Hill Top is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands

Southern Highlands, New South Wales

The Southern Highlands, also locally referred to as the Highlands, is a geographical region and district in New South Wales, Australia and is 110 km south-west of Sydney. The entire region is under the local government area of the Wingecarribee Shire...

  of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, in Wingecarribee Shire. Previous names of the village include Hilltop and Jellore. It is a 17 km drive to Mittagong

Mittagong, New South Wales

Mittagong is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. At the 2006 census, Mittagong had a population of 7,460 people. The town can be seen as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. The town is close to Bowral, Berrima,...

 and around 10 km drive to the Hume Highway

Hume Highway

The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...

 via Colo Vale

Colo Vale, New South Wales

Colo Vale is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. It is situated 2 km north-west of Aylmerton, 5 km from the Hume Highway and 12 km drive to Mittagong....

. It is roughly 6–8 km to Yerrinbool

Yerrinbool, New South Wales

Yerrinbool is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wingecarribee Shire, and is accessible from the Hume Highway and is about 12 km drive from nearby Mittagong. It is 6–8 km by foot to Hill Top as the crow flies. It was previously officially...

 as the crow flies. At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Hill Top had a population of 1,802 people.

The village is colloquially referred to as Hilltopia.

History

It was formerly on the Main Southern Railway, until that line was deviated in 1919 to a less steep alignment with easier grades. The original line became the Picton Loop line, which closed in 1978. The remains of Hill Top station platform can still be seen.

Facilities

Hill Top has commercial facilities such as a bakery, chemist, general store, liquor store, real estate agent, fast food outlet and GP's surgery.

Community facilities include a post office, tennis courts, sporting fields, day-care centre, primary school, fire station, church and community hall.

It is home to the Southern Highlands Rifle Club's shooting range. In 2007, controversially, it was proposed that this range be extended 10 square kilometres on Crown Land near Hill Top into the Southern Highlands Regional Shooting Complex upon the government-proposed closure of the large ANZAC Rifle Range

ANZAC Rifle Range

The ANZAC Rifle Range is the largest rifle range in the southern hemisphere, and is located on the Malabar Headland, south of Sydney. It is headquarters to the New South Wales Rifle Association, and hosts the annual NSW Queen's Prize...

 at Malabar Heads. However, it was met by strong opposition by local residents and councillors who are concerned about the noise, traffic and environmental affects it could have on the area due to the proposed complex being in close proximity to the residential area and water catchment

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 area of Hill Top. The local newspaper, Southern Highlands News interviewed National Parks Association Chairman, Tony Hill who said that the range would create "a toxic legacy that will go on for hundreds of years."

Hill Top has a soccer team known as the Hill Top Kookaburras. The team is a member of the Highlands Soccer Association and plays in the Highlands Competition.

Photo gallery