The
Northern Suburbs (also known as
Central North,
Inner Northwest,
Macquarie District,
Ryde District and
Northern District) is the metropolitan area on the northern bank of the
Parramatta River in
Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia east of
West Pennant Hills and west of the
Lane Cove National Park, south of
Hornsby. This area includes suburbs in the
local government areas of
Hornsby Shire,
The Hills Shire,
City of Ryde,
City of Parramatta and
Municipality of Hunters Hill. Because this is not a clearly defined region (although having a clearly differently defined lifestyle and social groups over the north shore region), 'Northern Suburbs' may also include the suburbs in the
Upper North Shore,
Lower North Shore and even the
Northern Beaches. The term 'northern suburbs' does not exclusively apply to Sydney, and is in common use throughout other Australian cities.