Born and bred on the upper north shore, the world-class professional athlete has now made her home in Chatswood.

Over a decade in the increasingly career-oriented arena of women’s cricket, she has witnessed, and indeed driven, seismic changes in the sport.

At North Sydney Oval earlier this week ahead of the historic first day-night women’s test match against England, Perry was clearly excited to be playing in such a historic fixture just a few kilometres from her home.

Perry was born at Wahroonga’s Sydney Adventist Hospital on November 3, 1990 to Kathy and Mark Perry, three years after her brother, Damien, who was influential during his sister’s formative years.

“I always wanted to do the things he was doing, and followed him around a lot,” Perry said. “He played a lot of sport when we were younger, so we played in the backyard a lot together and down at the local park.”

“We were quite different, and I think that’s really been a great thing,” Perry said of her relationship with Damien. “We’ve always had varied experiences, but it’s sport that tied us together.”

The family lived in Wahroonga and West Pymble when Perry was growing up, and her parents made sure she and Damien could pursue their passions — which were mainly sport-oriented.

“Mum and dad drove us around parts of Sydney, and other states for that matter, to do different things,” Perry said.

“They’d always make time for us. They were pleased to see me enjoy doing something so much, so they always went out of their way to make sure I could do it.”

She attended Pymble Ladies College (PLC) where she was well liked by teachers and students alike, according to principal, Vicki Waters.

“She was outgoing but also very humble both inside and outside of the classroom and quietly managed the balance between school and sport,” Waters said.

“I absolutely loved school life,” Perry recalled. “Obviously sport was something that kept a lot of my attention, but one of the best things about Pymble [PLC] was that there were so many opportunities to do so many various things and to see others do really well.”

Growing up on the north shore, Perry credits the opportunities she had in her childhood, as well as the strength of the community sporting clubs, with helping to make her who she is today.

“Now I’m living a little bit closer to the city, but still on the north side of Sydney was something I really wanted to do because it just feels like home to me.”

“I just really love the attitude of people on the north shore. They’re always really active, getting out and doing things, but also really proud of their local community.”

As a girl, she’d cut loose from her disciplined sports regimen, but usually to do more sport.

“I probably jumped on my BMX and went down to the park, went roller blading, and all those kinds of sporty things,” Perry said of her childhood downtime, or else she’d visit Gordon Library with her mum.

Nowadays, she likes going to see live bands. Her most recent gig was to see former Powderfinger frontman, Bernard Fanning.

Despite her many talents, she conceded that there are some areas in which she does not excel.

“I love swimming but I’m not very good at it. I’m also terrible at netball. I had a go at that in Year 12, and I was really bad.”

So, what else has Perry stumped?

“I learned the drums up at Turramurra for a while but I was absolutely hideous at it,” she said.

“Oh, and I’m terrible with technology.”

While Perry’s travel and cricket schedule does not allow for much extra-curricular activity, she recently teamed up with shadow writer Sherryl Clark to work on a series of books for children because she said she really wanted “to put together something for young girls that are really interested in sport”.

“I had a lot of fun doing that,” Perry says of the Ellyse Perry titles Pocket Rocket, Winning Touch, Double Time and Magic Feet.

She and husband Matt Toomua have shared an interest and a financial investment in a couple of cafes in Canberra for the past few years.

“We’ve both got a big interest in coffee and the hospitality side of things,” she said.

The couple — who married in December 2015 — have to confront the tyranny of distance on a daily basis as Toomua plays rugby with Leicester in the UK.

She said they video chat every morning and text each other throughout the day, depending on the time zone they are in.

Perry married Toomua at the end of 2014, and when her season’s cricket commitments wrap up in April next year she’ll be headed to Leicester.

For both of them sport comes first for now, she said.

It was at the age of 16, she said, that the realisation first hit her that she could play sport professionally and make a career of it.

“After that first experience when I had my first tour with the Australian team, with cricket, and then quite fortunately not long after had the same experience with soccer, it really was the biggest highlight of my life,” she said.

When she said “not long after” it was literally a matter of two weeks after her international cricket debut that Perry debuted for the Matildas in an Olympic qualifying soccer match.

“I felt so comfortable and so invigorated by the whole experience that I knew I wanted to do it lots more times if it was possible, so that’s where I was conscious of doing everything I could to be involved.”

Perry is known for her meticulous preparation, but said she has learned from other players, too.

“I like the challenge of trying to do better every day at training. I like doing things repetitiously, I get a kick out of perfecting the skills,” she said.

“Certainly I’ve learned a lot from the players that are a bit more relaxed in their approach and maybe vice versa.”

Perry is also quick to recognise current efforts by well resourced codes such as the AFL to fast-track women’s involvement at sport, at every level from elite teams through to support staff and umpires.

“It’s been great to be part of that development and evolution, but challenging as well,” she said of being a professional in a changing game.

“I really feel there’s been no better time to be a female athlete,” she said.

Perry will spend a month in India early next year for work, but no matter where she is, home is never far from her thoughts.

“I think about the green leafy suburbs (where I grew up), and the quietness of those streets, and the really nice local shops and great cafes.

“Whenever I’m flying in or out of Sydney, I try and spot the north shore from the plane.”