Pennant Hills, New South Wales

Pennant Hills is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Pennant Hills is located 25 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Pennant Hills is in the Northern Suburbs region, but also considered to be part of the Hills District. Pennant Hills is colloquially known as 'Penno'.

History
The area was first explored by Governor Arthur Phillip shortly after the 15th April 1788. It was noted that the party saw 'fine views of the mountains inland' (the Blue Mountains). Governor Phillip 'did not doubt that a large river would be found' nearby.

The first white settlement occurred in the area with the establishment of convict timber camps in the time of Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Permanent white settlement of Pennant Hills began only in the 1840s and took off with the arrival of the Northern railway line in the 1880s. The suburb has grown considerably since the 1950s, when the motor car became commonplace.

There are two theories about the origin of the suburb's name. One is that the name comes from a hill where a pennant was flown as a signal during the early days of New South Wales. However, though such signals were certainly used, there is no evidence that such a pennant was ever flown at what is now Pennant Hills, but it must be remembered that in the early 19th century the name applied to the whole ridge down as far as Mobbs Hill, which has a Telegraph Road to commemorate the signalling station. Also, references to the suburb of Pennant Hills were written 20 years before the establishment of pennant stations (Patrick 1994:79-80). Elizabeth MacArthur records receiving a flag signal at Parramatta that her husband John had returned from England in 1806. The other theory says that Pennant Hills was named after an 18th Century botanist, Thomas Pennant (Patrick 1994:79-80), though there is no contemporary evidence for this either. The fact that the area was first referred to as "Pendant Hills" in the Sydney Gazette when first published in 1803 makes this theory unlikely, as there was no Thomas Pendant either.

The name Pennant Hills originally applied to the area now known as West Pennant Hills. However, when the northern railway line was built it passed through what is now Pennant Hills, so a suburb grew around the station and took on the name. The area around Thompsons Corner was renamed West Pennant Hills. Pennant Hills is hilly and the highest altitude is at Observatory Park on Pennant Hills Road, which once was the site of the old space observatory.

Commercial areas
Pennant Hills is one of the major commercial centres of Hornsby Shire, along with Epping, Carlingford and the town of Hornsby. Several dozen shops are located at the north-west of the railway line, along with a library. Residential houses are found in all areas in Pennant Hills, with recent modern apartments and office towers found along Pennant Hills Road. A significant commercial/industrial area can be found along Pennant Hills Road.

Pennant Hills is home to several entertainment venues including the Pennant Hills Hotel incorporating Patricks Nightclub.

Pennant Hills really started to generate publicity when the notable figure, Callum Macdonald, moved there in 2000 and since the popularity of the suburb has increased largely

Transport
Pennant Hills railway station is on the Northern railway line of Sydney's CityRail network.

Pennant Hills Road is one of Sydney's major thoroughfares. Bus services by Shorelink and Hills Bus have their terminus in Pennant Hills and run to West Pennant Hills, Castle Hill and Cherrybrook.

Churches
Pennant Hills was established as a Catholic parish in 1928 and a number of Catholic churches have been built since then. The parish's current church, St. Agathas, was built in 1979. St Mark's Anglican Church, a Baptist church and a Uniting Church also serve Pennant Hills.

Pennant Hills is also home to the first Danish Church in Australia. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark made an official visit there on March 6, 2005.

Schools
Pennant Hills also has two government schools (Pennant Hills Public School since 1925 and Pennant Hills High School since 1966), as well as two Catholic schools, including Mount St Benedict College (an independent all-girls secondary school) and St. Agatha's Catholic Primary School.

Multiple public, private, catholic, selective schools are found in the surrounding suburbs, servicing the general vicinity.

Sport and recreation

 * Pennant Hills Park - home to a Rugby/Cricket field, an Aussie Rules/Cricket field, a Soccer field, a large number of tennis courts, one of the main netball facilities in the area (including a new indoor court), two hockey fields and an archery range. It is surrounded by beautiful bushland, with numerous walking tracks. The Baden-Powell Scout Centre also backs onto bushland in the area. There are a number of walks and runs in or originating from the park.

Demographics
The population according to the 2006 Census was 6,830. A popular well known figure often referred to as 'The can man" collects cans on his old school bicycle, battling the hills of this brilliant suburb in the name of charity, nominated for pennthillian of the year in 2007 and 2008.

Notable residents

 * Former Attorney General of Australia Philip Ruddock
 * St Kilda midfielder Lenny Hayes, who played for the Pennant Hills Demons in the NSW Football League.
 * Essendon tagger Mark McVeigh, who also played for the Demons in the NSW Football League.
 * Sydney Swans Football Club midfielder Jarrad McVeigh, who also played for Pennant Hills Demons in the NSW Football League.
 * John and Ilsa Konrads, siblings and world record-breaking swimmers.