Mount Colah, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Mount Colah is a suburb of northern Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Mount Colah is located 29 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire
.
Mount Colah is 5 km north of Hornsby
, the nearest major town centre. Mount Colah is one of the most northerly suburbs of Sydney, it is also the second highest suburb in Sydney in terms of elevation. Considered one of Sydney's leafier suburbs, streets are clustered around the Pacific Highway
. Mount Colah is bordered to the east by the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
. Also named Australia Day 2010 Best Suburb in Australia.
The F3 Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
was built through Mount Colah in 1988 and opened in March 1989. In the process it cut through an old World War II gravel airstrip, and isolated 2 holes of the Asquith
Golf Course just to the south. Some World War II building remnants are still visible nearby.
Mount Colah was recently voted "Australia's Best Suburb" through an online poll conducted by Ninemsn.
runs along the eastern side of the suburb. The F3 has an entrance / exit at Mount Colah towards Sydney. This is the scene of many traffic jams if accidents occur between Mount Colah and Berowra
.
Mount Colah railway station is on the Main North Line
and a regular bus service runs to most parts of the suburb.
. The group includes a variety of small retailers, restaurants and food stores, as well as a truck stop that has been servicing locals and truck drivers detouring from the F3 since the 1950s. To the east of the railway station lies a community centre and primary school, doctor's clinic, dental clinic and a pharmacy that combines postal services.
Nearby the streets are named for flora, such as Foxglove Road, which was named for the flowers that were once grown in the area. Other similar street names there include Red Cedar Drive, Acorn Place and Chestnut Street. Foxglove Oval replaced a small land fill area, and caters to various field and track sports as well as other competitive community level sports.
The next closest name theme is explorer based. For example, a few are Hume Place, Flinders Place, Burke Place and Eyre Place.
On the East side of Mt Colah. The streets running East-West follow the local suburbs names: Colah Road, Cowan Road, Berowra Road, Kuring-gai Chase Road. Running North-South they follow a botanical theme, Neridah Avenue, Telopea Street and Myall Avenue are all Australian botanical species names.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state 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...
. Mount Colah is located 29 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire
Hornsby Shire
Hornsby Shire is a Local Government Area in the Northern region of Sydney, Australia. The Shire stretches from the suburb of Eastwood in the south to the Hawkesbury River town of Wisemans Ferry, some to the north...
.
Mount Colah is 5 km north of Hornsby
Hornsby, New South Wales
* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
, the nearest major town centre. Mount Colah is one of the most northerly suburbs of Sydney, it is also the second highest suburb in Sydney in terms of elevation. Considered one of Sydney's leafier suburbs, streets are clustered around the Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
. Mount Colah is bordered to the east by the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Ku-ring-gai Chase is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 25 km north of Sydney located largely within the Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Warringah and Pittwater municipal areas. Ku-ring-gai Chase is also officially classed as a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales...
. Also named Australia Day 2010 Best Suburb in Australia.
History
Mount Colah was originally known as Colah - the name first used by naturalist George Caley to describe a koala in a letter to botanist Sir Joseph Banks. When Hornsby became a shire in 1906 the name was changed to Mount Colah. Max Warton is often mentioned as the founder of Mt Colah, but in truth it was a team effort by Max Warton and Sean Grace, with Max founding East Mt Colah and Sean founding West Mt Colah.The F3 Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
was built through Mount Colah in 1988 and opened in March 1989. In the process it cut through an old World War II gravel airstrip, and isolated 2 holes of the Asquith
Asquith
Asquith refers to:Persons of the Asquith family, descended from or related to H.H. Asquith, a British prime minister, later a peer:*Herbert Henry Asquith , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
Golf Course just to the south. Some World War II building remnants are still visible nearby.
Mount Colah was recently voted "Australia's Best Suburb" through an online poll conducted by Ninemsn.
Transport
The Pacific Highway and Ku-ring-gai Chase Road are the main arterial roads in Mount Colah. The F3 Sydney-Newcastle FreewaySydney-Newcastle Freeway
The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
runs along the eastern side of the suburb. The F3 has an entrance / exit at Mount Colah towards Sydney. This is the scene of many traffic jams if accidents occur between Mount Colah and Berowra
Berowra, New South Wales
Berowra is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Berowra is located 38 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire...
.
Mount Colah railway station is on the Main North Line
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
and a regular bus service runs to most parts of the suburb.
Commercial area
A small group of shops is located on the Pacific HighwayPacific Highway
Pacific Highway may refer to:*Pacific Highway - Queensland/New South Wales Border-Sydney*Pacific Motorway - Brisbane - Gold Coast *Pacific Highway , the name of several highways in the United States...
. The group includes a variety of small retailers, restaurants and food stores, as well as a truck stop that has been servicing locals and truck drivers detouring from the F3 since the 1950s. To the east of the railway station lies a community centre and primary school, doctor's clinic, dental clinic and a pharmacy that combines postal services.
School
Mount Colah Public School is on the eastern side of the railway line. The school was built in 1953, and replaced an asparagus farm. It is a primary school, catering for K-6 students. The (recently constructed) school hall acts as the suburb's polling place for voting in local, state and federal elections.Residential areas
Street names in the most northern part of Mount Colah are associated with the Arthurian Legend such as: Sprigg Place, Arthurs Circle, Merlin Close, Excelsior Road, Round Table Close, Excalibur Close, Galahad Close, Lancelot Street and Camelot Close. All of these streets either branch off from, or are accessed via, Excelsior Road, which itself follows a ridgeline.Nearby the streets are named for flora, such as Foxglove Road, which was named for the flowers that were once grown in the area. Other similar street names there include Red Cedar Drive, Acorn Place and Chestnut Street. Foxglove Oval replaced a small land fill area, and caters to various field and track sports as well as other competitive community level sports.
The next closest name theme is explorer based. For example, a few are Hume Place, Flinders Place, Burke Place and Eyre Place.
On the East side of Mt Colah. The streets running East-West follow the local suburbs names: Colah Road, Cowan Road, Berowra Road, Kuring-gai Chase Road. Running North-South they follow a botanical theme, Neridah Avenue, Telopea Street and Myall Avenue are all Australian botanical species names.