Kellyville, New South Wales

History

Kellyville is believed to be named after Hugh Kelly, who owned land comprising the Kellyville Estate. Kelly was a former convict who arrived in New South Wales aboard The Rolla in 1803. Early land holders given grants included John Tivett, George Acres, Hugh Kelly and Michael Hancey. Kelly owned a hotel on the corner of Wrights and Windsor Roads called the

'Bird-In-Hand'. Kellyville's origins as a landmark date to at least 1810 with the grant of land and the 1820s construction of the White Hart Inn. The foundations for the Inn remain. The Inn was a popular stable and accommodation on the main road to Windsor. The White Hart Inn existed long prior to its competitor The Bird In Hand. Ironically, the original owner of the land grant on which the White Hart Hotel was built was Hugh Kelly. The NW Rail Line has conducted extensive archaeological research on the site and documented the history of the Inn including information about Hugh Kelly. Originally, the area had been known as 'There and Nowhere' followed by 'Irish Town' for the clan of Kellys that lived in the area. Kelly died in 1884 a respected local. Following his death, John Fitzgerald Burns, James Green and George Withers purchased portions of several early land grants, which were subdivided into farmlets as part of the 'Kellyville Estate', thereby giving the suburb its name. Their original land boundaries explain the present route of Windsor Road. The first subdivisions of 100-acre (0.40 km²) lots were made in 1884.

Kellyville Post Office opened on 1 January 1889. The original post office building stands on the corner of Acres Road and Windsor Roads. It now houses a car rental operation.

Parts of Kellyville became separate suburbs. Beaumont Hills, north of Samantha Riley Drive, was renamed in 2002. Kellyville Ridge, west of Old Windsor Road, is a separate suburb in the City of Blacktown.

Kellyville Public School is a historic building which was established in 1849. For most of the 20th century, Kellyville was semi-rural. From the 1960s to the 1980s about 900 homes were developed in an area around Acres Road, known locally as 'The Village'. Major developments such as Kellyville Plaza have encouraged residential growth. Due to the suburb's location, Kellyville is a major growth area in The Hills.

Commercial areas

Kellyville Plaza features a Coles supermarket and 22 specialty shops including Response Real Estate,a National Pharmacies. The plaza and Woolworths supermarket next door both opened in 2003. Other shopping needs are met by the various shops located on a light commercial strip in an area known as 'The Village' on Windsor Road, Kellyville. Kellyville Pets, on Windsor Road, is a large and diverse pet store.

In 2014 an Aldi supermarket opened on land next door to Kellyville Plaza on Wrights Road. At present construction is underway to expand the existing Kellyville Plaza to encompass a larger Coles Megastore, Liquorland (relocating from Windsor Rd), KMart Tyre & Auto and more smaller speciality stores behind the Aldi supermarket. The planned opening is 2015

Residential areas

Kellyville possesses a combination of semi-rural, older suburban and modern residences offering a variety of lifestyles, spanning from medium-density townhouse developments along Kellyville Shopping Plaza to opulent residences sited adjacent to natural creeks and bushlands. As a result of the suburb's strategic location, Kellyville offers a relaxed and quiet lifestyle being surrounded by rural areas and suburban Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Glenhaven.

Housing estates:

Education

Primary & secondary schools:

Pre-schools:

Special needs schools:

Transport

At the 2011 census, 10.3% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 72.1% by car (either as driver or as passenger).

Road

Windsor Road is a significant road linking Parramatta, in the City of Parramatta, with Windsor, in the City of Hawkesbury. Recent infrastructure development in the Hills District has increased the accessibility of Kellyville. Windsor Road, formerly one-lane each way, was upgraded to a two-lane road in 2006 and has significantly improved traffic flow in the area. Green Road was completed as a two-lane road in 2006 and links Kellyville with the nearby Victoria Avenue, Castle Hill trading zone 2 km down the road, home to three Homemaker centres, car dealers, light industrial areas and many other retail outlets. The old Glenhaven Bridge is a wooden, shared one-lane bridge and was replaced with the new Glenhaven Bridge, which is a proper concrete bridge suitable for heavy vehicles. Built in 2007, the bridge runs over Cattai Creek and allows for normal traffic flows between Kellyville and Glenhaven. A unorthodox bailey bridge (Circa ?) and former roadway have been retained in Golden Grove Reserve. This former roadbridge bridge can be found between James Mileham Dr and Geewan Ave in the reserve.This bridge once was the extension to Acres Road joining Hazlett Road.

Kellyville now has the advantage of faster travel to Sydney CBD fuelled by the new Lane Cove Tunnel and the M2 Hills Motorway. In good conditions, travel takes approximately 35 minutes.

Bus and rail

Transport to Parramatta by bus in the far-western side of Kellyville has been also been improved through the development of the bus-only North-West T-Way, which runs parallel with Old Windsor Road.

Hillsbus provide services to Rouse Hill (T64, T65, T66, 601, 610, 607X, 617X, 619), Parramatta (T64, T65, T66, 601), Castle Hill (610, 612X, 619), Baulkham Hills (601, 610, 612X, 615X, 619), Macquarie Park (619), North Sydney (602, 612X) and Sydney CBD (607X, 610, 615X, 617X), whilst Busways provide services to Blacktown (T71, T75), Castle Hill (T71), Rouse Hill (T71, T75) and Riverstone (T75).

The North West Rail Link is a railway line under construction which will connect the Hills District with the rest of the Sydney rail network. Additional buses are planned to serve the area in substitution for the present M2 City bus network which will cease after the 2017 opening of the initial Rouse Hill to Chatswood NW rail line. A NR rail extension from Chatswood to the City and joining the Bankstown Line with a dedicated new harbor tunnel crossing is proposed but is not approved.

Sport and recreation

The Bernie Mullane Sporting Complex is a major recreational facility which was officially opened in March 2003 with a total project cost of more than $13 million. As part of the project, an indoor facility for a gym and other indoor sports, tennis courts, soccer fields and cricket grounds were constructed. The complex provides for a wide range of indoor and outdoor health, recreational and sporting programs and services.

Other recreational venues include:

Recreational facilities in close proximity include Castle Hill Country Club and Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill. Fred Caterson Reserve is set within a 60 hectare bushland setting directly less than 1 km south-east of Kellyville, and offers a range of outdoor options including bushwalking tracks, BMX track, cycleways, remote control car track and many other sporting fields.

Hospitals

There are no hospital facilities available in the immediate Kellyville postcode. The former Baulkham Hills Private Hospital (now renamed Norwest Private Hospital)includes surgical and maternity facilities. The hospital relocated to Norwest Business Park Bella Vista in 2009. The former hospital site, a Healthscope Rehabilitation Hospital on Windsor Road, Baulkham Hills (near the corner of Merindah Road) includes specialist consulting rooms.

Population

In the 2011 census, the population of Kellyville was 20,341, an increase of 49% in ten years since 2001 when the population was 13,668. Residents had somewhat younger ages than the country overall: the median age was 34 years, compared to the national median of 37 years. Children aged under 15 years made up 25.5% of the population (national average is 19.3%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 7.4% of the population (national average is 14.0%). 66.3% of residents were born in Australia, similar to the national average of 70%; the next most common countries of birth were England 3.8%, India 2.6%, South Africa 2.2%, Philippines 2.1% and New Zealand 1.5%. At home, 72.0% of residents only spoke English; the next most common languages spoken at home were Cantonese 2.3%, Arabic 1.9%, Italian 1.7%, Mandarin 1.6% and Hindi 1.6%. The median household weekly income was $2,251, compared to the national median of $1,234. This difference is also reflected in real estate, with the median mortgage payment being $2,600 per month, compared to the national median of $1,800. The great majority (96.1%) of occupied private dwellings were separate houses, while 3.8% were semi-detached, and 0.2% were flats, units or apartments.

Notable residents

Some of Kellyville's notable residents include -

Environmental impact

Kellyville, as with other newer suburbs in both the south-west and north-west districts of Sydney, has been viewed in the media as a suburb of larger homes that are low-cost in design and mediocre in terms of build quality. Most of the newer homes are built at a high house-to-land ratio, resulting in small distances between neighbours, smaller backyards, and smaller setbacks. With less land and much larger floor plans (double what a typical house would cover), environmental impact is a concern. More trees are planted to offer natural shade from extreme summer heat and more energy is needed to run air-conditioners and heaters.

Public transport deficiency

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 Metro 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 almost always overcrowded. The lack of public transport accessibility of the whole district has slowed down population and property value growth potential.

Land release

Over the next decade, Kellyville will be further developed on remaining greenfield sites. These sites include northern Kellyville (adjoining Rouse Hill) and the Balmoral Road release area. Since 2013 following approval of the NW Rail Line and the approved design there has been significant land release with construction now evident throughout these land release areas. The former "no man's land" between Glenwood (Windsor Rd), Windsor Road and Bella Vista is under construction with a blend of high and medium density development build adjacent to new railway stations, trackworks and siding facilities.

Weather events

On 21 June 1972, heavy snow fell between Kellyville and Kellyville Ridge over an area of approximately a square mile centring on the present position of the Ettamogah Hotel.