Normanhurst was originally known as Hornsby, with the suburb that is now known as Hornsby called Jack's Island.
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The land on which Normanhurst stands was granted to Constable Horne, who along with Constable John Thorn, captured bushrangers Dalton and John MacNamara, leader of the North Rocks gang on 22 June 1830. Constable Horne's land became what is now known as Normanhurst and Constable Thorn's land became the neighbouring suburb of Thornleigh.[citation needed]
The construction of the Main Northern and North Shore railway lines in the 1890s brought about a name change. The two lines were joined at a station called Hornsby Junction, whereas the station one stop south on the Northern line kept the name Hornsby. Due to confusion around the similarly named stops, the postmaster demanded that Hornsby station change its name.[4]
The railway station originally known as 'Hornsby', opened on 21 November 1895[3] and the name was changed by the local community to Normanhurst in 1900.
The first Hornsby Post Office opened on 1 August 1864 and was renamed South Hornsby in 1900 and Normanhurst in 1905.[5]
Normanhurst was derived from the name of a prominent resident, civil engineer Norman Selfe (1839–1911),[6] with hurst being the English word for a wooded hill. Selfe protested against the name change, preferring the name St Normans, which he suggested would have been "more elegant and suggestive".[7] The railway station was renamed in 1900 and was used for the suburb that developed around it.
Normanhurst is divided by Pennant Hills Road, a major north-south road that leads north to the M1 Motorway, and south towards Parramatta. However, both the east and west sections have extensive bush access. On the east side, a small section of bush lies between Normanhurst and Fox Valley. This is land occupied by the SAN Hospital. On the western side, the suburb backs onto the southern reaches of the Berowra Valley, a continuous section of bush stretching all the way to Broken Bay. This gives Normanhurst a very "leafy" and rural look. In turn the rural quality is said to contribute to the abundance of bird life. The area is home to cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, noisy miners, native brush turkeys, and powerful owls. Additionally, Normanhurst has several small waterfalls, which promote reptile and marsupial life, such as Eastern grey kangaroos, echidnas and red-bellied black snakes. It also has encouraged the growth of retirement residences in the suburb. The Hornsby Shire Historical Society and Museum is located on Kenley Road.
Normanhurst is serviced by rail and buses. Normanhurst railway station is on the Northern Line of the Sydney Trains network. CDC NSW's Upper North Shore service provide bus services to the area.
At the 2021 census, only 4.4% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 30.0% by car (either as driver or as passenger).[1]Pennant Hills Road is a major road in Sydney.
At the 2021 census, the suburb of Normanhurst recorded a population of 5,387.[1]
Age and sex distribution
Children aged 15 and under made up 20.2% of the population, slightly higher than the national average of 18.2%. Residents aged 65 and over made up 18.7% of the total population (the national average was 17.2%). 49.7% of residents were male and 50.3% were female.
Ethnic and cultural diversity
Almost two-thirds of the population (63.0%) were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China 7.1%, India 4.4%, and England 4.3%. Only 29.5% of the population identified their ancestry as Australian, 31.2% English, 14.0% Chinese, 9.3% Irish, and 8.8% Scottish. The most commonly spoken language at home other than English includes Mandarin 8.3%, Cantonese 2.6%, and Korean 2.0%, 68.2% of the population of Normanhurst used English only at home.
Normanhurst is home to the Normanhurst Eagles Football Club, their home ground is Normanhurst Oval. The club caters for both male and female football players in junior and senior divisions. The club's flagship team currently play in the Gladesville Hornsby Football Association's top-tier Premier League competition.
Normanhurst-Warrawee Cricket Club also plays in Normanhurst, and is one of the most successful clubs in the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Hills District Cricket Association, and has made several junior statewide twenty20 finals. The club's home ground is Normanhurst Park, as is its clubroom.
^ abRowland, Joan (2008). "Hornsby". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Archived from the original on 19 December 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
^Pollon, Frances (1990). The Book of Sydney Suburbs. Australia: Angus & Robertson. ISBN0-207-14495-8.
^Murray-Smith, S (2006) [1976]. "Norman Selfe (1839–1911)". Selfe, Norman (1839–1911). Vol. 6. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013 – via Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
^ Selfe, Norman (July 1910) Some account of St Paul's Church, Hornsby (now Normanhurst and Wahroonga): with a few reminiscences of the old village of Hornsby, printed for the subscribers, p. 14. Cited in Freyne (2009)
^"Queen of Peace, Normanhurst Community COMMUNITY". Established The Parish began on the second Sunday in May viz. 9 May 1971, in Loreto Chapel Normanhurst and functioned there for more than six years, courtesy of the Loreto Sisters. In 1973 the Council approved the construction of a Church and Priests' residence. Construction of the Church commenced on 5 June 1976. The Parish Church and Presbytery were blessed and opened on 31 July 1977 by Cardinal Freeman. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
^"Normanhursh Uniting Church". In 1977 with the advent of the "Unitng Church in Australia" these churches combined to form one Parish. At that time there were several churches/congregations in the Parish. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
