The North Shore refers to those suburbs of Sydney, Australia which are located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour, and between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River. The suburbs of Mosman, Cremorne, North Sydney and Lane Cove which are adjacent to the harbour are often referred to as the Lower North Shore, one of most affluent areas of Sydney. Suburbs north of Chatswood in Ku-ring-gai are referred to as the Upper North Shore.

History

After the establishment of Sydney in 1788, settlement of the North Shore of the harbour was quite limited. The north shore was more rugged than the southern shore and western areas of the harbour, and had limited agricultural potential. The early activities in the area included chopping down many of the tall trees which grew there, boatbuilding, and some orchard farming in the limited areas of good soil. The North Shore Line was originally built in the 1890s to link the settlements in the area, and suburban development gradually expanded. However access to Sydney, located on the southern shore of the harbour, remained very limited. The completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 marked the commencement of a massive expansion of suburbs on the North Shore between 1932 and the 1970s.

Geography

Most of the North Shore suburbs are part of the Hawkesbury Plateau , a large sandstone plateau overlaid by a system of ridges and gullies. The Plateau begins north of the Port Jackson and runs up until the Hawkesbury River. Thus much of the North Shore is hilly with many steep valleys running down into the harbour and the rivers on either side. These ridges and valleys were originally populated with dry sclerophyll forest, much of which still remains. There are many small parks and areas of the sclerophyll forest adjacent to and within residential areas, earning the area the nickname "the leafy North Shore". The Lane Cove National Park and the Garigal National Park include many areas of remnant bushland adjacent to the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour.

Transport and commercial centres

The main transport routes on the North Shore are the Pacific Highway and the North Shore Line which provide access to downtown Sydney over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Significant commercial and retail centres on the North Shore include North Sydney, Crows Nest, Chatswood, Gordon, and Hornsby.