Baulkham Hills
New South Wales
The Bull and Bush Hotel
Population37,050 (2016 census)[1]
Established1794
Postcode(s)2153
Elevation103 m (338 ft)
Location30 km (19 mi) north-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)The Hills
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Mitchell
Suburbs around Baulkham Hills:
Bella Vista Norwest Castle Hill
Kings Langley Baulkham Hills West Pennant Hills
Winston Hills Northmead North Rocks

Baulkham Hills /bɔːˈkʌm/ is a suburb in the Hills District of Greater Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 30 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district within the local government area of The Hills Shire. Baulkham Hills is the administrative seat of The Hills Shire, an outer metropolitan shire within Greater Sydney. The suburb is also the most populous within the Hills Shire. It is known colloquially as "Baulko". Baulkham Hill's Norwest Business Park is home to several Fortune 500 companies, a number of shopping centres, high-rise buildings, and industrial and recreational spaces.

Geography

Baulkham Hills is predominately a residential suburb of the Hills District, with Norwest Business Park in the northern part of the suburb. Baulkham Hills Junction is the intersection of three major roads; Windsor Road, Old Northern Road, and Seven Hills Road. It is also bound by Old Windsor Road and the North-West T-way in the west; and the Hills Motorway in the south, forming part of the National Highway.

History

The land that is now called Baulkham Hills was originally home to the Bidjigal people, who are believed to be a clan of the Darug people, who occupied all the land to the immediate west of Sydney. The best-known Aboriginal person from that time is Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal leader who led the Indigenous resistance movement against the British forces, including sacking farms in Castle Hill, before his eventual capture and execution by the British militia.[2]

The Bidjigal people are today commemorated by Bidjigal Reserve which straddles the suburbs of Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, North Rocks, and West Pennant Hills.

The first European settler in the Baulkham Hills Shire was William Joyce, who arrived in Australia in October, 1791. In December, 1794, he was given a grant of 30 acres (121,000 m2) in what became Baulkham Hills.[3] He built a farmhouse on this land, but it was damaged by a fire in 1804, so he rebuilt it.[4] The house still stands; however, it is now on a 2,055 m2 property which backs onto Old Windsor Road.[5] The suburb was largely made up of land grants until the mid 19th century, when many of these started to be subdivided into farms. This was accelerated by the construction of the Rogans Hill Railway Line. Urban developments were expedited from the 1960s. The name Baulkham Hills was given to the area by Andrew McDougall, a settler from Buckholm Hills, County of Roxburgh, Scotland. The name, which reminded McDougall of his homeland, was officially recognised in 1802.[6] Baulkham Hills Post Office opened on 1 April 1856.[7]

On 29 June 2018, a small portion of the Baulkham Hills suburb was proclaimed as part of the new suburb of Norwest.[8]

Heritage listings

Baulkham Hills has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Demographics

According to the 2016 census, there were 37,050 residents in Baulkham Hills. 60.1% of residents were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were China 6.9%, India 4.8%, England 2.7%, South Korea 2.0% and Sri Lanka 1.6%. 61.8% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 8.3%, Cantonese 4.1%, Korean 2.6%, Hindi 2.3% and Tamil 1.6%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 26.6%, No Religion 23.6%, Anglican 14.2% and Hinduism 5.7%.[1]

Transport

Bus services and the new Sydney Metro North West line services the suburb.

At the intersection known as Baulkham Hills Junction several major roads meet including: Seven Hills Road, Old Northern Road and Windsor Road. The fastest route from the Sydney CBD is via the M2 Hills Motorway, exiting at Windsor Road.

Baulkham Hills is serviced by CDC NSW, which provides services to the nearby commercial centres of Castle Hill, Parramatta and frequent services to the Sydney CBD. CDC NSW provides services to the City via routes 610/610X which cover the previous route M61, 614X and 615X. The 610/610X services can also be caught in the westbound direction serving Kellyville. Services are also provided to St Leonards, Milsons Point and North Sydney, through route 612X.

Route 600 provides a high-frequency service to the areas around Parramatta, Pennant Hills and Hornsby.

In the past, there was the Rogans Hill line, connecting the suburb to Parramatta. Railway Street near Baulkham Hills Junction is a reminder of this. It was closed down in 1930 due to traffic problems on Windsor Road and large financial losses. Land owned by the rail authority was sold to the Hills Bowling Club in the mid-1970s to build their two front bowling greens.

Commercial area

Grove Square

Grove Square is a shopping centre, located on the intersection of Windsor Road and Old Northern Road. It features supermarkets operated by Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi plus 70 specialty shops. A redevelopment was completed in 2008 to significantly expand the floor space of the centre.[10]

In the northern part of the suburb, there is another shopping centre called Norwest Marketown, together with many other businesses. The Norwest Business Park located nearby is partially in Baulkham Hills and Bella Vista.

Hospital

The Hills Private Hospital on Windsor Road (near the corner of Merindah Road) was redeveloped into a rehabilitation and mental health hospital, after the previous hospital's owners, Healthscope, moved its operations to the nearby Norwest Business Park. The hospital includes a 92-bed rehabilitation unit and a 19-bed mental health unit, providing both inpatient and day program services.

Parks and reserves

Baulkham Hills features a number of parks and reserves, such as the Bidjigal Reserve (previously known as Excelsior Reserve), with native fauna such as koala, swamp wallaby, echidna, and eastern water dragon. Smaller reserves include the Sophia Doyle reserve and the Crestwood Reserve, which are habitat to brushtail and ringtail possums and a wide range of birds and lizards.

The Baulkham Hills Shire Bushland Conservation Committee is a voluntary committee of Council that assists with the management of the Shire's bushland.

Schools

Baulkham Hills High School also has an Army Cadet Unit, which is open only to students at Baulkham Hills High School.

Places of worship

Baulkham Hills has some 15 places of worship belonging to various Christian denominations including:

  • St. Michaels Catholic Church[11]
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church[12]
  • Holy Trinity Anglican Church[13]
  • Crossway Anglican Church[14]
  • St Matthews Uniting Church[15]
  • The headquarters of Hillsong
  • Norwest Anglican Church[16] (Chapel Lane is the evening congregation[17])
  • Africa Inland Mission International

A Baha'i Spiritual Assembly is also located in the suburb.[18]

Culture

Baulkham Hills has a public library. It does not have a theatre or a cinema; although these are found in the adjacent suburb of Castle Hill where many residents make use of them. The regions community radio station, Alive 90.5, broadcasts from studios and a transmission tower in the suburb.

Events

The annual Orange Blossom Festival is held in Baulkham Hills Shire each September. The HYPE Festival is held every April during National Youth Week and again in September during the Orange Blossom festival and attracts large crowds of youths each year. It has featured high-profile Australian music acts such as Gerling, Something With Numbers, Parkway Drive, and The Getaway Plan.

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Baulkham Hills (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  2. ↑ Willmot, Eric (1987). Pemulwuy: The Rainbow Warrior. Matilda Media Pty Ltd. ISBN 9780947116422.
  3. ↑ "Biography - William Joyce - People Australia". peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Joyce Farmhouse, the bungalow on Sydney's colonial fringe named after pardoned convict, listed for auction". Urban.com.au. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "15 Valerie Avenue, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153". realestate.com.au. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  6. ↑ The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, p. 21, ISBN 0-207-14495-8
  7. ↑ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Finalisation of suburb changes" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "Pearce Family Cemetery". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00593. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  10. ↑ "Stockland Baulkham Hills Shopping Centre". stockland.com.au.
  11. ↑ "St Michaels Church". 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Diocese of Parramatta". Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Holy Trinity". www.htbh.org.au. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "CROSSWAY Anglican Church, Baulkham Hills North". 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "St Matthew's Uniting Church – Baulkham Hills NSW Australia". Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  16. ↑ atChurch. "Norwest Anglican". norwestanglican.org.au.
  17. ↑ atChurch. "Chapel Lane". chapellane.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  18. ↑ "Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly Communities, Baulkham hills". aussieweb.com.au.
  19. ↑ "Rio Olympics 2016: Baulkham Hills sailor Tom Burton wins gold in men's laser". Archived from the original on 13 September 2016 – via hillsnews.com.au.

33°45′34″S 150°59′25″E / 33.75944°S 150.99028°E / -33.75944; 150.99028

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