Cherrybrook, New South Wales facts for kids

Cherrybrook is a suburb located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 29 kilometres north-west of the main city centre. Many people think of Cherrybrook as part of Sydney's Hills District. It's a great place with a mix of homes, shops, and green spaces.

History of Cherrybrook

How Cherrybrook Started

The story of Cherrybrook began in 1839 when Joseph Harrison and his wife, Mary Ann, settled here. They built a small timber cottage and called it "Cherrybrook Cottage." They also planted many fruit trees, especially cherry trees, near a creek that ran through their land. This is how the area got its sweet name, "Cherrybrook." Their farm grew peaches, apricots, pears, plums, and citrus fruits. Later, the land was bought by Eric Vaux, who started a dairy farm but kept the name Cherrybrook.

In 1959, the land was divided into smaller blocks to create Sydney's first "project home village." This meant new homes were built quickly for families. In the 1980s, even more homes were built. Cherrybrook got its own Post Office in 1994.

Street Names in Cherrybrook

Many streets in Cherrybrook have interesting names. Some are named after native plants or trees, while others remember important people from early Australian history or local landowners. When Cherrybrook was developed, some streets were named after colonial architects, even though these architects didn't live in Cherrybrook.

• Francis Greenway Drive: Named after a famous architect from the early days of the Sydney colony.
• Macquarie Drive: Named after Lachlan Macquarie, who was the fifth Governor of New South Wales.
• Shepherds Drive: This road used to lead to the farms of James and Isaac Shepherd, who owned land here a long time ago.
• Purchase Road: Named after John Purchase, who bought a large piece of land here in 1854. He and his family lived here and grew citrus fruit.
• Booth Place: Named after the Booth family, who owned this land for many years.
• New Line Road: Even though it's called "New Line Road," it's actually one of the oldest roads in the area!
• Boundary Road: This road marks the northern edge of a large common land area that was set up way back in 1804.
• Abbey Place: This street is part of an area developed in 1986 where a Benedictine Abbey (a type of monastery) used to be. Other nearby streets like All Saints, Angel, and Monastery are also linked to this history.
• Paxton Close: This name is a made-up word meaning "a ton of peace," which relates to the Benedictine Order's motto of "peace."
• Tallowwood Avenue: Named after the Tallowwood tree, which has very strong timber.
• Gumnut Road: Named after gumnuts, which are the woody seed pods from gum trees.

Getting Around Cherrybrook

Cherrybrook railway station work site, August 2015

Cherrybrook has good transport options. There are many bus routes that connect Cherrybrook to the Sydney city centre and other nearby areas. The Sydney Metro train network also has a station here, called Cherrybrook railway station, which opened in 2019.

Some of the bus routes include:

• 600: From Hornsby to Parramatta
• 620X: From Dural to Town Hall (in the city)
• 622: From Dural to North Sydney
• 626: From Kellyville to Pennant Hills

Shopping in Cherrybrook

Cherrybrook has two main shopping areas. The biggest one is Cherrybrook Village Shopping Centre. It has a large supermarket called Woolworths and many other shops. It opened in 1989 and was updated in 2004. There's also a smaller shopping area called Appletree Shops.

Schools in Cherrybrook

Cherrybrook has many schools and learning centres for all ages:

• Cherrybrook Public School
• John Purchase Public School
• Cherrybrook Technology High School (CTHS)
• Tangara School for Girls (a private school)
• Inala (a special school that helps people with disabilities)

Cherrybrook Technology High School is one of the largest government high schools in New South Wales, with over 2000 students!

Religion in Cherrybrook

When people in Cherrybrook were asked about their religion in the 2021 census, the most common answers were:

• No Religion (31.9%)
• Catholic (17.0%)
• Hinduism (11.1%)
• Anglican (9.9%)
• Buddhism (5.1%)

Cherrybrook has many different Christian churches, including:

• Cherrybrook Anglican Church
• Cherrybrook Uniting Church
• Cherrybrook Presbyterian Church
• C3 Church Cherrybrook
• Cherrybrook Community Life Church (CCLC)

There is also a Buddhist monastery in the area.

Fun and Recreation

1st Cherrybrook Scout Group neckerchief

Cherrybrook has lots of places for sports and outdoor activities:

• Greenway Park: This park has an indoor heated swimming pool and a special fenced area for dogs to play.
• The Lakes of Cherrybrook: A nice place for walks.
• Edward Bennett Oval: Used for soccer and cricket.
• Thomas Thompson Park: Has tennis courts, soccer fields, and cricket pitches.

There are also many walking trails and fire trails that are part of the Berowra Bushland Reserve, like the Callicoma Walk. Cherrybrook has a big baseball community, with over 500 players who are part of the Greenway Giants Baseball Club at Greenway Park.

Who Lives in Cherrybrook?

According to the 2021 census, there were 19,082 people living in Cherrybrook.

• About half of the residents are male (49.4%) and half are female (50.6%).
• The average age of people in Cherrybrook is 43 years old.
• Many people in Cherrybrook were born in Australia (46.4%). Other common birthplaces include China (9.6%), India (8.8%), and England (3.4%).
• The most common backgrounds people identify with are Chinese (25.3%), English (19.6%), and Australian (16.3%).
• While many people speak only English at home (48.7%), other languages are also common, like Mandarin (12.7%), Cantonese (7.0%), and Hindi (4.3%).

Famous People from Cherrybrook

Some well-known people have lived in Cherrybrook:

• Jai Courtney, an actor
• Brandon Jack, an AFL (Australian Rules Football) player
• Garry Jack, a former Rugby League player and father of Brandon and Kieren Jack
• Kieren Jack, an AFL player
• Jordan Thompson, a tennis player
• Rebel Wilson, an actress