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St Leonards, New South Wales facts for kids

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St Leonards
SydneyNew South Wales
The Forum StLeonards, new south wales.jpg
The Forum
 • Density 9,015/km2 (23,350/sq mi)
Established 1853
Postcode(s) 2065
Elevation 101 m (331 ft)
Area 0.8 km2 (0.3 sq mi)
Location 5 km (3 mi) north of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)
  • Municipality of Lane Cove
  • North Sydney Council
  • City of Willoughby
State electorate(s)
  • Lane Cove
  • North Shore
  • Willoughby
Federal Division(s) North Sydney
Suburbs around St Leonards:
Artarmon Artarmon Naremburn
Gore Hill
Osborne Park
St Leonards Crows Nest
Greenwich Wollstonecraft Crows Nest

St Leonards is a busy suburb located on the lower North Shore of Sydney, Australia. It's about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north-west of the main city center. This area is special because it spreads across three different local government areas: Municipality of Lane Cove, North Sydney Council, and the City of Willoughby.

Exploring St Leonards History

St Leonards got its name from an English leader named Viscount Sydney. He was also known as Viscount Sydney of St Leonards. Long ago, the name "St Leonards" covered a much larger area. This included what is now North Sydney all the way to Gore Hill. The town of St Leonards in 1883 is actually what we call North Sydney today.

The St Leonards railway station is very old. It's the oldest train station on the North Shore railway line. It first opened its doors in 1890.

The Gore Hill Cemetery was created in 1868. It's located on the Pacific Highway. This cemetery was the main place for burials in the area. It closed for new burials in 1975. Today, it's still looked after as an important historical site.

Historical Places in St Leonards

St Leonards has some special places that are protected for their history. These are called heritage-listed sites.

Who Lives in St Leonards?

In 2021, a count of people (called a census) showed that 7,212 people lived in St Leonards. About 36.7% of these people were born in Australia. Many other residents come from different countries around the world.

The most common countries of birth after Australia were China (9.6%), India (5.5%), and Hong Kong (4.9%). Japan (4.4%) and England (3.3%) were also common. This shows that St Leonards is a very diverse place!

About 47.5% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken included Mandarin (11.8%), Cantonese (7.9%), and Japanese (4.9%). When it came to religion, nearly half of the people (49.1%) said they had no religion. About 14.9% were Catholic.

St Leonards Business Hub

Aerial view of Longueville, Riverview, St Leonards, Sydney 2009-03-06
An aerial view of St Leonards and nearby suburbs like Longueville and Riverview.
Gilroys Hotel, St Leonards
Gilroys Hotel

St Leonards is a big business area. It's one of the main places for companies on the North Shore of Sydney. It works together with other business centers like Chatswood and North Sydney.

For many years, St Leonards had lots of tall buildings. These were called "skyscraper clusters." Many big companies had their offices here. Some of these included CIMIC Group, IBM, and Lenovo. Other well-known companies like Toyota Australia also had offices.

The Fox Sports TV studios are located towards the Gore Hill side of St Leonards.

The Forum Shopping and Living Area

88 by JQZ 1
Apartment buildings on Christie Street.

The Forum is a large complex built right over the train station. It has three office buildings for businesses. It also has two tall apartment buildings with 782 homes.

There's a mini-supermarket for groceries. You can also find 34 different food and retail shops there. Forum Tower was the first tall apartment building. It was finished in 1999. Forum West was completed three years later. Both buildings have cool features like a concierge, swimming pool, and gym.

The Plaza area within The Forum also has offices. Companies like Cisco, Verizon Business, and Getty Images have their workplaces there.

Getting Around St Leonards

The St Leonards railway station is part of the Sydney Trains network. This makes it easy to travel by train. The Pacific Highway is the main road that goes through St Leonards.

Many different bus companies offer services through the suburb. These include Busways, CDC NSW, and Transdev John Holland.

Schools and Churches in St Leonards

St Leonards is home to several important places for learning and worship.

  • A campus of the University of Technology, Sydney
  • The campus of Northern Sydney TAFE (a vocational education college)
  • Northside Community Church
  • Royal North Shore Hospital Chapel

Sports and Fun in St Leonards

St Leonards is a great place for sports, especially rugby union. The main office for Australian Rugby Union used to be here. The Northern Suburbs Rugby Club has its clubhouse in St Leonards. It even has a cool place called the Cabana Bar and Lounge.

There's also a popular Rock Climbing Facility for people who love to climb.

Gore Hill Oval is a fantastic sports field. It's located on the grounds of Royal North Shore Hospital. It has a special surface for Australian rules football and cricket. There's also a basketball court, handball courts, and a walking track. You can find exercise equipment and a playground there too. It's the home ground for the North Shore Bombers, an Australian rules football club.

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