History of Dural

Shires of Hornsby and Baulkham Hills Location: 36 kilometres north-west of Sydney on Old Northern Road Originally called Dooral-dooral, its name being Aboriginal for "a smoking hollow tree", this area west of Hornsby originally covered present Glenorie, Galston and Arcadia. Surveyor James Meehan's map of April 1817 shows the name spelled as Dooral. For many years this peaceful area was the scene of timber getting and fruit growing. In 1802 Governor King included the area in a government reserve, but the first grant in the area was made to George Hall in 1819.

Some well-known names from the early records of the colony were associated with Dural. The Suttor family, having first held land in the Parramatta area, had a property there where they grew citrus fruit that was marketed in Sydney. Two other well-known families were those of Thomas Best and James Roughley. These two settlers were closely associated with the beautiful sandstone Anglican Church of St Jude's, situated on the Old Northern Road, 260 metres above sea level. Edmund Blacket (1817-83) is believed to have been the architect, as many elements are typical of his designs. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Broughton on 11 November 1846, when the walls of the church were already partly erected. It was built using free labour. In 1976 a new rectory was constructed next to St Jude's, and the existing garage was converted into a kindergarten room to accommodate the growing numbers of children attending the Sunday school.

Dural is an ideal area for a Sunday drive, with its semi-rural atmosphere and roadside stalls of fresh flowers and produce that are well worth inspection.

Reference: The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled & Edited by Frances Pollon, published by Angus & Robertson Publishers 1988