| Type: | suburb |
| Castle Hill | |
| City: | Sydney |
| State: | nsw |
| Lga: | Hornsby Shire |
| Lga2: | The Hills Shire |
| Postcode: | 2154[1] |
| Coordinates: | -33.7292°N 151.0039°W |
| Alternative Location Map: | Australia Sydney |
| Local Map: | yes |
| Zoom: | 12 |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Pop: | 40,874 |
| Est: | 1802 |
| Stategov: | Castle Hill |
| Fedgov: | Mitchell |
| Near-Nw: | Kellyville |
| Near-N: | Glenhaven |
| Near-Ne: | Dural |
| Near-W: | Norwest |
| Near-E: | Cherrybrook |
| Near-S: | West Pennant Hills |
| Near-Se: | West Pennant Hills |
| Dist1: | 34 |
| Dir1: | north-west |
| Location1: | Sydney CBD |
| Elevation: | 142 |
Castle Hill is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located 34 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district[2] and 9.5 kilometres north of Parramatta.[3] It is within the Hills District region, split between the local government areas of The Hills Shire and Hornsby Shire.
The land that is now called Castle Hill was originally home to the Bidjigal people, who are believed to be a clan of the Darug people, who occupied all the land to the immediate west of Sydney. The best-known Aboriginal person from that time is Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal leader who led the resistance movement against settlers during the Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, including sacking farms in Castle Hill, before his eventual capture and killing by bounty hunter Henry Hacking.
The Bidjigal people are today commemorated by Bidjigal Reserve which straddles the suburbs of Castle Hill,, North Rocks and West Pennant Hills.
The first European visitors to the district were led by Governor Phillip in April 1791 accompanied by an entourage. Travelling from Parramatta reaching the 'hills' following the Aboriginal trails, which today are overlaid by the Windsor and Old Northern Roads. As Governor he needed to find new country for settlement and farming land for crops so as to feed a struggling infant colony.[4]
Governor King began Third Government Farm there on 8 July 1801, referring to it as "Castle Hill" on 1 March 1802. The majority of the convicts who worked the prison farm were Irish Catholics, many having been transported for seditious activity in 1798. They were branded "politicals" and exiled for life, never to return.
The first free settler in Castle Hill, a Frenchman Baron Verincourt de Clambe, in unusual circumstances received a grant of 200 acres (81 ha) in 1802. It has been suggested that locals of the time commonly referred to de Clambe's house ("The Hermitage")[5] as "The Castle" because of the Baron's noble status.[6]
On Sunday night 4 March 1804, the convicts rose up as one in what was to become known as the Castle Hill convict rebellion, also known as the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill.[7] [8]
In later years, the area became filled with market gardens and orchards which supplied Sydney. As Sydney expanded, the orchards disappeared and were replaced with a sprawl of suburban dwellings, retail and commercial establishments and light industry. The Hills Shire Council commemorates the shire's former role as an orange-growing area with the Orange Blossom Festival each year.
Castle Hill Post Office opened on 1 January 1869.[9]
In the past Castle Hill was serviced by the Rogans Hill railway line to Parramatta to take the rural area's produce to the city. However, it was closed in 1932, due to competition with buses, trucks and cars.
Local landmarks include:
A notable part of Castle Hill's cultural history was the period from the post-war period until 1968 in which Nobel laureate Patrick White and his partner Manoly Lascaris lived at 74 Showground Road in a house they named "Dogwoods". For much of that period, they worked several hectares of farmland at the site. White wrote several of his most well-known novels while at Castle Hill; the suburb formed the basis of fictional settings for the novels The Tree of Man, The Solid Mandala, Riders in the Chariot, the collection of short stories The Burnt Ones, and the play The Season at Sarsaparilla. In his work, Castle Hill went variously by the names of "Sarsaparilla" and Durilgai". White based several characters on his experience of local individuals in Castle Hill at the time.[13]
Castle Hill has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
| Selected data from for Castle Hill | ||
|---|---|---|
| Population | Estimated residents on census night | 40,874 |
| Estimated ATSI population on census night | 157 | |
| Cultural and language diversity | ||
| Ancestry,top responses | English | 21.4% |
| Chinese | 20.2% | |
| 19.4% | ||
| Indian | 7.4% | |
| 7.1% | ||
| Language,top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 11.4% |
| Cantonese | 4.8% | |
| Korean | 3.1% | |
| Hindi | 2.3% | |
| Persian (excluding Dari) | 2.0% | |
| Religious affiliation | ||
| Religious affiliation,top responses | No Religion, so described | 29.6% |
| Catholic | 23.7% | |
| Anglican | 11.3% | |
| Hinduism | 6.2% | |
| Not Stated | 4.6% | |
| Median weekly incomes | ||
| Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$931 |
| % of Australian median income | 115.7% | |
| Family income | Median weekly family income | A$2,858 |
| % of Australian median income | 134.8% | |
| Household income | Median weekly household income | A$2,551 |
| % of Australian median income | 146.1% | |
| Dwelling structure | ||
| Dwelling type | Separate house | 73.7% |
| Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse | 10.9% | |
| Flat or apartment | 15.3% | |
According to the, there were 40,874 residents in Castle Hill. 53.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were China 9.2%, India 5.4%, England 3.0%, South Korea 2.5% and Hong Kong 1.9%. In Castle Hill 54.4% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 11.4%, Cantonese 4.8%, Korean 3.1%, Hindi 2.3% and Persian 2.0%. The most common responses for religion in Castle Hill were No Religion 29.6%, Catholic 23.7% and Anglican 11.3%.
Castle Hill residents have a personal income that is 15.7% greater than the median national income.