Hornsby Heights is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hornsby Heights is located 20 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. The suburb is often referred to as Upper North Shore. Hornsby Heights lies predominately on the high narrow ridges of the Hornsby Plateau above the eastern side of Galston Gorge and the Berowra Valley National Park which makes up the suburb's rugged and beautiful northern, western and much of its eastern boundaries. On the southern and southeastern side of the suburb, the boundaries meet with Hornsby and to a lesser extent, Asquith. The road entry to Hornsby Heights can only be made via Galston Rd through Hornsby from the south or from the north-west via Galston Gorge. The main characteristics of the area are its leafy bushland setting and the many short avenues leading to quiet cul de sacs branching off the 2 main roads, Galston and Sommerville Rds. The steepness of some of its streets are also a feature, as many have been cut into the surrounding valleys to maximise the available land close to the ridge edges. Bird and animal life abound in the suburb, with many species being regular visitors to resident's homes. Kangaroos, wallabies, Common ringtail possum and echidnas abound in the mammalian world, while Rainbow Lorikeets, Noisy Miner and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are just some of the most common birds. The flora is rich and typical of the Australian native bushland in the Hornsby area. As with any bushland suburb, the area is subject to bushfire risk during summer so it has its own Rural Fire Service Brigade located on Galston rd.
History
The name Hornsby is derived from Convict-turned-Constable Samuel Henry Horne, who took part in the apprehension of bushrangers Dalton and MacNamara on 22 June 1830. In return he was granted land which he named Hornsby Place.
Population
At the 2016 census, there were 6,305 residents in Hornsby Heights. The most common ancestries were English 28.3%, Australian 23.5%, Irish 8.5%, Scottish 7.6% and Chinese 4.7%. 69.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 6.4%, China 2.7%, India 1.9% and New Zealand 1.6%. 80.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin at 3.1%, The most common responses for religion were No Religion 31.1%, Catholic 22.3% and Anglican 18.3%. The median weekly household income was high at $2,273. Most dwellings were separate houses and these tended to be large, with 56.4% having 4 or more bedrooms. Home ownership was popular, with 38.3% of people owning their home outright and 51.4% paying off a mortgage. The median monthly mortgage payment was $2,500 and this was higher than the national figure of $1,755.
Parks
Hornsby Heights is dominated by parks. The suburb is encircled by the Berowra Valley Regional Park. Parks within Hornsby Heights are Rofe Park and Montview Oval. Rofe Park is located on Galston Road and has a leash-free dog area. Crosslands Reserve, a camping and picnic area is at the northern end of Hornsby Heights. Hornsby Heights also contains small parks such as Ulolo, off Galston Road, and Leonora Close Park, off Sommerville Road. Many of these can be found around various quiet streets. The Galston Gorge to Crosslands section of the Great North Walk runs along the western boundary of Hornsby Heights.
Transport
At the 2016 Census, 23.7% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 66.2% by car.
Buses
Hornsby Heights is serviced by bus route number 596, operated byTransdev NSW. The bus runs in a loop from Hornsby railway station. The loop takes in Galston Road, Somerville Road and the area around Montview Oval. On a weekday the buses run between the approximate hours of 6 am and 10 pm. A reduced service operates on weekends and public holidays.
Cycling
A cycling lane exists along both sides of Galston Road, between Hookhams Corner and the descent into Galston Gorge.
Schools
Schools in Hornsby Heights include Hornsby Heights Public School and Hornsby North Public School. Hornsby North Public School sits on the boundary between Hornsby and Hornsby Heights. Hornsby Heights Public School celebrated its 50th birthday in 2011.
Churches
Saint Luke's Anglican Church is located at 155 Galston Road. Hornsby Heights lies within the Ku-ring-gai Chase Catholic parish. Hornsby Heights Baptist Church is at 110A Galston Road, next to the shopping centre.
