Field Trip
To Normanhurst
I’ve moved house twice in the last two and a half years, and I’m waiting (slightly impatiently) for the chance to move again, next time to Normanhurst. Of course I checked out this pocket suburb before I bought my block of land there, but it seemed like time to re-visit Normanhurst.
See how it’s looking these days. Imagine myself as a local.
About Normanhurst
Normanhurst (postcode 2076) is a leafy, Upper North Shore residential suburb located approximately 22 kilometres northwest of the Sydney CBD. It spans 2.2 square kilometres, is home to about 5,400 residents, and is known for its large family homes, tree-lined streets, and bush-adjacent lifestyle.
I looked up the stats. The Median House Price is $1,970,000 to $1,990,000, and 77% - 80% of properties are owner-occupied. The Average Hold Period for owning a home there is 11 years, reflecting a settled community.
Demographics: Median Age: 41 years, Predominant Age Group: 40 to 49 years, Household Type: Primarily couples with children, Average Household Size: 2.9 people, Occupations: Residents predominantly work in professional occupations.
The suburb was named for Norman Self, an engineer responsible for many public works in Sydney—using his given name rather than surname, a curiosity. His own home still stands on Pennant Hills Road. I discovered all this when first considering Normanhurst, and wrote about it in THIS POST.
The Village
The shops at Normanhurst can be counted on the fingers of one hand, just about, and line one side of the street opposite the station. It’s not a big ‘burb. However, perhaps reflecting those demographics above, there are no fewer than three good cafés.
I arrived by train for my field trip and began with an excellent oat latte at a place called ‘Once Upon A Time’, a café that really leans into retro, decorated with junk—I mean memorabilia—from bygone days.
As I was exploring the street I came across a beautiful homewares shop, worthy of Pymble or Mosman. Inside, the lady minding the shop asked me if I was a local. I replied with my rather long story about that. We agreed that Normanhurst is something of a hidden gem. I hope the time will soon come when I can return to the shop to select some chic accessories for my new house.
Good coffee. Making sure the essential services are there.
There is also a doctor, pizzeria, post office, bakery, liquor store, vet, and an Italian restaurant. What more do you need? If you want more, the train will take you one stop to the big smoke of Hornsby and its malls.
The Walk
The walk from Normanhurst Station to the block, on this sunny Sydney winter’s day (20 degrees C), took me 18 minutes. The route is up one pleasant street and down another, bisected by the crazy busy main road, Pennant Hills Road. However, due no doubt to the influx of school girls who have to get to Loreto College each day, that road is crossed by a pedestrian overpass. There are no traffic light crossings between the shops and my block.
Past Loreto College
Regular readers may recall that I bought my block of land from the sisters of Loreto College, Normanhurst, who had owned it since the 1890s, and subdivided it as long ago as the 1930s. I reported on the history of Loreto College in THIS POST. My walk took me past the 19th century style brick façade of the main College buildings, nestled behind ornate wrought iron.
It also led me past the school’s new boarding house, which has been under construction for the last two years. I thought I could see furniture being moved into place behind the plate glass windows, and there are no construction vehicles around, so the boarding house may be completed. My theory is that my block and its neighbours were sold by the sisters to help fund that boarding house. I feel a minor attachment to it.
Mt Pleasant Avenue
My soon-to-be-home street acquired its name from an orchard which occupied the site even before the Loreto Sisters. I wrote about this history HERE.
Today it is a quiet enough street. There are usually many parked cars near the school, but traffic is light since it is not a through road. It leads down to a retirement village, then ends at the bushland of Fox Valley.
On my walk there were autumn oak leaves falling, and some weirdly early wattle in bloom.
At the block
Having reached my still blank field of possibility, aka the block, I took a picture to date stamp and compare to future progress. We’ll see.
Time stamp on the block
On the south side, the neighbours have moved in to a single storey house. They have recently finished a retaining wall between my block and theirs, and when I visited there were tradies pouring the concrete for their driveway, cross-over and gutter.
On the north side, the neighbours have not yet moved in to their two storey house, though it must be close to completion. A few trades were about, working on the interior.
The neighbours’ driveway going in
Status Update
And where is my project at?
The plans are *almost* done. The engineering is in the works, the materials selection has been done, and updated quotes are being finalised. The wording of the contract has been negotiated. All these things are out of my hands and I can do little to hurry them, except to hassle people.
I’ll keep you informed of progress, as the saying goes.
Early wattle blooming in Normanhurst