Scotland Island

Scotland Island is an island and suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

Scotland Island is an island and suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Church Point, Scotland Island's major mainland service locality, is located 32 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council.

For thousands of years prior to European settlement, Scotland Island and the Pittwater area was inhabited by the Guringai people.Shortly after the establishment of the penal colony at Sydney Cove, the area was explored by Governor Phillip, who named the island after William Pitt, the British prime minister at the time. The first European settler to own land on the island was Andrew Thompson, who renamed it Scotland Island after his homeland. He created a successful salt works and built boats until his death in 1810. The island as a whole was sold several times in the nineteenth century before being sub-divided and sold off in lots in 1906. Around 1900, salt was still being extracted from seawater near what is now known as Tennis Court Wharf. Using an oil burner, about 90 kg were extracted each week.Sheep farms had been located on the island at one time, but permanent residents began to move in after power was connected in 1962. Now, the majority of people living there commute to work on the mainland.

There are many Aboriginal Middens on the island including one in Catherine Park, here you will find many shells and other artifacts. The Midden is estimated at 3500 years old. The tree there was also planted by the local Aboriginal people. All Aboriginal cultural places in NSW are protected by law. Aboriginal artefacts are also protected. It is against the law to disturb or destroy an Aboriginal place. Artefacts should not be removed from site.

Climate is characterised by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year.Summers are usually somewhat wetter than winters, with much of the rainfall coming from convectional thunderstorm activity.The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).