Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils

economic profile

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NSROC Region

About the area

Key Statistics

Location

The NSROC (Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils) Region is located to the north of Sydney, between 3 and 25 kilometres from the Sydney GPO. The NSROC Region is bounded by the Central Coast Council area and the Hawkesbury River in the north, Cowan Creek, Middle Harbour Creek, Middle Harbour and the Northern Beaches Council area in the east, Port Jackson, the Lane Cove River and the Parramatta River in the south, and Parramatta City and The Hills Shire in the west.

Included Areas

The NSROC Region includes Hornsby Shire, the Hunters Hill Municipality, the Ku-ring-gai Council area, the Lane Cove Council area, the Mosman Council area, the North Sydney Council area, the City of Ryde and Willoughby City.

Land Use

The NSROC Region is a rural and residential area, with some commercial and industrial areas. The NSROC Region encompasses a total land area of about 640 square kilometres, including national parks, waterways and parklands. The LGA with the largest population in the NSROC Region is Hornsby Shire, with the Hunters Hill Municipality having the smallest population.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the NSROC Region were the Birrabirragal, Boregal, Cammeraygal, Darkingung, Dharug, Gonualgal, Kuringgai and Wallumedegal Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from 1792 when the first land grants were made. Land was used mainly for farming and timber-getting. Some growth took place in the 1820s and 1830s, due to improved access. Growth took place in the 1880s and 1890s, spurred by the opening of railway lines, with villages growing up around the railway stations and many market gardens and orchards established. Expansion took place in the 1920s and 1930s, aided by the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The most significant development occurred during the post-war years, with rapid growth during the 1950s and 1960s. The population of the Region increased gradually from the 1990s, rising from about 466,000 in 1991 to about 594,000 in 2016. Most of the growth from the 1990s has been in Hornsby Shire, the City of Ryde, Willoughby City and the North Sydney Council area, with considerable growth from 2006 in the Ku-ring-gai Council area. Much of the recent growth has been from urban consolidation, particularly high and medium density housing development in mixed use areas, with some redevelopment of former industrial sites.

Major Features

Major features of the Region include Garigal National Park, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Lane Cove National Park, Marramarra National Park, Sydney Harbour National Park, Parramatta River Regional Park, the Chatswood CBD, the North Sydney CBD, Westfield Hornsby Shopping Centre, Macquarie Centre (shopping centre), Top Ryde City (shopping centre), TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute (Bradfield Senior, Hornsby, Meadowbank, Ryde and St Leonards Colleges), The Northern Sydney Institute (Crows Nest Campus), Macquarie University, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, Taronga Zoo, HMAS Penguin Naval Base, HMAS Waterhen, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, North Shore Private Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney Adventist Hospital (The SAN), The Mater Hospital, the Hawkesbury River, the Lane Cove River, the Parramatta River, the Great North Walk and numerous parks, reserves, golf clubs, aquatic centres and baths.

Transport

The NSROC Region is served by the Gore Hill Freeway, the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway, the Warringah Freeway, the Hills (M2) Motorway, the Bradfield Highway, the Pacific Highway and the North Shore, Northern and Central Coast & Newcastle railway lines.

Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils

economic profile