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Thornleigh, New South Wales facts for kids

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Thornleigh
SydneyNew South Wales
(1)Federation home Station Street Thornleigh.jpg
Federation style home, Station Street
Population 8,464 (2016 census)
 • Density 2,120/km2 (5,500/sq mi)
Established 1830s
Postcode(s) 2120
Elevation 170 m (558 ft)
Area 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi)
Location 22 km (14 mi) north-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s) Hornsby Shire
State electorate(s) Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai
Federal Division(s) Berowra
Suburbs around Thornleigh:
Westleigh Hornsby Hornsby
Westleigh Thornleigh Normanhurst
Wahroonga
Pennant Hills Pennant Hills Turramurra
(1)Federation house Thornleigh-2a
Federation house with tower and battlements
Lorna Pass Thornleigh
Old stone sign on Lorna Pass, near the Lane Cove River

Thornleigh is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Thornleigh is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. The source of the Lane Cove River is located in Thornleigh.

History

The first non indigenous people to explore the area of Thornleigh were a party led by Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788. Settlers moved into the area in the 1830s and among them were James Milson, Patrick Duffy, John Thorn and Samuel Horne.

Thornleigh is named after Constable John Thorn, who, along with Constable Horne, captured bushrangers Dalton and John MacNamara, leader of the North Rocks gang, on 22 June 1830, and were granted land as a reward in 1838. Horne's land became Hornsby, and Thorn's land became Thornleigh. The railway line was built in the 1880s and development followed.

Thornleigh Post Office opened on 12 March 1888.

As part of the construction of the railway from Strathfield to Hornsby, a 1.2km branch was constructed in 1884 by the contractors to a quarry in a gully west of Thornleigh. The tracks included a zig zag section.

In 1901, the National Brickworks started operations at Thornleigh. In 1913, the largest malt works in the southern hemisphere was established by WG Chilvers.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, unemployment was a problem in the area, so a local woman named Lorna Brand raised money for the construction of a walking track near the Lane Cove River as a way of providing relief work. The track begins at Thornleigh Oval, at the bottom of Handley Avenue, and goes through the bush towards the Lane Cove River. It then goes parallel to the river for a short distance before looping back to arrive at Comenarra Parkway. An extension goes down to the river, through a spot called Conscript Pass. At this spot, there are rock carvings done by the men who worked on the track. One of the carvings is a caricature of Bertram Stevens, Premier of New South Wales from 1932 to 1939. The track is known as Lorna Pass in memory of Lorna Brand, and is now part of the Great North Walk, a long-distance walking trail between Sydney and Newcastle.

Transport

Thornleigh railway station is on the Northern Line of the Sydney Trains network. Pennant Hills Road is part of the National Highway, and is one of Sydney's major thoroughfares. The Esplanade from Pennant Hills is a main road accessing Thornleigh to Normanhurst. The Comenarra Parkway is an arterial road that stretches from Thornleigh through to West Pymble via Wahroonga, Turramurra and South Turramurra.

Bus services from the Transdev NSW Upper North Shore service include:

  • 587 - Hornsby to Westleigh via Waitara and Normanhurst
  • 588 - Hornsby to Normanhurst West via Normanhurst service
  • 589 - Hornsby to Sydney Adventist Hospital via Waitara, Normanhurst, Woodlands Estate and Thornleigh.

Population and demographics

At the 2016 census, the population of Thornleigh in 2016 was 8,464 people. Of these:

Income
The median weekly household income was $2,262 per week, national average was $1,438.
Occupation
66% of the population work in professions compared to the national average of 48.8%.

Sports and Recreation

The local sports clubs include the Thornleigh Sport and Recreation Club with baseball, basketball, cricket, netball, soccer and softball divisions. The soccer club known as Thunder FC consists of teams ranging from Under 6s through to All Age divisions playing in the Gladesville Hornsby Football Association. Home grounds are Oakleigh Oval and Ruddock Park. The Brickpit Park is used for Basketball where it is home to the Hornsby-Ku-Ring-Gai Basketball Association. It is also a popular sports venue for public and private schools in the Hornsby-Kuring-gai area. Other venues at the Brickpit Park include The Thornleigh Golf Centre, which includes driving ranges and mini-golf courses. Skateboarding and other passive recreational activities are also available at the Brickpit. Thornleigh Squash Centre has 9 glass backed courts.

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