Sydney Suburbs continued

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Belrose:

Location:

Belrose is a suburb of the Northern Beaches, Sydney nd is located 19 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches region. 

Name origin:

The name 'Belrose' comes from the combination of two plant names the Christmas Bell and the Bush Rose which were predominant in the area.

Christmas Bell flower

Bush Rose

About:

Belrose was developed and named after the Second World War, with parts remaining semi-rural until the housing boom of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The 2011 census recorded a population of 8,288 with 70% having been born in Australia. The area remains predominantly residential with many houses in the suburb having been built to blend in with the natural surroundings. The main road, Forest Way, connects Belrose with French’s Forest and Terrey Hills.

Gallery:

Belrose Public School logo – note the stylised Christmas Bell flowers.

The local pub at Belrose.
Naahh, just messing with you. April Fool.  This is the Villa Belrose Hotel, St.Tropez, France.

Motorcycle racing at Boomerang Farm at Frenchs Forest c1946

Mrs Arthur Morgan and Nancy Morgan at the Morgan's stall on Forest Way.

Children at Belrose in the 1950’s.

Len Morgan with the first water at Belrose in 1961

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Berala:

Location:

Berala is a western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located 20 kilometres west of the central business district, in the local government area of Cumberland Council.

Name origin:

The name Berala is derived from Bareela, an Aboriginal word for a musk duck. The area was originally swampy and attracted wild birds. 

Australian Musk Duck. It derives its name from the peculiar musky odour it emanates during the breeding season.

About:

• When the railway line was being extended from Lidcombe to Regents Park, the names Torrington, Sidmouth and Bareela were considered. 

• The station opened in 1912, the public school in 1924 and the post office in 1927.

• The suburb is near an area known as Liberty Plains, so named because many who received land grants in the area had come to the colony as free settlers rather than as convicts or members of the New South Wales Corps. Liberty lass became a title for the women free settlers.

Gallery:

Berala Public School, 1946

Berala Railway Station 2007

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Berkshire Park:

Location:

Berkshire Park is a suburb of Sydney covering 19.3 square kilometres (7.5 sq mi) within the local government area of City of Penrith. 

Name origin:

The suburb's name is believed to have come from English county of Berkshire. The land was given to Richard Rouse as a land grant in 1838. Rouse may have chosen this name because he had been married in North Hinksey, which was then part of Berkshire.

Richard Rouse (1774-1852),

About:

From the Penrith Council website:

Berkshire Park is a sparsely populated rural suburb with limited community facilities. Its small population and rural lifestyle are an obvious attraction and characteristic. It is also one of the most diverse suburbs in the City of Penrith, accommodating the Animal Memorial Pet Cemetery and Crematorium, the John Morony Correctional Centre, the Castlereagh Bicentennial Demonstration Forest (Castlereagh Nature Reserve), the waste management centre and the Racehorse Education Centre. Berkshire Park, although a rural and isolated suburb, is also representative of the diversity and rustic aspects of the City of Penrith.

Gallery:

Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s the Berkshire park Speedway consisted of a large paddock with no facilities. Things were rough and ready and on Sundays there were stock car races, later called demolition derbies. I use to go out and watch. Here are some pics of the speedway from the 1960’s. Apparently there were only 2 rules: no head on crashing and avoid contact with the driver’s side door. The pics are from:

http://www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/sydney-berkshire-park-speedway.html

1976 poster

One driver, Kevin Tracey, recalls on the above site:

When we were competing at Berkshire, we would leave our cars at the track, but take home the radiator and distributor, Police closed down the racing after a fight broke out between competitors after a meeting, one person was stabbed with a bar-b-q fork.