the correction on the railway station image to match the station sign.

Commercial area
Wahroonga has several small shopping villages, such as Wahroonga shopping village with several small restaurants and Hampton Avenue shopping centre. The Sydney Adventist Hospital is in Wahroonga, as is Globalstar's Australian office, and the offices of the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists.

Transport
Wahroonga railway station is on the North Shore line of the City Rail network. Wahroonga is the Sydney end of the F3 Freeway to Newcastle.

Schools
Wahroonga has private schools such as: Knox Grammar School and Abbotsleigh, Pacific Highway, as well as several other schools, including St Leo's Catholic College and Wahroonga Adventist School. Wahroonga Public School is a government school, founded in 1944 and commonly known as "The Bush School", as well as Prouille Catholic Primary School.

Streets
Wahroonga is known for its tree lined, shady streets. Typically streets on the east side of the rail line command stronger property values. Notable streets include Burns Road, Billyard Avenue, Water Street, and Braeside Street.

Houses


The Rose Seidler House, in Clissold Road, built by Harry Seidler between 1948 and 1950, was one of the first examples of modern residential architecture in Australia. Highlands, in Highlands Avenue, is a timber house designed by John Horbury Hunt and built in 1891 for Alfred Hordern. Hunt was a Canadian architect who used the Arts and Crafts style and the Shingle Style popular in North America. Highlands is now on the Register of the National Estate. Architect William Hardy Wilson designed and built his own home, Purulia, on Fox Valley Road. Built in 1913, the home is in the Colonial Revival style and became, according to some observers, a prototype for North Shore homes. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate. Berith Park, in Billyard Avenue, was designed by F. Ernest Stowe for Alfred Smith, who bought the land in 1897. The house was finished circa 1909. Westholme, in Water Street, was designed by Howard Joseland in the Arts and Crafts style for John Bennett, one of the pioneer developers of Wahroonga. Bennett came from England but migrated to Australia with his wife and acquired property at Wahroonga in 1893. Westholme was built in 1894. Another house was added at the other end of the block, but this was demolished in 1991 after changing hands several times. Craignairn, in Burns Road, was also designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Howard Joseland for Walter Strang. Ownership of the house has remained in the family since the house's construction.

Churches
Wahroonga is home to a number of churches including Holy Name Catholic Church, St. John's Uniting Church, St. Andrew's Anglican Church, Wahroonga Presbyterian Church and the Wahroonga Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Parks
Wahroonga Park is located north of the railway station, and features a significant number of well established introduced trees, and a children's playground. The Glade, located near Abbotsleigh, has two tennis courts, a half basketball court and a large circular oval where Football and Cricket can be played. There is also small rainforest and fern forest, next to the tennis courts.

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is located north of Wahroonga. It is the second oldest national park in Australia and is very popular, offering many walking tracks, picnic spots and Aboriginal sites with rock carvings. The park has a large proportion of the known Aboriginal sites in the Sydney area.

Notable residents

 * William Hardy Wilson, architect, artist and author
 * Adam Garcia, actor
 * Hugh Jackman, actor
 * Richard Clapton, musician
 * Nicholas Fitzgerald, footballer currently playing for the Central Coast Mariners in the Hyundai A-League
 * Martin Flood, Australian quiz champion
 * Mel Gibson, actor