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North Rocks, New South Wales facts for kids

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North Rocks
Greater Western SydneyNew South Wales
North Rocks School.JPG
Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children c. 2007
Population 7,965 (2016 census)
Postcode(s) 2151
Elevation 112 m (367 ft)
Location 26 km (16 mi) north-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)
  • City of Parramatta
  • The Hills Shire
State electorate(s)
  • Baulkham Hills
  • Parramatta
Federal Division(s)
Suburbs around North Rocks:
Baulkham Hills West Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Northmead North Rocks Carlingford
Northmead North Parramatta Oatlands
North Rocks Dam Wall
Colloquially known as the North Rocks Dam, off Rifle Range Road, about 30m in height. Not officially a dam, but a retarding basin wall.
North Rocks Dam Wall Rear
Rear of the North Rocks Dam Wall, about 30m in height.

North Rocks is a suburb in the Hills District within Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located 26 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district. Following the amalgamation of council areas in 2016, the majority of North Rocks falls into the council area of the City of Parramatta. Streets north of the M2 Hills Motorway are within The Hills Shire.

History

The name "North Rocks" dates back to the beginning of the settlement at Parramatta and is older even than the name of the city itself, which at first was called Rosehill. In 1789 Governor Phillip reserved large areas to the north and west of Rosehill for the use of Government stock - the present Northmead and Westmead. The reserve to the north was described as extending as far as 'the North Rocks'. The area was also known as Jerusalem Rocks.

North Rocks was once considered as the haunt of convict bolters and bushrangers and regarded as an unsavoury area. With the constant flow of people between Windsor and Parramatta, a gold watch was always a good steal! A noted experience was the hold-up of Dr Sherwin in 1830 by John Macnamara and William Dalton, which resulted in ex-convicts' demise. The North Rocks were a massive sandstone outcrop, which terminated the ridge on the south side of Hunts Creek. These rocks so dominated the landscape and were such prominent features that they gave their name to the locality but were not preserved. In 1841 when it was decided to build a new gaol at Parramatta, a contractor bought the Rocks as they consisted of the best sandstone in the district - and were very conveniently situated. His tender was accepted, and much of the North Rocks became gaol walls and flagstones in 1844. Further inroads were made on what was left when the wall of masonry was erected in 1855-56 which held back the waters of Lake Parramatta. Much stone was needed for the dam, as the wall is about 240 feet (73 m) long and is fifteen feet thick at the base.

A North Rocks Post Office first opened on 1 February 1894; it was renamed Forrester later that year, Maraylya in 1921 and closed in 1970. The current Post Office opened on 1 November 1921.

Prior to North Rocks being rezoned around 1958, it housed around 40 farms, including peach and nectarine orchards, poultry farms and piggeries. When the area was rezoned, one of many new housing estates was named Lynwood Estate.

Transport

At the 2016 census, only 16.8% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 69.1% by car (either as a driver or as a passenger).

The M2 Hills Motorway runs through North Rocks, and there is access to the motorway from Barclay Road in North Rocks, Pennant Hills Road in Carlingford and Windsor Road in Baulkham Hills. Public transport to, from and throughout the area is provided by bus.

Train

North Rocks does not have a railway station. However, train services are accessible from nearby Epping, Castle Hill and Parramatta railway stations.

Bus

The Barclay Road M2 Bus Station provides services to the City and Castle Hill as well as services to Macquarie Park, Blacktown and Norwest Business Park. The Barclay Road M2 bus to the city takes 22 minutes. Sydney Buses provides links from Parramatta railway station to Epping railway station through different parts of North Rocks, although both converge at North Rocks Shopping Centre. There are also very limited services to Beecroft railway station.

Places of worship

North Rocks Christ the King 2
Christ the King Church
  • Liberty Baptist Church
  • North Rocks Anglican Church [Anglican Church]
  • Christ the King [Catholic Church]
  • North Rocks Community Church [Uniting Church]
  • Sydney Saesoon Presbyterian Church

Sport and recreation

Public services in the suburb include a number of large reserves (such as Hunts Creek Reserve, which features Balaka Falls, a scenic waterfall), sporting facilities, a community centre, and a number of schools, and an active Rotary and Lions clubs as well as Scout & Girl Guide groups. North Rocks also boasts Muirfield Golf Club, a picturesque and parkland style 18-hole Golf Course and club facilities on Barclay Road. There are also local softball, soccer, rugby clubs and the Murri-Yanna Track in Bidjigal Reserve which can be accessed from Whitbread Place. North Rocks was also the host to the 1976 Skateboard Winter Olympics.

Parks and reserves

North Rocks features a number of parks and reserves, such as the Bidjigal Reserve, which includes a towering eucalypt forest, weathered sandstone cliffs, sparkling creeks and sheltered rainforest gullies which surrounds the north and west periphery of the North Rocks border. Fauna includes koala, swamp wallaby, echidna, sugar gliders and eastern water dragon. Platypus were regularly seen up till the installation of the sewer in the mid-1970s, but none since. The diversity of birds is well known in Bidjigal Reserve with 127 species being documented. Rare insectivorous species such as wrens and thornbills have been recorded and the more common species of kookaburras and crimson rosellas seem to be doing well. In recent years, there has also been an increase in numbers of sulphur crested cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets. The powerful owl, Australia’s largest owl, also breeds in the reserve and can be heard hooting throughout North Rocks at night. Many of these bird species can be seen throughout North Rocks.

Demographics

The 2016 census conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports the population of North Rocks as 7,965 residents, with 3,863 males and 4,100 females. The demographic breakdowns show that:

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