Hornsby Shire, located on the Upper North Shore and parts of the Hills District in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a significant local government area. Stretching from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to the Hawkesbury River town of Wisemans Ferry in the north, it holds the distinction of being the largest local government council in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region by total area. As of the 2016 census, the shire boasted an estimated population of 142,667 residents.
Cr. Philip Ruddock, a member of the Liberal Party, serves as the current mayor of Hornsby Shire, having been elected on 9 September 2017.
The traditional lands of Hornsby Shire were originally occupied by the Darug and Kuringgai peoples of indigenous Australians. European settlement began in late 1788, but permanent European settlement didn’t take hold until nearly fifty years later due to the rugged landscape of the region.
The name “Hornsby” derives from convict-turned-Constable Samuel Horne, who captured bushrangers Dalton and MacNamara on 22 June 1830 and was subsequently granted land in the area known as “Hornsby Place.”
Hornsby Shire remained largely rural for many years, with the construction of the Main North railway line in the 1880s marking a significant milestone in its accessibility. However, it wasn’t until the widespread use of motor vehicles in the 1950s that the southern part of the Shire truly integrated into Sydney’s suburban fabric. The Shire was officially incorporated as a local government authority on 6 March 1906.
In 2015, a review of local government boundaries suggested merging Hornsby Shire with adjoining councils. While some proposals were considered, including a merger with Ku-ring-gai Council, the Berejiklian government ultimately decided against forced mergers, resulting in the retention of Hornsby Shire’s northern suburbs and the loss of the lucrative area south of the M2, including Epping and Carlingford.
Source Url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornsby_Shire
