Pennant Hills, New South Wales

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Pennant Hills

LGA:

Hornsby Shire Council

Established:

Postcode:

2120

Population:

6,269 (2001 census)

Median house value (2120):

Median unit value (2120):

Location:

Sydney, NSW

Suburbs near Pennant Hills
Cherrybrook	Cherrybrook	Westleigh
West Pennant Hills	Pennant Hills	Thornleigh
Beecroft	North Epping	Thornleigh

Pennant Hills is a suburb of Sydney, Australia, known affectionately to residents as "Penno", is a suburb within the Hornsby Shire local government area, about 22 kilometres north-west of the central business district. Population (2001): 6,269.

1 History
2 Commercial Activity
3 Transport
4 Characteristics
5 Schools
6 Notable citizens
7 Topography
8 Amenities
9 External links
10 References

[edit] History

There are two theories about the origin of the suburb's name. One says 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 used, there is no evidence that such a pennant was flown at Pennant Hills. The other theory says that Pennant Hills was named after an 18th Century botanist, Thomas Pennant, though there is no contemporary evidence of this.

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’. These mountains were the Blue Mountains. Governor Phillip ‘did not doubt that a large river would be found’ nearby.

White settlement first encroached on 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.

The name of Pennant Hills originally applied to the area of West Pennant Hills around Thompson's Corner. However when the northern railway line was built it passed through Pennant Hills existing location, and as a result of the influence of the railway, the suburb grew around the station and took on the name. The area at Thompson's Corner was renamed West Pennant Hills.

[edit] Commercial Activity

Several dozen shops are located at the north-west of the railway line, along with a new 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 one of the major commercial centres of Hornsby Shire, along with Epping, Carlingford and the town of Hornsby.

[edit] Transport

Today Pennant Hills continues to be serviced by Pennant Hills railway station, as well as by Pennant Hills Road, one of Sydney's major thoroughfares. Buses going to West Pennant Hills, Castle Hill and Cherrybrook have their terminus in Pennant Hills

[edit] Characteristics

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

[edit] 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)[1] and St Agatha's Catholic Primary School [2].

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

[edit] Notable citizens

The current Attorney General of Australia Philip Ruddock

Brendan Lord (KAR enthusiast)

[edit] Topography

Hilly. Its highest altitude is at Observatory Park on Pennant Hills Road, which used to be the site of the old space observatory.

[edit] Amenities

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 popular Baden-Powell Scout Centre also backs onto bushland in the area.