Normanhurst, New South Wales

History

Normanhurst was originally known as Hornsby, with the suburb that is now known as Hornsby called Jack's Island. The construction of the Main Northern and North Shore railway lines in the 1890s brought about a name change. The two lines were joined at a station called Hornsby Junction, whereas the station one stop south on the Northern line kept the name Hornsby. Due to confusion around the similarly named stops, the postmaster demanded that Hornsby station change its name.

The railway station originally known as 'Hornsby', opened on 21 November 1895 and the name was changed to Normanhurst in 1900.

The first Hornsby Post Office opened on 1 August 1864 and was renamed South Hornsby in 1900 and Normanhurst in 1905.

Normanhurst was derived from the name of a prominent resident, civil engineer Norman Selfe (1839–1911), with hurst being the English word for a wooded hill. Ironically, Selfe protested against the name change. The railway station was renamed in 1900 and was used for the suburb that developed around it.

Geography

Normanhurst is divided by Pennant Hills Road, a major north-south thoroughfare that leads north to the M1 Motorway, and south towards Parramatta. However, both the east and west sections have extensive bush access. On the east side, a small section of bush lies between Normanhurst and Fox Valley. This is land occupied by the SAN Hospital. On the western side, the suburb backs onto the southern reaches of the Berowra Valley, a continuous section of bush stretching all the way to Broken Bay. This gives Normanhurst a very "leafy" and rural look, in comparison to its neighbours Hornsby, Pennant Hills and Thornleigh. This in turn contributes to making native bird life abundant. The area is home to cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, noisy miners and native brush turkeys. Additionally, Normanhurst has several small waterfalls, which promote reptile life. It also has encouraged the growth of retirement residences in the suburb.

Commercial area

Normanhurst has a small number of shops close to Normanhurst railway station, which includes cafes, restaurants, a dry cleaner and an original milk bar.

Public transport

Normanhurst is serviced by rail and buses. Normanhurst railway station is on the Northern & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network.

At the 2011 census, only 25% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 55% by car (either as driver or as passenger).

Demographics

At the 2011 census, the suburb of Normanhurst recorded a population of 5,156. Of these:

Age and sex distribution 

The distribution of ages in Normanhurst was reasonably similar to the country as a whole. Normanhurst residents' median age was 40 years, compared to the national median of 37. Children aged under 15 years made up 21% of the population (national average was 19%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 19% of the population (national average was 14%). There was a notable difference in the proportion of people aged 85 and over, who made up 4.1% of the population (national average was only 1.9%). There was a notable over-representation of women in Normanhurst: 46.7% of residents were male and 53.3% were female, so for each 7 males there are 8 females.

Ethnic and cultural diversity 

Just over two-thirds (68%) of residents were born in Australia, which is similar to the national average of 70%; the next most common countries of birth were England, China and India. However, only 24% identify their ancestry as Australian; the other common self-identified ancestries were English 26%, Irish 8%, Scottish 8% and Chinese 5%. More than three-quarters (77%) only spoke English at home; the next most common languages spoken at home were Mandarin 2.8%, Cantonese 2.3%, Korean 2.0%, Arabic 1.8% and Hindi 1.3%.

Finances 

The median weekly household income was $1,775, compared to the national median of $1,234. Professionals and managers made up 51% of residents' occupations, compared to 34% average for the country. Real estate in Normanhurst is correspondingly priced: the median monthly mortgage payment was $2,531, compared to the national median of $1,800.

Housing 

The great majority (79%) of private dwellings were stand-alone houses, while 11% were flats, units or apartments and 10% were semi-detached. More than three-quarters (76%) were family households, while 22% were single-person households and just 1.8% were group households. The average household size was 2.8 people.

Religion 

The most common responses for religion in Normanhurst in the 2011 Census were Catholic 27.7%, Anglican 19.8%, No Religion 19.4%, Uniting Church 7.4% and Baptist 3.2%.

Schools

Loreto Normanhurst (Private, girls only)

Normanhurst Boys' High School (Public, selective, boys only)

Normanhurst Public School (Public)

Churches

St. Stephen's Anglican Church

Queen of Peace Catholic Church

Normanhurst Uniting Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Sport and recreation

Normanhurst Sports Club

Normanhurst is home to the Normanhurst Eagles Football Club, their home ground is Normanhurst Oval. The club caters for both male and female football players in junior and senior divisions. The club's flagship team currently play in the Gladesville Hornsby Football Association's top-tier Premier League competition.

Normanhurst-Warrawee Cricket Club also plays in Normanhurst, and is one of the most successful clubs in the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Hills District Cricket Association, and has made several junior statewide twenty20 finals. The club's home ground is Normanhurst Oval, as is its clubroom.