Woronora Heights, New South Wales

Woronora Heights is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woronora Heights is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Woronora is a separate suburb, to the north. Most streets in Woronora Heights are named after birds.

History
Woronora is derived from an Aboriginal word wooloonora, meaning 'black rock'. It is believed to have been named by Surveyor Dixon in 1828.

Landmarks
Woronora Heights is bounded by the Woronora River in the west, the top of the escarpment in the north and the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board pipeline in the east and south. The Woronora Reservoir is one of the sources of Sydney's water supply.

The Woronora Plateau, is a geographical region adjacent to the Sydney Plain. Slightly higher in altitude, it is capped with Hawkesbury Sandstone. It is often hotter in summer and colder in winter than Sydney. The Woronora River flows through the deeply dissected plateau to the Georges River from near the sources of the Port Hacking, within the Sutherland Shire.

Issues
There have been various protests organised relating to proposals to open the fire trail linking Woronora Heights to the Woronora valley to the north to through traffic. While some residents want the trail to be opened to general traffic, the majority of residents in Woronora Heights and the Woronora valley want to preserve the fire trail for emergency access and to protect the wildlife that use the bushland corridor the fire trail runs through. In 2006 a proposal to open the fire trail for bus access was reviewed by an Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel organised by Sutherland Shire Council. After reviewing submissions from resident groups supporting and opposing the proposal, the Panel agreed unanimously that opening the fire trail to buses is not in the public interest. In the same week, the State Government declared the fire trail area "environmentally protected", making opening the fire trail to buses or other through traffic a prohibited development.