Willoughby is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Willoughby is located 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby.

The City of Willoughby takes its name from the suburb but its administrative centre is located in the adjacent suburb of Chatswood, which is the local area's major commercial centre.

History

There is some conjecture as to how Willoughby was named. Some historians believe it was named after a parish, while others believe that Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell decided to commemorate Sir James Willoughby Gordon whom he had served during the Peninsular War and was the quartermaster-general in England when the First Fleet sailed to Botany Bay.

Captain Arthur Phillip's search for “good land, well watered” led to the discovery and colonisation of the rough shores of Roseville Chase, of which Samuel Bates built a farm at Echo Point.

Commercial area

Willoughby has a number of small shops, restaurants and hotels and is also the headquarters of Nine Network television, under the callsign of TCN-9. Next to this site is the TXA tv tower which at 233 metres high is the tallest in Australia. There are several small groupings of shops, the majority of which are on Mowbray Road, Willoughby Road, Penshurst Street and High Street.

Parks and recreation

Bicentennial Reserve which includes Hallstrom Park, features a soccer field, T Ball & softball fields and a children's playground. Willoughby Leisure Centre features a 25m lap pool, spas, children's pool, swim school, gym, basketball courts, netball courts and baseball field. Flat Rock Gully, build on a old rubbish tip, is bushland with two walking tracks to Long Bay, following the creek line.

• Carlson Park
• Julian St Park
• Willoughby Squash courts

Transport

While this suburb is not on one of Sydney's train lines, it is serviced by Sydney Buses, with a number of bus routes that cover the area. It is close to St Leonards, Artarmon and Chatswood railway stations. The Gore Hill Freeway, a route into the Sydney CBD, runs along the southern border of Willoughby, with entrance and exit at Willoughby Road. STA Bus Routes are 272 Penshurst St - Wynyard(city) via Freeway, 273 Chatswood CBD - Wynyard via North Sydney, 257 Chatswood CBD - Balmoral Beach via Neutral Bay and 267 Chatswood CBD - Crows Nest via Castlecrag and Northbridge.

Schools

• Willoughby Public School (K - Year 6)
• Willoughby Girls High School (Year 7 - Year 12, girls only)
• St Thomas' Catholic Primary School (K - Year 6, Catholic School)

Other

• Willoughby Fire Station
• 1st Willoughby Scouts
• Bridgeview Hotel

Churches

• Armenian Evangelical Church

Population

Willoughby is known for a large Armenian community, who arrived in the area in the 1960s-1970s. More Armenian families made their home here once an Armenian Apostolic Church was built on Macquarie Street, Chatswood, close to the border with Willoughby. Willoughby contains several Armenian Churches and Community Centres (Cultural Clubs). It is home to the first Armenian Saturday School which still operates on Saturdays at Willoughby Girls High.

References

External links

• Willoughby, Willoughby City Council - community profile
• North Willoughby/Willoughby East, Willoughby City Council - community profile
• Willoughby City Council - Official Willoughby City Council website
• Willoughby Girls High School - Official Willoughby Girls High School website
• Willoughby Public School - Official Willoughby Public School website