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. Geography and geology Scotland Island is located in Pittwater, off Church Point. The island is approximately 1 km in diameter and its highest point is over 100 metres above sea level. To the east is the suburb of Newport, west is Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, and south are the suburbs of Church Point and Bayview. Around 18,000 years ago Scotland Island was a hill in a river valley. Following the last ice age, sea levels rose, flooding the valley, forming Pittwater and creating the island. There are many small beaches, consisting mainly of mud, mangroves and rocks. There are no rivers or cliffs, but some small caves towards the top of the island. The top of the island is sandstone and the lower part consists of sedimentary rocks from the Narrabeen group. History 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