Gordon
In the 1920s, Gordon was considered to be one of the healthiest suburbs on the North Shore line. Situated 116 metres above sea level on the ridge which divides the Lane Cove upper valley from the Upper reaches of Middle Harbour, and at the time in a bushland area, it attracted people who wanted to build their homes in a peaceful, away-from-it-all atmosphere, and yet close to the city. Though the area around Pacific Highway and Gordon railway station can today be described as being well and truly "built up, those parts away from the highway and railway towards the surrounding valleys of Gordon and the neighbouring suburbs of Pymble and West Pymple still enjoy the bushland atmosphere that brought the pioneers settlers here around a century ago".
Gordon Rotary Market
Near Gordon Railway Station, Gordon
Trading: 2nd Sunday of the Month - 8:30am - 3pm
Type: General
Phone: (02) 9418 2373
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St John the Evangelist Church of England, Gordon: This historic church, built in 1872, is an historic point of interest in this charming suburb. The church replaced an early one built in 1832 and destroyed by a bushfire in 1862. Ten years later, renowned Sydney architect Edmund Blackett was called in the design its replacement. The church's graveyard is the resting place of many well-known pioneers of the North Shore district and early residents of Gordon.
Eryldene: A well known house in Gordon, designed by William Hardy Wilson (1881-1955) for Prof. Eben Gowrie Waterhouse, an expert of camelias, and his wife, Janet. The camelia gardens at Caringbah in Sydney's south are named in his honour. The house was designed to link with its formal garden setting, which was laid out by Wilson and Professor Waterhouse and is testimony to their shared interest in the Orient. In 1993, the house opened as a museum and operates under the administration of a Trust. It is open to the public at set times from April to September. The house has beautiful gardens and is particularly worth visiting when camelias are in bloom.
17 McIntosh Street, Gordon. Ph (02) 9498 2271
A strip of natural bushland wedged between the suburbs of Turramurra and Pymble, it is a rare example of the high forest which once covered the whole of the Upper North Shore. It features natural stands of blue gums and blackbutts on the ridge tops and coachwood and sarsparilla along the creek. A track through the forest, which is maintained by the Ku-Ring-Gai Council, can be accessed from Warrigal Street, Jubilee Avenue, Kimbarra Road and Troon Avenue. Jubilee Avenue, Pymble. The track meanders through the beautiful bushland, along ridge tops, through open forest on the hill slopes and down to the creek side. Sheldon Forest is of high conservation status because it contains some of the last remnants of the endangered ecological communities Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest and Blue Gum High Forest.
Public transport: train to Pymble. Walk north along Pacific Hwy, left into Beechworth rd, right into Ashmore Ave.
There are many small waterfalls and rapids on the creeks of Sydney's upper north shore and this is one of the more well known and accessible of them. Located in St. Johns Bush, it is a short, easy walk from the lower end of St Johns Ave. beyond the Gordon Golf Course. A bridge crosses the creek above the falls though the view of the falls there says is partly obscured by bush. A walking path leads to the falls, which has two drops of approx. 3 metres each. The walking path joins with the Blackbutt Track, a fire trail which leads to Blackbutt Reserve through which flows Blackbutt Creek. Blackbutt Creek has some of the tallest Blackbutts, along with attractive Turpentines and Peppermint woodland. Blackbutt Reserve, St Johns Avenue, Gordon.d running back from the river from Mitchell's old road. Today this road is flanked by rockeries and chimneys in the bush. There is no sign of habitation on the Engadine side of the river.
St Ives is a semi-rural suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, some 18 kilometres north of the Sydney Central Business District. St Ives Chase is a separate suburb, to the north. St Ives has wide tree lined streets, larger homes, is surrounded by parks and natural bush, meaning there is plenty of nature to keep you stimulated. Residents believe it is a great place if privacy and quiet neighbours are a must. The general feel is of law abiding, middle class family oriented people on the conservative side of politics. In recent years, quite a few South Africans have settled into the area,meaning if you are a biltong fan, you will be able to find it and other South African food in St Ives (Stanley St).
St Ives is one of the few places in Australia to have a Jewish Eruv, which is a set of small plastic pipes attached to power poles. According to Jewish Law the Eruv turns public space into private space and allows Jewish mothers to push prams on the Sabbath, to attend synagogue with young children and to socialise with friends. Eruvs have been in use since biblical times and today are in place in many major cities - New York, London, Johannesburg, Melbourne and there is one in the eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi. The erection of the Eruv has been a divisive issue in the community.
16 kilometres north-west of the Sydney Central Business District on Pacific Highway and the Hornsby North Shore railway line, Pymble is a predominantly residential area with tree-lined streets, many substantial homes and gardens, numerous parks, nature reserves, and active pockets of commercial activity. There are a numerous untouched bush reserves which offer a taste of the original natural beauty of the region, Sheldon Forest being a prime example. A 7ha strip of original bushland wedged between the suburbs of Turramurra and Pymble, it is a rare example of the high forest which once covered the whole of the Upper North Shore. It features natural stands of Blue Gums and Blackbutts on the ridge tops and Coachwood and Sarsparilla along the creek.
The neighbouring suburb of Killara is 14 kilometres north-west of the Sydney Central Business District. Killara is an Aboriginal word meaning permanent or always there. The name of the suburb was chosen when the railway line opened in 1899. James George Edwards was a representative of the people who requested a station be built here. The suburb was established as a 'Gentlemen's suburb', designed so that there would be no commercial ventures in the area. For this reason, the suburb has very few shops in the original development. The suburb is home to Killara High School, one of the highest performing non-selective government secondary school in the state of New South Wales.
During much of the 19th century, Killara remained virgin bush but was cleared of much of its timber. One of the most well known timber getters was Joseph Fiddens, an emancipated convict who logged Killara's blue gum forest. Orchards were scattered through the bush until the arrival of the railway in 1899. A hostel, erected in 1835 and later replaced by the Green Gate Hotel, was a landmark for stage coach travellers. It was the residents of Killara who first lobbied the government in 1875 to construct a railway through the Upper North Shore region.
Killara later became the home of the famous architect Harry Seidler, whose home designed by him and his wife Penelope in the 1960s can still be seen in Kalang Avenue. It is sometimes known as Killara House and sometimes as Harry and Penelope Seidler House. The couple moved into the house on Harry Seidler's birthday in 1967. The garden contains a sculpture by the Los Angeles sculptor Eric Orr. The house is heritage-listed.
The Swain Gardens were donated to Ku-ring-gai Council by Mr Swain, a Sydney bookseller, in the 1920s, and are today maintained by the council and volunteers. The gardens have been listed by the National Trust of Australia.
