The Shire of Hornsby was proclaimed on 7 March 1906. When the first Hornsby Shire Council elections were held that same year, only 1,364 people eligible to vote.  In December 1906, the newly elected Council met for the first time in the Hornsby School of Arts.

Geologically, the Shire is located on the Hornsby Plateau which rises from the south to its highest point at Cowan. The Plateau is cut by steep gullies and has several drowned valleys, such as Berowra and Cowan Creeks. The area is dominated by Hawkesbury Sandstone which forms the steep valleys. Along the ridge tops, shales from the Wianamatta Group often cover the sandstone.

About 10% of the Shire is zoned and used for urban development, 14.6% for rural purposes, 4.8% for open space, and the remainder is National Park or Nature Reserve.

Kuring-gai Chase National Park, Murramurra National Park, Muogararra Nature Reserve and Berowra Valley Regional Park provide large areas of bushland, protecting native plants and animals. These areas are also available for limited passive and active recreation.

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History of our Shire....

Six weeks after the arrival of the first fleet, Governor Phillip led an exploration through Broken Bay in search of a large river to provide fertile land capable of cultivating crops for the colony.  A branch of the Hawkesbury River was discovered, however due to a shortage of supplies, the party was forced to return.  The Hawkesbury River was not discovered until the second expedition in the following year.

The second expedition led by Governor Phillip, continued the exploration of the River.  Upon discovering that the river was of a substantial size, Governor Phillip named it the Hawkesbury after the Baron of Hawkesbury.  The party travelled for 16 days, passing Gentleman's Halt, Laughtondale and Wisemans Ferry, before reaching the fertile plains at Windsor. The River provided the major transport route for the farmers and became the lifeline for the delivery of produce to the growing colony.  The shoreline also provided a good location for other commercial activities to establish, such as salt production, flour milling and boat building.

The lands within the present Hornsby Shire were not occupied in the early days of settlement.  More accessible lands along the Parramatta and Hawkesbury Rivers were the preferred settlement areas.  Settlement in the Shire did not occur until the early nineteenth century, approximately twenty years after the arrival of the first fleet.

In 1825, Heneage Finch surveyed land from Castle Hill to Wisemans Ferry along the ridge to enable a road to be constructed, connecting Sydney with the Hunter Valley. The road was a continuation of Old Northern Road which had been constructed in 1817 from the Government Farm in Castle Hill to the present township of Galston. The new road was named the Great North Road and replaced the old Putty Road which linked Windsor, Putty and Bulga to the Hunter River which is located to the west of Hornsby Shire. Today the road is still used and is becoming a historical and tourist attraction.

The town of Hornsby, from which the Shire gets its name, was named after police Constable Horne. In 1838, police Constables Thorn and Horne were rewarded with grants of land for the capture of a bushranger John MacMamara who had stolen a Parramatta dignitary's watch. Constable Thorn's land later became known as the suburb of Thornleigh whilst a village sprang up on Constable Horn's land which until the 1890's was known as the village of Hornsby. It was here that the first railway junction was built in 1893. There was considerable confusion for a number of years as the railway station was named Hornsby Junction and there was the village of Hornsby to the south. Eventually the village was renamed Normanhurst and the railway station became Hornsby. Because the main northern railway line and the north shore line joined at Hornsby, it developed as a railway town.

Hornsby Shire was incorporated in March, 1906. A Provisional Council of five members was appointed by the State Government to initially control the Shire. The first meeting was held on 14 June, 1906, at which time Mr O. G. Roberts was elected the first Shire Mayor. The State credited the Council with a budget of 20 pounds.

In November of 1906 of the first Shire elections were held. The Shire's population (4700) had previously been divided into three Wards, of similar population but not area. Two Councillors were elected from each Ward and Councillor J.C.Hunt became the Mayor. At the second election in 1910 the number of Councillors increased to nine with the election of an additional representative from each Wards. This system still remains today.

Early development within the Shire followed the railway lines and ridge tops. The introduction and eventual dominance of the motor car allowed urban growth in areas not serviced by the railway.

Since the end of the Second World War there has been a period of rapid growth within the Shire population growing from 30,500 in June 1945 to an estimated 140000 in June 1998.

The conservation of the Shire's Aboriginal and European heritage is important and Hornsby Council has undertaken a number of strategies to assist this being achieved.