Frenchs Forest | |||||||||||||
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 Frenchs Forest from the air, with Forestway in the centre | |||||||||||||
  Frenchs Forest Location in metropolitanSydney | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Frenchs Forest | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:33°44′56″S151°13′59″E / 33.7490°S 151.2331°E /-33.7490; 151.2331 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| City | Sydney | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 9.1 km2 (3.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 149 m (489 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 14,267 (2021 census)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 1,568/km2 (4,061/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 2086 | ||||||||||||
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Frenchs Forest (pron. frenches) is a suburb of northernSydney, in the state ofNew South Wales, Australia. Frenchs Forest is 20 kilometres north of theSydney central business district in thelocal government area ofNorthern Beaches Council. Frenchs Forest is part of Sydney'sNorthern Beaches region and also considered to be part of theForest District, colloquially known asThe Forest by its locals.
During the 2010s, the suburb underwentrezoning which includes a new hospital, town centre, new relocated high school, 2,200 new homes and $500 million to upgrade the roads around the newNorthern Beaches Hospital.[3]
The rezoning was completed in time for the hospital opening in 2019.[4][5]
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Prior to the arrival of theFirst Fleet inPort Jackson in 1788, the area of land we now know as Frenchs Forest, and surrounding Warringah areas, was the home of theDharug language group of the GarigalAboriginal clan. Evidence of their habitation remains today in the form of rock engravings, rock art, open campsites, rock shelters, scarred trees and middens. The wordWarringah has many interpretations including "sign of rain", "across the waves" and "sea".
European exploration into Warringah began within the first weeks of settlement atSydney 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. AlthoughBeacon Hill advertises the "Arthur Phillip lookout" at its peak, it is believed by some historians[6] that Phillip's travels actually took him throughBantry Bay and up into Frenchs Forest to gain views over the area.
In 1853, Simeon Henry Pearce[7] (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,[8] who took over Warringah.
Despite its relative proximity to Sydney, Frenchs Forest remained predominantly rural throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century.[9] A 1951 article inThe Bulletin noted:
Ten years ago the Forest and the Chase really gave Sydney a unique charm. Less than 20 miles from theG.P.O. and you were in the midst of almost unsullied bush where you could still see wallabies, rabbits restored to respectability by their distance from grazing lands, and even, towards Whale Beach, koalas; wheresun-orchid,greenhood andhyacinth-orchid flowered low in the scrub with blackeyed-Susan and the wild iris under starry tea-tree or the creamy foam of dwarf-apples; where boronia and wax-flower in their seasons glowed all along the roadsides, or native-holly fit a whole gully with rusty gold. And year by year, while the rangers busied themselves harassing the picnickers who dared snatch a couple of flannel-flowers, the dumpers from the suburbs made the place one gigantic garbage-tip, where if you weren’t merely sick you would probably be bitten among the refuse by funnel-web spiders, redbacks, bulldog-ants and death-adders. A lot of the Forest has itself now become a suburb; it will probably be burnt down annually and need not be bothered about any more. But much remains worth preserving; and all the Chase.[10]
Frenchs Forest is close to theGarigal National Park. It is elevated (~156 mASL) 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 thePacific Ocean and the temperature extremes typical of Sydney are moderated by this proximity. The western side has views over Chatswood, St Leonards, North Sydney and Sydney CBD, bounded byGarigal National Park featuring native wildlife, birds, turtles, wallabies, lizards, snakes. Bush tracks include bluff track and natural bridge track.
Frenchs Forest climate is similar to theClimate of Sydney, albeit with a few minor seasonal differences: winters tend to be cooler and wetter than in the city, while summers tend to be less hot.
| Climate data forMacquarie Park | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 47.1 (116.8) | 41.4 (106.5) | 40.7 (105.3) | 33.5 (92.3) | 28.5 (83.3) | 24.8 (76.6) | 26.0 (78.8) | 30.1 (86.2) | 34.4 (93.9) | 39.1 (102.4) | 42.0 (107.6) | 43.1 (109.6) | 47.1 (116.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 25.9 (78.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 20.3 (68.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.5 (65.3) | 21.1 (70.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 27.1 (80.8) | 22.8 (73.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.9 (62.4) | 16.9 (62.4) | 15.2 (59.4) | 12.0 (53.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 6.5 (43.7) | 4.9 (40.8) | 5.7 (42.3) | 7.8 (46.0) | 10.8 (51.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.6 (60.1) | 11.2 (52.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) | 8.9 (48.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | 2.5 (36.5) | 0.3 (32.5) | −1.7 (28.9) | −3.5 (25.7) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.1 (32.2) | 0.9 (33.6) | 1.2 (34.2) | 6.5 (43.7) | −3.5 (25.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 115.7 (4.56) | 142.1 (5.59) | 133.4 (5.25) | 107.6 (4.24) | 86.9 (3.42) | 114.4 (4.50) | 51.7 (2.04) | 57.6 (2.27) | 59.3 (2.33) | 83.9 (3.30) | 94.8 (3.73) | 84.4 (3.32) | 1,135.3 (44.70) |
| Source:[11][12] | |||||||||||||
Forestway Shopping Centre is at the intersection of Forest Way and Warringah Road.[13] The centre includes anAldi andWoolworths 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 'SkylineDrive-in Movie Theatre' that existed nearby until the mid-1980s.
Frenchs Forest Town Centre is a proposed shopping mall, aquatic centre and high-rise residential development.[3]
Frenchs Forest is home to a number of schools:
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.
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 Forest Way, starting at Warringah Road in Frenchs Forest and heading north throughBelrose toTerrey Hills, connecting with Mona Vale Road (8 km); and the north-south Wakehurst Parkway (State route 22), starting at Narrabeen in the northeast, crossing Frenchs Forest Road and Warringah Road in Frenchs Forest, and heading south toSeaforth, leading to theSpit Bridge. Following any of these three major roads lead to the only three road routes in and out of the Northern Beaches district.
The intersection of Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Road was the scene of multiple high speed collisions following the opening of the Wakehurst Parkway in 1946. In an attempt to improve safety ablinking light[14] was suspended above the intersection to warn motorists of the danger, which earned the intersection the enduring name of 'The Blinking Light'.[15]
CDC NSW connects Frenchs Forest withChatswood railway station in the west,Westfield Warringah Mall shopping centre atBrookvale in the east andTerrey Hills in the north, with bus services running toTown Hall station in theSydney central business district.[16]Keolis Downer Northern Beaches runs a number of bus lines through the Frenchs Forest area,[17] including the 160X bus service which connectsChatswood toDee Why, and other services toManly andNarrabeen.
In the2021 census of Population and Housing, the population of the Frenchs Forest postcode area was 14,267 people. The population was 50.4% female, 49.6% male. In Frenchs Forest, 68.8% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were England 7.3%, China 2.3%, New Zealand 2.2%, South Africa 1.9% and India 0.9%. 80.5% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 2.7%, Armenian 1.6%, French 1.4%, Cantonese 1.3% and Italian 0.9%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 40.8%, Catholic 23.1% and Anglican 15.3%.
Of occupied private dwellings in Frenchs Forest, 92.5% were separate houses, 4.3% were semi-detached and 3.1% were flats or apartments.[2]
Media related toFrenchs Forest, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons