Balgowlah is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balgowlah is located 12 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Warringah Council, in the Northern Beaches region. Balgowlah shares the postcode 2093 with the adjacent suburbs of Manly Vale, Balgowlah Heights and North Balgowlah.
History
Balgowlah was named in 1832 after an Aboriginal word meaning north harbour in reference to its position from Port Jackson. In the early days of European Settlement it had been known as Little Manly. Sir Edmund Barton, Australia's first prime minister, resided in the building known as Whitehall in White Street. Since 2004, Whitehall has been the site of the Norwegian Seamen's Church.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of Population, there were 7,495 residents in Balgowlah. 65.8% of residents were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 8.7%, New Zealand 3.0% and South Africa 1.9%. 83.5% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included French 1.0%, Greek 0.8% and Cantonese 0.7%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 26.4%, No Religion 26.0% and Anglican 22.8%.
Commercial area
Balgowlah's main commercial area is located on Condamine Street and Sydney Road. Major businesses in Balgowlah are Harvey Norman and Bunnings Warehouse. The nearest major shopping centre is Westfield Warringah Mall, located 2 kilometres north of the suburb. There are a few smaller shopping areas in Balgowlah, some of them the remnants of the traditional "corner shop" prior to the 1960s.
Stockland Balgowlah
Balgowlah has a Stockland shopping centre located on Condamine Street.The centre opened on 15 July, 2009. Its main majors are Coles, Fitness First and 62 other retailers. Stockland Balgowlah is buit on the historic Totem Centre, which opened in 1959. The name Totem was based on the North American model. The centre had 33 shops, a bowling alley and a huge Woolworths store. In 2007 the Totem Centre was demolished, the centre was run down at the time of its demolition and the Totem name was not continued. However the centre is still colloquially referred to as "Totem" in the area.
Transport
Balgowlah is one of the destinations for the Hop-Skip-Jump free bus service operated by Manly Council. Numerous public buses also operate in the area, the majority coming through Balgowlah en route to Manly, Warringah Mall, Seaforth and the city
Schools
Schools in the Balgowlah region include "St. Cecilias Primary School", "Balgowlah Heights Public School", "Manly West Public School" and "Balgowlah Boys High School".