About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breathtaking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More information can be found at the SideTracked Website
About Killara Station
Killara station opened on 10 July 1899. The present island platform and station building were completed in 1906 in anticipation of the line being doubled, which occurred in 1909. It is serviced by the T1 North Shore line, with no direct bus connections.
It ranks 106th in the network with about 2,310 daily users (2014 stats). Of course, being a commuter station usage is concentrated around the morning and evening peaks, hence be particularly muggle-aware at these times.
About Killara
Killara is an Aboriginal word meaning always there. The name of the suburb was chosen when the railway line opened in 1899.
On 5 April 1821, Governor Macquarie issued five crown grants of land totaling 325 hectares that were to shape the present suburb of Killara. The land covered by the five grants was first logged for its timber, mostly blackbutt, ironbark, stringybark and blue gum, the last two species considered by Governor Macquarie to be 'the best and fittest for Buildings and Floorings'. A sixth and largest grant of 160 hectares was issued on 28 February 1839 by Governor Sir George Gipps to a schoolmistress, Mrs Jane McGillivray. This Springdale grant is significant because it shaped what is now the heart of Killara, covering the area on either side of the railway station, bordering and including Powell Street, Stanhope Road and Springdale Roads and the Arterial Road and Pacific Highway.
At one stage, the whole 160 acres was proposed as the site for the Northern Suburbs Cemetery. Trial graves were dug 'in shapes and sizes of adult graves', the whole exercise arousing fear and suspicion among the residents. Eventually the project was abandoned after successful lobbying for the north shore railway line led to the subdivision of much of the land for the Killara railway station.
The suburb was established as a 'Gentlemen's suburb', designed so that there would be no commercial ventures in the area. For this reason, the suburb has very few shops in the original development.
- Killara became the home of the famous architect Harry Seidler, whose heritage-listed home — designed by him and his wife Penelope in the 1960s — can still be seen in Kalang Avenue. The garden contains a sculpture by the Los Angeles sculptor Eric Orr.
- Marian Street Theatre played a significant role in the cultural life of the North Shore and is widely remembered by former patrons and theatre lovers across Sydney. It closed in 2013 due to safety concerns, although there are plans to reopen and upgrade the facility.
- The Swain Gardens were donated to Ku-ring-gai Council by Mr Swain, a Sydney bookseller, in the 1920s, and are today maintained by the council and volunteers. The gardens have been listed by the National Trust of Australia.
- A short-lived private school in Killara, Abbotsholme College, counted two future prime ministers (Harold Holt and William McMahon) among its pupils.
At the 2016 census, the suburb of Killara recorded a population of 10,574.
(sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killara_railway_station,_Sydney, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killara,_New_South_Wales, https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/killara)
Congratulations to akkatracker and Baby J Man on the FTF!