The History of Willoughby

By corey | December 2, 2015 |

Willoughby is an upscale suburb situated in Sydney’s Lower North Shore (NSW) Australia. It is 8kms to the north of Sydney CBD, in City of Willoughby’s local government area. This city takes its name from this suburb; however, its administrative centre is situated in Chatswood, its adjacent suburb. The latter is the major commercial centre of this area.

All of the Lower North Shore area, which includes the current day Willoughby area, used to be home of the ancient Camaraigal people of the Guringai language nation. This particular group was especially distinguished by its sheer numbers, their people’s muscular and robust physique as well as its authority and dominance over the surrounding groups. It’s possible that its superiority may have partly been due to the fact that the region has some of the best fishing grounds.

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The Aboriginal Population

Eventually, the arrival of the Europeans would have a very devastating impact on the Sydney area’s Aboriginal population. By 1789, fifty percent of the area’s population has been eradicated by smallpox; by 1830, there were absolutely no First Australian communities right across the Willoughby area. There is evidence of some early family life in this area, which is made up of artwork in caves, various middens as well as photographs of the rock carvings found in the Northbridge area.

Even in the current day, some Aboriginal people who live in this area are also able to trace their ancestry right to the Camaraigal clan, though there are a number of Aboriginal people who reside in this region and maintain very close cultural as well as spiritual links, in very contemporary ways.

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Willoughby – Where did the name come from?

There is some debate as to how Willoughby was actually named. Some historians believe that its name was derived from that of a parish. There is another story too – Sir Thomas Mitchell, the Surveyor-General had served Sir James Willoughby Gordon in the course of the Peninsular war. The latter was the Quartermaster General in England at the time First Fleet sailed into Botany Bay. Some believe that Sir Mitchell decided that he wanted to commemorate the Surveyor General and named the area after him.

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Later Developments

By 1871, a number of developments started taking place in Willoughby. In 1871, the first post office was built here and later that year, the Pommy Lodge was constructed in the area as well; this modestly-sized sandstone building was located in Penshurst Street and used to be the Congregational Church, that later changed premises.

In 1884, a single-storey home – Laurel Bank Cottage was built in Penshurst Street in 1884. Today, the local Masonic Lodge owns and runs this place which is now a conference and function facility.

In 1920, the Telford Lane was created & paved from Eastern Valley Way and Fourth Avenue. The method that was used in this paving had been pioneered in the 19th century in England, by Thomas Telford. This particular lane is one of the very few of the examples of this construction method, in Sydney.

Soon industrial buildings also started being constructed here; in 1943, Small Street became the site where the Willoughby incinerator was built and it’s listed on – Register of the National Estate (just like Telford Lane is).

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The Armenian Community

Willoughby has a very large Armenian community that arrived in this area between the 1960s and1970s. Later, many more Armenian families came to live in this area after the Armenian Apostolic Church was constructed on Macquarie Street, in Chatswood, very close to the Willoughby border.

Today, Willoughby is a very well-established suburb, with a number of shops, restaurants, leisure centres and parks. It is the ideal place for families who are looking for safe neighbourhoods in a well-connected suburb.

Best Regards,
Corey Iskenderian

Posted in Willoughby