Located approximately 5 kilometres north of Sydney’s CBD neighbouring St Leonards, Naremburn, Cammeray and Wollstonecraft and is bordered by the Warringah Freeway and Pacific Highway. A good bus system runs through here but there is no station, the nearest being St Leonards.
Crows Nest was originally part of a 524-acre (2.12 km2) land grant made to Edward Wollstonecraft in 1821, a successful businessman in early colonial Australia. He was the nephew of the early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and cousin to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. The grant extended from the site of the present day Crows Nest to Wollstonecraft. Edward Wollstonecraft built a cottage, the 'Crow's Nest' and, according to his business partner Alexander Berry, chose the name "on account of its elevated and commanding position". Berry later built a more substantial Crow's Nest House on the estate in 1850, taking the name of the earlier cottage. In 1880 he added the gates, which still stand at the Pacific Highway at the entrance of the North Sydney Demonstration School.
Improved streetscape and planter boxes of late have turned Crows Nest into a culinary hub for restaurants from all over the world (over 75 of them) including many fine dining restaurants such as La Grillade, Garfish, Mumu Grill and Waqu. Running down and around Willoughby Road are a variety of different cuisines imaginable including the eccentric and unique Rangoon Colonial Raquet club on Alexander Street, Sapporo Japanese restaurant, Himalayan Char Grill, Pinos Italian Pizzeria, Sentosa Indonesian Restaurant, Xenos Greek Restaurant, Shehnai Indian on Pacific Highway, Mustang Nepalese Restaurant, Stuyvesant House – German, Borderland Mexican and Bah BQ Brazilian to name just a few.
Aside from tasting cuisines from around the world, there are the Crows Nest Markets which are held on the third Saturday of each month in Ernest Place (off Willoughby Rd) and the Crows Nest Centre which offers a range of activities such as Yoga classes, Vogue Dancing, Indoor Bowls, Computer Classes and Canaster. (http://www.crowsnestcentre.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=47&Itemid=690)
Learning enthusiasts can enrol into various courses at the Crows Nest College (http://www.nsi.tafensw.edu.au/college/CrowsNest/Default.aspx).
References
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Sydney
North Sydney Council
Mosman Council
www.sydney.com
Trip Advisor
www.kirribilli.org.au/
www.weekendnotes.com
sydney travellers guide