Northern Villages is the name that refers to the small villages and hamlets

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 that make up the north 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...

 and Wingecarribee Shire. All are north of 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,...

. Historically, many either are on the Old Hume Highway

Old Hume Highway

The Old Hume Highway may be described as any part of an earlier route of the Hume Highway, which traverses Victoria and New South Wales between the cities of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia...

 or the old Picton Loop Line. In the past they were referred to as the Northern Towns. All of the Northern Villages made up the previous Mittagong (Nattai) Shire.

The postcode for the Northern Villages is the same as Mittagong: 2575. However, Balmoral has the postcode of 2571.

Villages

The villages include:

• Alpine
  Alpine, New South Wales
  Alpine is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wingecarribee Shire. It is located north-east of Aylmerton and south of Yerrinbool....
  
  
• Aylmerton
  Aylmerton, New South Wales
  Aylmerton is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is located north-east of Mittagong. The only buildings in Aylmerton are a fire station and houses, many of which are on farms...
  
  
• Balmoral
  Balmoral, New South Wales (Southern Highlands)
  Balmoral is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands area of New South Wales, Australia.Balmoral Village lies on the western side of Wilson Drive. The main street is Station Street. The village has no Post Office or shops. It has a well-maintained Village Hall, including a children's play area,...
  
   (Population: 785)
• Braemar
  Braemar, New South Wales
  Braemar is a northern village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is located 2 km north-east of Mittagong and is often considered to include the hamlet villages of Balaclava and Willow Vale....
  
   (Population: 1189) which encompasses the smaller villages of:
  • Balaclava
    Balaclava, New South Wales
    Balaclava is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is 1 km north-east of Mittagong. The village includes a service station, real estate, pre-school, nursery and antiques store. It is located in Wingecarribee Shire and is often...
    
    
  • Willow Vale
• 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....
  
   (Population: 1180)
• Hill Top
  Hill Top, New South Wales
  Hill Top is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. Previous names of the village include Hilltop and Jellore. It is a 17 km drive to Mittagong and around 10 km drive to the Hume Highway via Colo Vale. It is roughly 6–8 km...
  
   (Population: 1600)
• 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...
  
   (Population: 1033)

History

Hill Top

Hill Top, New South Wales

Hill Top is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. Previous names of the village include Hilltop and Jellore. It is a 17 km drive to Mittagong and around 10 km drive to the Hume Highway via Colo Vale. It is roughly 6–8 km...

, 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....

, Willow Vale, Balmoral

Balmoral, New South Wales

Balmoral is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Balmoral is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman and is part of the Lower North Shore....

 as well as Braemar

Braemar, New South Wales

Braemar is a northern village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is located 2 km north-east of Mittagong and is often considered to include the hamlet villages of Balaclava and Willow Vale....

 are located on the historical Picton Loop Line which used to be part of the Main Southern railway line

Main Southern railway line, New South Wales

The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...

 which closed in 1919 upon the building of a new alignment ( see Southern Highlands railway line

Southern Highlands railway line, New South Wales

The Southern Highlands Line is a section of the Main South railway line, and part of the CityRail outer suburban network. Its main service areas are the Southern Highlands Region , the Southern Tablelands Region and the Wollondilly section of the Macarthur Region of New South Wales...

). Notably, the railway's legacy still remains with old Loop line and stations still intact until this day and being used recreationally by Thirmere's

Thirlmere, New South Wales

Thirlmere is a small semi-rural town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire. Popularly known for its railway origins, the town is located 89 km south west of Sydney , one third of the distance from Sydney to Canberra...

 Railway Museum for the museum's antique steam trains.

The new line that was opened in 1919 that replaced the old Picton Loop line was built a few kilometres east into the villages of 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...

, Alpine

Alpine, New South Wales

Alpine is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wingecarribee Shire. It is located north-east of Aylmerton and south of Yerrinbool....

, Aylmerton

Aylmerton, New South Wales

Aylmerton is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is located north-east of Mittagong. The only buildings in Aylmerton are a fire station and houses, many of which are on farms...

 and Balaclava

Balaclava, New South Wales

Balaclava is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is 1 km north-east of Mittagong. The village includes a service station, real estate, pre-school, nursery and antiques store. It is located in Wingecarribee Shire and is often...

. This line is still in use and Yerrinbool is the only Northern Village that has a functioning Cityrail

CityRail

CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...

 station that is in use.

Braemar and its surrounding villages are also located on the historic Old Hume Highway

Old Hume Highway

The Old Hume Highway may be described as any part of an earlier route of the Hume Highway, which traverses Victoria and New South Wales between the cities of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia...

 along with Yerrinbool, Alpine and Aylmerton until the construction of the current 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...

 in the 1980s.

National Parks

Hill Top, Balmoral, Yerrinbool, Colo Vale and parts of Braemar are surrounded by the Nattai National Park

Nattai National Park

Nattai is a national park in New South Wales , 150 km southwest of Sydney. It is part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and primarily encompasses the valley of the Nattai River, which is surrounded by spectacular sandstone cliffs. The park is covered in dry sclerophyll forest...

and small reservations that make up the national park the Bargo State Conservation Area and Jellore State Forest.

Development

The Northern Villages mostly serve as residential areas with small commercial businesses such as general stores. However, recently Braemar (because of its growth is now considered part of Mittagong) has grown commercially and industrially with businesses taking advantage of zoned areas in the North of Braemar. This is because Braemar is next to railway and is close to the Hume Highway and its ramps.