Dangar Island Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | |||||||||||||||
Population | 313 (SAL 2021) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 920.7/km2 (2,385/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2083 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 0.29 km2 (0.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Location | 50 km (31 mi) from Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Hornsby Shire | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Hornsby [2] | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Berowra [3] | ||||||||||||||
|
Dangar Island is a forested island, 30.8 hectares (76 acres) in area, [4] in the Hawkesbury River, on the northern outskirts of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Dangar Island is a suburb of Hornsby Shire and as at the 2021 census had a population of 313, which swells dramatically during holiday seasons. The island is serviced regularly by Brooklyn Ferry Service and departs from Brooklyn and takes about fifteen minutes. The Brooklyn ferry is itself adjacent to Hawkesbury River railway station. The ferry service is in operation 7 days a week.
Dangar Island has been known to the local Guringai Aboriginal nation for thousands of years. The first European to visit the area was Governor Arthur Phillip, who explored the lower river by small boat in March 1788 within weeks of the First Fleet's arrival. He named it Mullet Island, for the abundance of fish in the local Hawksbury River. [5] At first the local people were friendly towards him, but when he returned a year later, they would not come into contact. By 1790, over half the Guringai people had succumbed to the smallpox the British had brought with them. [6]
The island was purchased in 1864 and renamed by Henry Cary Dangar, the son of Henry Dangar, a surveyor, pastoralist and parliamentarian. [7]
Dangar leased the island to the Union Bridge Company of Chicago for the construction of the original Hawkesbury River Rail Bridge between 1886 and 1889. About 300 workers and their families lived there and the island boasted a large social hall, school, library and its own newspaper. [8]
In the 1920s the island, which is barely a five-minute walk across, was divided into residential plots, though space was reserved on the beach, the flat and the top of the hill for recreational use. Dangar Island Post Office opened on 1 September 1951 and closed in 1986. [9]
In the 2021 census, there were 313 people in Dangar Island. 63.3% of people were born in Australia, the next most common countries of birth included England 13.7%, New Zealand 5.1%, the United States of America 4.2%, Germany 1.6% and the Netherlands 1.6%. 90.4% of people spoke only English at home, followed by Spanish at 1.9%, Mandarin at 1.6% and French at 1.0%. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 65.2%, followed by Anglican at 8.6%, Catholic at 6.7% and Buddhism at 3.2%. [10]
In contrast to much of the surrounding area, which is designated national park, Dangar Island is relatively heavily inhabited. This was not always so. The island has several tarmacked roads which are closed off to all but the community fire truck, the council ute and vehicles with special permits. There are no private cars on the island. A wheelbarrow is a common method used to haul goods from the ferry. The island has one shop/café, and a bowling club for members/visitors which has a bar. The island also has a community hall that supports several community groups, including a children's film workshop, and mains water.
The island was connected to the water supply system by the then Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board in 1971. The island has since been connected to the Sydney sewerage system by Sydney Water, via a sub-marine pipeline to the mainland and a state-of-the-art treatment plant in Brooklyn. Septic tanks are being quickly phased out by most residents, providing a boost to the Hawkesbury waterways surrounding Dangar Island. Mail is delivered to the island daily by Australia's last Riverboat Postman.
The island has a shop next to the ferry wharf that serves light snacks, coffee, breakfast and lunch. It also sells groceries and has a good supply of meat. On the weekend the Dangar Island Bowling Club, which is licensed, serves meals and you can play bowls.
Travelling by road from the south, from either Sydney or Hornsby, access is available by the M1 motorway. Drive across the Hawkesbury River Bridge at Kangaroo Point and follow the Brooklyn-Mooney Mooney turnoff just after you cross the river. Travelling by road from the north, from either Newcastle or Gosford, access is available via the M1 motorway. As you approach the Hawkesbury River you can exit the motorway via the Brooklyn-Mooney Mooney turnoff on your left hand side. Follow the signs to Brooklyn and drive through the village. At the end of the road you will find a public car park and the Dangar Island Ferry Wharf. [11]
Rail travellers can catch any all-stations train on the Central Coast & Newcastle line. If travelling from Central (Sydney), the train departs from the InterCity section (Platforms 1–15). Alight at Hawkesbury River Railway Station (after Cowan railway station). Access to and from the station platforms via lifts is an available option. The Dangar Island ferry can be seen on your left as you leave the station.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The 14,977-hectare (37,010-acre) park is 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, south of the Hawkesbury River, west of Pittwater and north of Mona Vale Road. It includes Barrenjoey Headland on the eastern side of Pittwater.
The Hills Shire is a local government area in the Greater Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The area is north-west of the Sydney central business district, and encompasses 401 square kilometres (155 sq mi) stretching from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River in the north. The Hills Shire had a population of 191,876 as of the 2021 census.
Hornsby Shire is a local government area situated on the Upper North Shore as well as parts of the Hills District, of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The shire stretches from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to the Hawkesbury River town of Wisemans Ferry, some 53 kilometres (33 mi) to the north, making it the largest local government council in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region by total area. As of the 2016 census the shire had an estimated population of 142,667.
Hornsby railway station is located at the junction of the Main Northern and North Shore lines, serving the Sydney suburb of Hornsby. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore Line and T9 Northern Line services and NSW TrainLink Intercity and regional services.
The Division of Berowra is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The Division covers the northern parts of the Greater Sydney area with the local government areas of the Hornsby Shire and the Hills Shire.
Cherrybrook is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 29 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Cherrybrook is often referred to as being located in the Hills District of Sydney.
Brooklyn is a suburb and the northern most town on the Pacific Highway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Brooklyn is located on the northern outskirts of Sydney and is located in the local government area of the Hornsby Shire with a population of 737 as of the 2021 census. Brooklyn is surrounded by the Muogamarra Nature Reserve and occupies a strip of waterfront along the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River.
Mount Colah railway station is located on the Main Northern line, serving the Mount Colah suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore Line services and some early morning and late night NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line services.
Canoelands is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Canoelands is 60 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and The Hills Shire.
Mount Kuring-gai is an outer suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mount Kuring-gai is located 31 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire.
Cowan is a small outer suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Cowan shares the postcode of 2081 with Berowra. Brooklyn, which lies 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the north-east of Cowan, is considered the northernmost suburb of the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area.
M1 Pacific Motorway is a 127-kilometre motorway linking Sydney to Newcastle via the Central Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales. Formerly known but still commonly referred to by both the public and the government as the F3 Freeway, Sydney–Newcastle Freeway, and Sydney–Newcastle Expressway, it is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane.
Long Island is an elongated island of 73 hectares in the Hawkesbury River, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the Sydney central business district,New South Wales, Australia. It is joined to the mainland at its south eastern edge by the railway causeway across Sandbrook Inlet. At the other end of this causeway is the Sydney suburb of Brooklyn in Hornsby Shire, to which Long Island belongs.
The Berowra Creek, a watercourse that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located to the north of the Sydney central business district in the Hornsby Shire of New South Wales, Australia.
Electoral district of Hornsby is an electoral district of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in Australia. Hornsby is one of two post-1927 electorates to have never been held by the Labor party and always by the Liberals, a predecessor party to the Liberals, or an independent, the other such district being Vaucluse. It is represented by Matt Kean of the Liberal Party.
Glenorie Bus Company was an Australian bus company in the Hills District of Sydney.
Mooney Mooney is a small waterfront village and suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Central Coast Council local government area at the end of a peninsula extending southwards into the Hawkesbury River, that is situated 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Sydney. Mooney Mooney has two islands which are Peat Island and Spectacle Island.
Hawkesbury River Ferries was a ferry and cruise boat operator based at Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The company operated the Dangar Island Ferry and the widely advertised Australia's last Riverboat Postman cruise, as well as other cruises and charters.
Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney's north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney is divided into distinctive regions such as the North Shore, Northern Beaches and Forest District.
Arcadia, Asquith, Berowra, Berowra Creek, Berowra Heights, Berowra Waters, Berrilee, Brooklyn, Canoelands, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Cowan, Dangar Island, Dural, Fiddletown, Forest Glen, Galston, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Hornsby, Hornsby Heights, Laughtondale, Maroota, Middle Dural, Milsons Passage, Mount Colah, Mount Kuring-Gai, Pennant Hills, Singletons Mill, West Pennant Hills, Wisemans Ferry.
Berowra covers an area from Hawkesbury River in the north, to the M2, Pennant Hills Road and North Rocks Road in the South. Osborn and Normanhurst Rd and Main Northern Railway and Belmont Parade, Cockle and Cowan Creeks in the east, Hawkesbury, Bellbird and Cattai Creeks, Boundary Road, Taylor Street, High Road, Castle Hill Road, Main Northern Railway, Old Northern Road, Gilbert Road, Merrick Way, Gawin Court and Linksley Avenue in the west. Suburbs include Annangrove, Arcadia, Berowra, Brooklyn, Cattai, Cherrybrook, Cowan, Dangar Island, Galston, Glenorie, Hornsby (part), Maroota, Middle Dural, Mount Colah (part), Mount Kuring-gai, Pennant Hills, Westleigh, West Pennant Hills and Wisemans Ferry.