Baulkham Hills

Baulkham Hills is located approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Sydney in the Shire of Baulkham Hills. The original inhabitants of the Baulkham Hills area were the Darug people. The Darug were the custodians of the majority of what is now the Greater Sydney region. They were divided into a number of different ﾑclans', whose quick demise upon European settlement has sadly resulted in very little information remaining on how they utilised the local area. William Joyce, the first settler in the Hills, was given a grant of 30 acres in 1794 near today's Junction Road and Old Windsor Road. The oldest farmhouse in the area is Joyce Farmhouse in Valerie Crescent near Seven Hills. It was built in 1804 by William Joyce, destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1806, and then used as an inn between 1811 and 1826. Andrew McDougall, a settler from Buckholm Hills, County of Roxburgh in Scotland, was given land in 1799, which he named Roxburgh Place. He was responsible for giving the district its present name as it reminded him of his homeland. The name was officially recognised in 1902. Baulkham Hills is a busy residential suburb linked to the city by the Hills M2 Motorway. The area has a host of restaurants, quiet walks through Excelsior Bushland Reserve and the beautiful Baulkham Hills Rose Garden. Towns surrounding Baulkham Hills include: Bella Vista, Castle Hill, Northmead and Seven Hills. Visitor Information: Sydney Hills Visitor Centre 656A Old Northern Road, Dural (02) 9651 4411 Email: enquiries@sydneyhills.com.au Website: www.sydneyhills.com.au