Frenchs Forest, New South Wales

Frenchs Forest Sydney, New South Wales
NASA satellite view of Frenchs Forest
Population	13,192 (2011 census)[1]
• Density	1,450/km2 (3,755/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	2086
Area	9.1 km2 (3.5 sq mi)
Location	13 km (8 mi) north of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Northern Beaches Council
State electorate(s)	Davidson, Wakehurst
Federal Division(s)	Warringah, Mackellar
Suburbs around Frenchs Forest: Belrose Belrose Oxford Falls Davidson Frenchs Forest Beacon Hill Forestville Seaforth Allambie Heights

Frenchs Forest is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Frenchs Forest is 13 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. Frenchs Forest is part of Sydney's Northern Beaches region and also considered to be part of the Forest District, colloquially known as The Forest.

The suburb is currently going through rezoning which will include a new hospital, town centre, new relocated high school, 2,200 new homes and $500 million to upgrade the roads around the new Northern Beaches Hospital.

The rezoning is proposed to be completed in time for the hospital opening in 2018.^[2][3]

History

Aboriginal culture

Prior to the arrival of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788, the area of land we now know as Frenchs Forest, and surrounding Warringah areas, was the home of the Guringai (Ku-ring-gai) language group of the Garigal Aboriginal clan. Evidence of their habitation remains today in the form of rock engravings, rock art, open campsites, rock shelters, scarred trees and middens. The word Warringah has many interpretations including "sign of rain", "across the waves" and "sea".

European settlement

European exploration into Warringah began within the first weeks of settlement at Sydney Cove in 1788. Governor Phillip made a number of journeys throughout the area, detailing the landscape, flora and fauna, as well as observing Aboriginal lifestyle and culture. Although Beacon Hill advertises the "Arthur Phillip lookout" at its peak, it is believed by some historians ^[4] that Phillip's travels actually took him through Bantry Bay and up into Frenchs Forest to gain views over the area.

In 1853 Simeon Henry Pearce (1821–1886) and his brother James acquired 200 acres (0.81 km²) in this area. The property was later known as Rodborough when it was acquired by James French, a police constable,^[5] who also developed the land that became neighbouring Forestville. Despite its relative proximity to Sydney, Frenchs Forest remained predominantly rural throughout the nineteenth century.^[6]

Geography

Frenchs Forest is close to the Garigal National Park. It is elevated (~156 m ASL) regularly having high rainfall compared with the rest of Sydney and is spread along ridgelines surrounded by native bushland. The eastern parts have distant views (3 km) over the Pacific Ocean and the temperature extremes typical of Sydney are moderated by this proximity. Garigal National Park features native wildlife, birds, turtles, wallabies, lizards, snakes. Bush tracks include bluff track and natural bridge track.

Climate

• Current Frenchs Forest rainfall data (Manly Hydraulics Lab)

Commercial areas

Frenchs Forest from the air, with Forestway in the centre

Forestway Shopping Centre is at the intersection of Forestway and Warringah Road.^[8] The centre includes an Aldi and Woolworths supermarkets and over 50 speciality stores.

Smaller shopping centres are located at Sorlie Road featuring a variety of restaurants and Skyline shops on Frenchs Forest Road East, the name being derived from the 'Skyline Drive-in Movie Theatre' that existed nearby until the mid-1980s.

Frenchs Forest Town Centre is a proposed shopping mall located here.

Schools

Frenchs Forest is home to a number of schools:

• Frenchs Forest Public School
• Mimosa Public School
• The Forest High School
• Davidson High School

Churches

• Frenchs Forest Anglican Church
• Frenchs Forest Uniting Church (also known as "The Kirk")
• Forest Alliance Church
• Frenchs Forest Baptist

Although named Frenchs Forest Catholic Parish, the three church buildings that make up the parish are located in the adjoining suburbs of Davidson, Forestville & Terrey Hills.

Transport

Road

The main Routes through Frenchs Forest include the east-west Warringah Road (State route A38), connecting Roseville in the west with Brookvale in the east; the north-south Forestway, starting at Warringah Road in Frenchs Forest and heading north through Belrose to Terrey Hills (8 km); the north-south Wakehurst Parkway (State route 22), starting at Narrabeen in the northeast, crossing Warringah Road in Frenchs Forest, and heading south to Seaforth. Following any of these three major roads lead to the only three road routes off the Warringah peninsula.

The intersection of Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Road was the scene of multiple high speed collisions when these two roads were dirt tracks through the bush. To improve this, a blinking light was suspended above the intersection in the first half of the 20th century to warn motorists of the danger, which earned the interesting the enduring name of 'The Blinking Lights^[9]'.

Buses

Forest Coach Lines^[10] connects Frenchs Forest with Chatswood railway station in the west, Warringah Mall shopping centre at Brookvale in the east and Terrey Hills in the north. An express City bus service to Town Hall railway station in the Sydney CBD.^[11]

Culture

• Frenchs Forest Showground has "off leash" areas for dogs and horse events.

Events

• Forest Funday,^[12] is an annual free fair provided by the combined Christian churches of The Forest on ANZAC Day, 25 April at Frenchs Forest Showground.
• Eurofest ^[13] at Ararat Reserve in mid-September involves all the ethnic clubs in the area.

Clubs

• The Scout Hall.
• The Girls Guides Hall.
• Ararat Reserve (named after the Ararat plains of Ancient Armenia) on Bantry Bay Road features a number of ethnic clubs.

Sport and recreation

• The Warringah Aquatic Centre features an Olympic indoor heated swimming pool and baseball pitches.
• Lionel Watts Oval provides sports fields for Cricket, Australian Rules Football, Soccer, Rugby League and Netball.
• A combination cycle/cycle-pedestrian shared/cycle-road path (completed circa 1982) from the corner of Wakehurst Parkway and Frenchs Forest Road, connecting Frenchs Forest with Dee Why. The signposting/painted lines on roads is aged and can be a little difficult to follow.
• The fenced playground for young kids at Lionel Watts Oval (Blackbutts Rd) has a mini-track suitable for toddlers and small kids on tricycles.
• Manly Dam Reserve is adjacent to (southeast of) Frenchs Forest, containing pedestrian/mountain bike bush tracks (map).

Population

In the 2011 census of Population and Housing, the population of the Frenchs Forest postcode area was 13,192 people. The population was 50.1% females, 49.9% males. In Frenchs Forest, 29.4% of people were born outside of Australia. The top religious affiliations in the area were in descending order: Catholic, Anglican, No religion, Uniting Church, and Presbyterian and Reformed. The three most common forms of dwelling were in decreasing order: separate house (4,035), semi-detached, row or terrace house, or townhouse (96) and flat, unit or apartment (32).^[1]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frenchs Forest, New South Wales.

• Bureau of Meteorology

Coordinates: 33°44′56″S 151°13′59″E / 33.7490°S 151.2331°E / -33.7490; 151.2331