Kenthurst, New South Wales

History

The original inhabitants of the Dural area were the Darug people.

Kenthurst is derived from the English County of Kent and hurst meaning a woody hillock or clearing.

The area was originally known as Little Dooral and later Little Dural. In 1886 a public meeting was held to discuss a change of name. Charles Gibb was the main agitator who declared that the settlement needed a more elegant title. "Kent Forest" was suggested as an appropriate name for the area where settlers from Kent County that had settled in the area, but it wasn't popular and eventually Kenthurst was chosen. The meeting applied to the government ministry for permission to change the name, which was successful and was in general use from 1887.

Kenthurst Post Office opened on 1 August 1887.

Shopping complex

The Kenthurst shopping complex features a post office, supermarket, butcher, newsagent and bottle shop, hairdresser and other shops. Outside the village centre there are several preschools and a second real estate agent. There are numerous local businesses in the area such as timber yards, florist, wholesalers, earthmovers and other similar businesses.

Village green

The village green is situated across Nelson St from the shopping village. It features a public swimming pool, a basketball/netball court, barbecue facilities, a playground, park benches and a large grassed area. The village green is maintained by Kenthurst Rotary

Schools

Schools within Kenthurst include:

Kenthurst Public School (public, primary)

St Madeleine's (Catholic Systemic, primary)

Marian College (Catholic Systemic, secondary)

The Hills Grammar School (private, K-12)

Kenthurst Preschool (community-based, not-for-profit)

Other educational services

Pacific Tutoring(local tuition business, K-12)

Sport and recreation

Kenthurst has its own cricket club, soccer club, netball club and village green maintained by Kenthurst Rotary.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, the suburb of Kenthurst recorded a population of 4,880 residents. Of these:

Age distribution 

The distribution of ages in Kenthurst was fairly similar to the country as a whole. Kenthurst residents' median age was 41 years, compared to the national median of 37. Children aged under 15 years made up 19.7% of the population (national average was 19.3%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.3% of the population (national average was 14.0%).

Ethnic diversity 

Just over three-quarters (77%) of residents were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 70%; the next most common countries of birth were England 4.8%, Italy 2.3%, and New Zealand 1.2%. 55% of people had both parents born in Australia.

Finances 

The median weekly household income was $2,109, compared to the national median of $1,234. Real estate values were correspondingly high: the median mortgage repayments were $3,000 compared to the national median of $1,800.

Housing 

Most (87%) private dwellings were family households, 12% were single-person households and 1% were group households. Stand-alone houses accounted for 95% of dwellings, while 4% were semi-detached and 1% were flats, units or apartments. The average household size was 3.2 people.

Agriculture

The suburb is home to a large number of whole-sale nurseries.

Notable residents

Don Burke, television personality

Ray Hadley, radio commentator

Greg Page, musician

James Millar, Theatre actor and writer

Ben Quilty, Ben Quilty, Australian commissioned war artist (2011)