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Berowra house names
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DescriptionMany houses built in Berowra from 1895 to 1935 were completed by giving the house a name. Berowra did not have many properties at this time and many of the roads were not even named, so it was much easier to identify the farms, guest houses and houses by names rather than full addresses. People would send mail addressed, Chas Woof, Eureka, Berowra. Today the suburbs are much bigger and more anonymous, as are the houses in them.
ALLAWAH, on Alan Road
ALTON, on Crowley Road, is a wonderful brick house built around 1920 by local builder George Huett and is still standing proudly today. When the Thompson family purchased the house in 1951 (above) there were no houses on the opposite side of Crowley Road, just the Presbyterian Church and bushland. For the Thompsons it was a spacious house with solid brick walls and a long, wide hallway. The lounge room had an open fireplace and double doors that opened onto a semi enclosed veranda, where spare beds were located. Both the dining room and main bedrooms also had double doors that opened onto the veranda. The large kitchen had an enormous walk-in pantry. It would have been one of the best houses in Berowra in its time.
ARCADIA, on Goodwyn Road, is still a magnificent home. The construction was started by a Mr Hunt in 1911 for the Foster-Jones family, and finished in 1914 by George Huett, who was brought up from Tasmania for the job. The property covered a huge area of Mary Wall’s old farm and included stables, tennis court, landscape gardens and later a workshop. A sandstone base with a brick building. Arcadia is probably Berowra’s grandest house.
BEULAH, on Corner of Pacific Highway and Wattle Road (as Yallambee Road was first known), was located at the start of Yallambee Road and was the Singleton family home for many years. The building was actually the Stewart farm house at Hillcrest poultry farm, purchased by Mrs. Singleton in 1924 for £24, before being relocated to their block of land.
BISLEY, on Lonsdale Avenue, is still owned and lived in by direct members of Pat Lawless’ family today. Interestingly the May 1934 plans show Woodcourt Road where Lonsdale Road is today and modern day Woodcourt Road as Government Road (unnamed). It is unknown if this was an error or if Lonsdale Avenue was originally named Woodcourt and later changed.
Pat Lawless’ house in Happy Valley was named after the famous English shooting competition, The Bisley Shot, which Pat won in 1912. The house was built in 1935 on land that was given to Nathaniel John Wall (Mary’s husband) by the Crown as compensation for part of his land at North Hornsby (later named Asquith) that had to be reclaimed for the new railway and new Hawkesbury Road and built in the mid-1880s. He was given a choice of blocks in the area and chose this land as it was relatively flat with a creek running through the property that never ran dry, and therefore was a very good selection. Bisley was constructed in the 1935.
BUNGALOW, on Berowra Waters Road, was built by Stan Johns around 1920 and sold by auction in 2018. It looks like it hasn’t changed in nearly 100 years.
CLEALANDS, on Berowra Waters Road, still standing on the corner of Berowra Waters Road and Easton Road.
DULCIVILLE, on Cowan Parade, was built and owned by Edward Windybank in Cowan Parade, and rented out as a guesthouse, at the top of the Waratah Bay track. Named after one of his daughters, Dulcie. Gordon Windybank was born in the partially complete house in 1910.
DUNASKIN, on Alan Road, was the farm house to an old poultry farm located where Warruga Cres. is today, and owned by the Kentleys. The poultry farm was sub-divided in the depression (late 1920s) but the farm house, Dunaskin, stayed.
ELSEWHERE, Berowra Waters Road, opposite the intersection with Hillcrest Road.
GLENIFFER, Corner of Berowra Waters Road & Pacific Highwaywas built by Ted Burrows in 1915 as the Foster family home. Named after Daisy Foster’s former family homes at both Kirrabilli and in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was demolished when the Highway was widened.
GLEN VISTA, on Balaclava Road, would have been one of the last houses built in Berowra that was given a name. Built in the late 1950s as the family home for newlyweds Chris and Pam Gartung. It still stands today.
GUMNUT INN, on the Corner of Pacific Highway & Goodwyn Road, still stands today. More recently it was home to Berowra’s first dentist, JD Hope, who also had his surgery there. It was also said to have a magnificent swimming pool.
JU-AN, on the Pacific Highway started to be built in Berowra in the 1930s, and was completed just after World War II. Named after the owner/builder’s wife whose name was June-Ann. They started with the basement, where they first lived, and built the house up from there. There was also a tennis court added at the back and a full size pool table in the basement. The house recently had the garden out the front cut back exposing the beautiful old building, which is very uncharacteristic for the Berowra district. It is located on the Pacific Highway, being the last house in Berowra going north.
KIAORA, is on Crowley Road
MALAHIDE, on Yallambee Road, was the home of Capt. Talbot. He was an old sea captain who came to Berowra very late in life. His house was a small kit house that the Captain put together himself whilst living in a tent on his property in Yallambee Road. This was very impressive as the Captain was reportedly in his 80s at the time. It was a very small house, often referred to as the doll’s house, but very comfortable for a single man and it stood for over 80 years.
MAROOMBA, on Berowra Waters Road, still stands opposite where the water tower is today. Built around 1900 for Edgar Hills and his family it has undergone many modifications over the years.
MONTROSE, on Berowra Waters Road, is the Cornford’s old family home at 29 Berowra Waters Rd. between the roundabouts. This was next to the original Berowra Hall when it tragically burnt down in December 1929. The Cornford house had some minor damage such as broken windows and singed roof eve but the beautiful brick building still stands proudly today.
ORMISTON, on Pacific Highway, was the old Overton family home on the Highway next to the old Total Garage, now Berowra Outdoor Centre. Sadly the house was lost to fire in 2014.
PILSBURY, on Cowan Parade, was the home of George Wray, who was a senior fettler (railway worker) and one of the founders of the Berowra Cricket Club. In 1923, the year after he retired, he died, however because of his senior position in the Railway and Trams Union the house, eventhough the property of the NSW Railways, was left to his wife, a well known Berowra mid-wife, Florence Wray. Florence lived there for many years until 1953 when Mrs Small moved in. She lived in Pilsbury until it was demolished for the Freeway to be constructed in the 1980s.
PINES, on Alan Road, was home to popular Berowra identity and the ice man, Bill Erskine.
SPRINGS, on Wanill Place, formally located down a long driveway off Stewart Road (before it was renamed Hillcrest Road). The Springs is Margaret Preston’s old house in Berowra. It was the first house in the area before the roads were even cut, let alone named, originally owned by the Devlin family prior to the Prestons purchasing it. Margaret and her businessman husband, constructed a separate large guest house, adjacent, which also still stands today. The Prestons entertained all kinds of visitors on their property, during their time at Berowra, including famous artists and photographers of the period. Today both houses sit proudly at the top of Wanill Place. It seems The Springs name came from a nearby large natural spring located in the Warrina St. Oval area.
THAXTED, on Berowra Waters Road, It was not unusual, and is still not today, to have both parents of a family born in Berowra. The early Berowra community was not very large but was very insular which meant everyone mixed together extensively both socially and occasionally in their work life. Edward Chappell’s son, Doug, married Chas Woof’s only daughter, Enid, and is one example of a true Berowra family. Thaxted was completed about 10 years before Ada Foster’s house, Arcadia, on Goodwyn Road. It is Berowra’s most impressive historical house, being of brick with quality sand stone foundations. Having a brick house in Berowra at the time was a significant sign of status. In early Berowra there were only about half a dozen such houses and most are still standing today. These brick houses were usually owned by the area’s highest class of resident.
WITIANGA is on Turner Road, and is Berowra’s oldest house/building still standing. Built in 1894 by Mr. Charles Binns of Paddington, after he purchased the original 2.8 ha block of land for £53 in 1891. It is located on Turner Road opposite the Marketplace car park exit, and still looks very impressive.
YURUNGA, on Berowra Waters Road, was the home of returned serviceman Charlie Stoyles and his family from around 1918. He had a small poultry farm.
For many years a Mrs. Hayes lived in this house. The two pines trees at the front are still standing and the house is in very good condition today after undergoing a significant refurbishment in recent years.
It was also a popular youth drop in centre, run by the Baptist Church during the 1990s.
ZARAVILLE, on Cowan Parade, was built and owned by Edward Windybank in Cowan Parade, to be rented out as a guesthouse. It was at the top of the Waratah Bay track. Named after one of his daughters, Zara.
Other Berowra house names – their exact location and history are unknown;
BRUIN
BUDGEWOI
CALABASH – Berowra Waters Road
CAPE DI MONTE – Collingridge Point, Berowra Creek
CAREENYA – Yallambee
CUMBEROONA – Berowra Waters
HILLGROVE – Hillcrest Road
LOLOKARA – Pacific Highway (between Goodwyn Road and Berowra Waters Road)
LONE PINE – Alan Road
SPRING VALE – Gully Road
TELOPEA – Berowra Waters Road
THE PINES – Alan Road (1), Turner Road (2) & Berowra Waters Road (3)
THISLDO – Berowra Waters
TRADEWINDS – Berowra Waters Road
WALSTON – Anembo Road (1958)
WELIVERE
WEONA – Berowra Waters
YALLAMBEE – Yallambee Road
Physical FormatBerowraDimensionsNathan Tilbury
ALLAWAH, on Alan Road
ALTON, on Crowley Road, is a wonderful brick house built around 1920 by local builder George Huett and is still standing proudly today. When the Thompson family purchased the house in 1951 (above) there were no houses on the opposite side of Crowley Road, just the Presbyterian Church and bushland. For the Thompsons it was a spacious house with solid brick walls and a long, wide hallway. The lounge room had an open fireplace and double doors that opened onto a semi enclosed veranda, where spare beds were located. Both the dining room and main bedrooms also had double doors that opened onto the veranda. The large kitchen had an enormous walk-in pantry. It would have been one of the best houses in Berowra in its time.
ARCADIA, on Goodwyn Road, is still a magnificent home. The construction was started by a Mr Hunt in 1911 for the Foster-Jones family, and finished in 1914 by George Huett, who was brought up from Tasmania for the job. The property covered a huge area of Mary Wall’s old farm and included stables, tennis court, landscape gardens and later a workshop. A sandstone base with a brick building. Arcadia is probably Berowra’s grandest house.
BEULAH, on Corner of Pacific Highway and Wattle Road (as Yallambee Road was first known), was located at the start of Yallambee Road and was the Singleton family home for many years. The building was actually the Stewart farm house at Hillcrest poultry farm, purchased by Mrs. Singleton in 1924 for £24, before being relocated to their block of land.
BISLEY, on Lonsdale Avenue, is still owned and lived in by direct members of Pat Lawless’ family today. Interestingly the May 1934 plans show Woodcourt Road where Lonsdale Road is today and modern day Woodcourt Road as Government Road (unnamed). It is unknown if this was an error or if Lonsdale Avenue was originally named Woodcourt and later changed.
Pat Lawless’ house in Happy Valley was named after the famous English shooting competition, The Bisley Shot, which Pat won in 1912. The house was built in 1935 on land that was given to Nathaniel John Wall (Mary’s husband) by the Crown as compensation for part of his land at North Hornsby (later named Asquith) that had to be reclaimed for the new railway and new Hawkesbury Road and built in the mid-1880s. He was given a choice of blocks in the area and chose this land as it was relatively flat with a creek running through the property that never ran dry, and therefore was a very good selection. Bisley was constructed in the 1935.
BUNGALOW, on Berowra Waters Road, was built by Stan Johns around 1920 and sold by auction in 2018. It looks like it hasn’t changed in nearly 100 years.
CLEALANDS, on Berowra Waters Road, still standing on the corner of Berowra Waters Road and Easton Road.
DULCIVILLE, on Cowan Parade, was built and owned by Edward Windybank in Cowan Parade, and rented out as a guesthouse, at the top of the Waratah Bay track. Named after one of his daughters, Dulcie. Gordon Windybank was born in the partially complete house in 1910.
DUNASKIN, on Alan Road, was the farm house to an old poultry farm located where Warruga Cres. is today, and owned by the Kentleys. The poultry farm was sub-divided in the depression (late 1920s) but the farm house, Dunaskin, stayed.
ELSEWHERE, Berowra Waters Road, opposite the intersection with Hillcrest Road.
GLENIFFER, Corner of Berowra Waters Road & Pacific Highwaywas built by Ted Burrows in 1915 as the Foster family home. Named after Daisy Foster’s former family homes at both Kirrabilli and in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was demolished when the Highway was widened.
GLEN VISTA, on Balaclava Road, would have been one of the last houses built in Berowra that was given a name. Built in the late 1950s as the family home for newlyweds Chris and Pam Gartung. It still stands today.
GUMNUT INN, on the Corner of Pacific Highway & Goodwyn Road, still stands today. More recently it was home to Berowra’s first dentist, JD Hope, who also had his surgery there. It was also said to have a magnificent swimming pool.
JU-AN, on the Pacific Highway started to be built in Berowra in the 1930s, and was completed just after World War II. Named after the owner/builder’s wife whose name was June-Ann. They started with the basement, where they first lived, and built the house up from there. There was also a tennis court added at the back and a full size pool table in the basement. The house recently had the garden out the front cut back exposing the beautiful old building, which is very uncharacteristic for the Berowra district. It is located on the Pacific Highway, being the last house in Berowra going north.
KIAORA, is on Crowley Road
MALAHIDE, on Yallambee Road, was the home of Capt. Talbot. He was an old sea captain who came to Berowra very late in life. His house was a small kit house that the Captain put together himself whilst living in a tent on his property in Yallambee Road. This was very impressive as the Captain was reportedly in his 80s at the time. It was a very small house, often referred to as the doll’s house, but very comfortable for a single man and it stood for over 80 years.
MAROOMBA, on Berowra Waters Road, still stands opposite where the water tower is today. Built around 1900 for Edgar Hills and his family it has undergone many modifications over the years.
MONTROSE, on Berowra Waters Road, is the Cornford’s old family home at 29 Berowra Waters Rd. between the roundabouts. This was next to the original Berowra Hall when it tragically burnt down in December 1929. The Cornford house had some minor damage such as broken windows and singed roof eve but the beautiful brick building still stands proudly today.
ORMISTON, on Pacific Highway, was the old Overton family home on the Highway next to the old Total Garage, now Berowra Outdoor Centre. Sadly the house was lost to fire in 2014.
PILSBURY, on Cowan Parade, was the home of George Wray, who was a senior fettler (railway worker) and one of the founders of the Berowra Cricket Club. In 1923, the year after he retired, he died, however because of his senior position in the Railway and Trams Union the house, eventhough the property of the NSW Railways, was left to his wife, a well known Berowra mid-wife, Florence Wray. Florence lived there for many years until 1953 when Mrs Small moved in. She lived in Pilsbury until it was demolished for the Freeway to be constructed in the 1980s.
PINES, on Alan Road, was home to popular Berowra identity and the ice man, Bill Erskine.
SPRINGS, on Wanill Place, formally located down a long driveway off Stewart Road (before it was renamed Hillcrest Road). The Springs is Margaret Preston’s old house in Berowra. It was the first house in the area before the roads were even cut, let alone named, originally owned by the Devlin family prior to the Prestons purchasing it. Margaret and her businessman husband, constructed a separate large guest house, adjacent, which also still stands today. The Prestons entertained all kinds of visitors on their property, during their time at Berowra, including famous artists and photographers of the period. Today both houses sit proudly at the top of Wanill Place. It seems The Springs name came from a nearby large natural spring located in the Warrina St. Oval area.
THAXTED, on Berowra Waters Road, It was not unusual, and is still not today, to have both parents of a family born in Berowra. The early Berowra community was not very large but was very insular which meant everyone mixed together extensively both socially and occasionally in their work life. Edward Chappell’s son, Doug, married Chas Woof’s only daughter, Enid, and is one example of a true Berowra family. Thaxted was completed about 10 years before Ada Foster’s house, Arcadia, on Goodwyn Road. It is Berowra’s most impressive historical house, being of brick with quality sand stone foundations. Having a brick house in Berowra at the time was a significant sign of status. In early Berowra there were only about half a dozen such houses and most are still standing today. These brick houses were usually owned by the area’s highest class of resident.
WITIANGA is on Turner Road, and is Berowra’s oldest house/building still standing. Built in 1894 by Mr. Charles Binns of Paddington, after he purchased the original 2.8 ha block of land for £53 in 1891. It is located on Turner Road opposite the Marketplace car park exit, and still looks very impressive.
YURUNGA, on Berowra Waters Road, was the home of returned serviceman Charlie Stoyles and his family from around 1918. He had a small poultry farm.
For many years a Mrs. Hayes lived in this house. The two pines trees at the front are still standing and the house is in very good condition today after undergoing a significant refurbishment in recent years.
It was also a popular youth drop in centre, run by the Baptist Church during the 1990s.
ZARAVILLE, on Cowan Parade, was built and owned by Edward Windybank in Cowan Parade, to be rented out as a guesthouse. It was at the top of the Waratah Bay track. Named after one of his daughters, Zara.
Other Berowra house names – their exact location and history are unknown;
BRUIN
BUDGEWOI
CALABASH – Berowra Waters Road
CAPE DI MONTE – Collingridge Point, Berowra Creek
CAREENYA – Yallambee
CUMBEROONA – Berowra Waters
HILLGROVE – Hillcrest Road
LOLOKARA – Pacific Highway (between Goodwyn Road and Berowra Waters Road)
LONE PINE – Alan Road
SPRING VALE – Gully Road
TELOPEA – Berowra Waters Road
THE PINES – Alan Road (1), Turner Road (2) & Berowra Waters Road (3)
THISLDO – Berowra Waters
TRADEWINDS – Berowra Waters Road
WALSTON – Anembo Road (1958)
WELIVERE
WEONA – Berowra Waters
YALLAMBEE – Yallambee Road
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Berowra house names. Hornsby Shire, accessed 25/04/2026, https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/5061