Editing Pymble (section)

==History==
Based on settlers' accounts, the land that came to be known as Pymble was traversed by, and at least periodically inhabited by, the [[Cammeraigal]] clan or tribe of the Kuringai (also known as Guringai) Aboriginal people. The Cammeraigal had occupied the land between the [[Lane Cove River]], Hawkesbury and east to the coast. They would travel from grounds at [[Cowan Creek]] to the [[Parramatta River]] via Pymble - passing west through the land where [[Pymble Ladies' College]] now stands, through the Lane Cove Valley and [[North Ryde]].<ref name="North Shore Sydney pg 39">North Shore Sydney, Les Thorne, p. 39</ref> En route they would reportedly hold [[corroborees]] at the current site of the [[Pymble Reservoirs No. 1 and No. 2|Pymble Reservoir]] on Telegraph Rd and "camped on the hill...at the junction of Merrivale Rd and Selwyn St."<ref>Ku-ring-gai Oral Histories, reprinted in "Focus on Ku-ring-gai", p. 13 "The Ku-ring-gai Tribe" by Dr J Kohen</ref>

Pymble is named after Robert Pymble (1776–1861), an influential early settler whose 1823 land grant comprised some 600 acres, around half the land of the region. The other half (plus a large part of St Ives) was granted to Daniel der Matthew's, another influential settler who established the first sawmill in the area.

The region was important to the early Sydney colony as a major supplier of timber for a wide variety of uses. The main timber varieties were [[Eucalyptus pilularis|blackbutt]], [[stringybark]], [[iron bark]] and [[Eucalyptus saligna|blue gum]]. In later years it was also an important supplier of agricultural produce. It became widely known for the high quality of its produce and especially for its oranges which had been introduced to the area by Robert Pymble sometime around 1828 and which by later years were grown extensively throughout the region by numerous different growers following land sub-divisions.<ref name="dictionaryofsydney.org">"Pymble" by Zany Edwards, 2010: http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/pymble</ref>

Eventually agriculture and small farming gave way to residential development with residential sub-divisions commencing around 1879. The first bank - the [[Australian Joint Stock Bank]] - was established in 1888 in a then prominent house known as Grandview built on Pymble Hill ca 1883 by the son of local hotelier Richard Porter.<ref>"Old Pymble Town" by Max Farley, Ku-ring-ai Historical Society Newsletter, June 2009, p. 4</ref> Porter had opened the Gardener's Arms Hotel, also on Pymble Hill, in 1866. From this time the centre of commercial activity came to be at the top of the hill around the [[Pacific Highway, Australia|Pacific Highway]] and Bannockburn Road area, but with the railway station being located by necessity at the bottom of the hill development began to shift towards the new railway station at the foot of the hill. Pymble Post Office opened there on 6 August 1890.<ref name = "Post Office">{{Cite web  | last = Phoenix Auctions History  | title = Post Office List  | publisher = Phoenix Auctions | url = http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&filter=*Pymble* | access-date = 26 January 2021}}</ref>

Sacred Heart Catholic Church opened in Pymble on 10 November 1912.

During the interwar years, Pymble became a desirable residential area for middle-class families, as it was well-connected by rail to the central business district of Sydney, but still offered a semi-rural environment. The 1920s saw continued suburban development with new housing and the population of Pymble began to rise. Many of the houses built in this period were large, single-family homes, and the area became known for its leafy streets and large blocks of land. It had fully transformed into a suburb, retaining much of its character as a peaceful, family-friendly suburb of Sydney. Pymble's foundations for the community and infrastructure would continue to grow throughout the 20th century, in characterisations of residential areas, green spaces and local amenities.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Today, Pymble is a predominantly residential area with tree-lined streets, many substantial homes and gardens, numerous parks, nature reserves, and active pockets of commercial activity. Prominent landmarks include Pymble Station and Pymble Hill (Pacific Highway). The station is the centre of transport, shopping and social activities whilst Pymble Hill affords a view of the distant Chatswood skyline. 

Pymble also acts as a conservative area for its rich architectural history with a variety of [[Federation architecture|Federation-style house]]s.