Frenchs Forest is a suburb in the Warringah Local Government Area, in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 12 kilometres north of Sydney's central business district and comprises both residential and light industrial zoning. Frenchs Forest's shopping precinct is centred around "Forestway" shops (formerly the Arndale shopping centre), and the suburb is popular due to the leafy surrounds of the Garigal National Park. It is elevated (~110 m ASL) regularly having high rainfall ^[2] 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. The suburb was formed in the early 1960s when the rural area became suburban. To the north of Frenchs Forest is the suburb of Terrey Hills, to the east is Beacon Hill, to the south is Seaforth, and to the west is Forestville. The boundaries of Frenchs Forest are haphazardly defined by Glen St and Wearden Rd to the North, Pound Ave and Mimosa St on the west side (including a detour around the cemetery) and Harbour Creek to the West, Carroll Creek through to the "pipeline" on Warringah Rd, Maxwell Pde and Currie Rd to the South West and Utyana Pl (where the Scout Hall is) to the south, and Wearden Rd, Oxford Falls Rd & Jones St to the east and Allambie Rd, Aquatic Dv to the South East (including a detour around the Warringah Aquatic Centre). Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. ... Warringah is a local council area in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Australia. ... A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z List of postcodes in New South Wales (A-E) List of postcodes in New South Wales (F-M) List of postcodes in New South Wales... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... This is a complete listing of the suburbs and localities in the greater Sydney area in alphabetical order. ... Belrose is a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Terrey Hills is a suburb to the north of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Oxford Falls is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Davidson is a suburb located in the west of the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Beacon Hill is the name of a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in the Warringah council area of the Northern Beaches region. ... Forestville is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... Seaforth is the name of a suburb in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia. ... Allambie Heights is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... Warringah is a local council area in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Australia. ... Manly Beach The Northern Beaches of Sydney is an informal term for the eastern part of northern suburbs of Sydney located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... The central business district of Melbourne, Australia. ... Garigal is a national park in New South Wales (Australia), 20 km north of Sydney. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... Terrey Hills is a suburb to the north of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Beacon Hill is the name of a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in the Warringah council area of the Northern Beaches region. ... Seaforth is the name of a suburb in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia. ... Forestville is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies are buried. ... Scouting in New South Wales is a branch of Scouts Australia in the State of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. ...

Collectively Frenchs Forest & surrounding suburbs of Belrose, Davidson, Forestville & Killarney Heights are colloquially known as The Forest. (Bel-rose) A suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Davidson is a suburb located in the west of the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Forestville is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... Killarney Heights is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... The Forest (A Selva) is a 2002 film directed by Leonel Vieira. ...

History

Frenchs Forest is part of the Warringah Region.

Aboriginal

The word warringah has many interpretations including "sign of rain", "across the waves" and "sea".

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. This article is about the British First Fleet of the 18th century. ... Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge located on Port Jackson Port Jackson, also known as Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Indigenous Australians are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands, believing they have been in occupation since the beginning of time and continuing their presence during European settlement. ...

European

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 that Phillip's travels actually took him through Bantry Bay & up into Frenchs Forest to gain views over the area. Sydney Cove is a small bay on the southern shore of Port Jackson (commonly but incorrectly called Sydney Harbour), on the coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Admiral Arthur Phillip (1786 portrait by Francis Wheatley, National Portrait Gallery, London) Admiral Arthur Phillip, RN (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. ... Bantry Bay in Sydney Australia is located just off Middle harbour in the Garrigal national park. ...

Despite its relative proximity to Sydney, Frenchs Forest (and Warringah as a whole) remained predominantly rural throughout the nineteenth century.

Residents

In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing, the population of the Frenchs Forest postcode area was 12435 people, in an area of 9.1 square kilometres. The population was 50.3% females, 49.7% males. 22% of the population was born overseas. The eight strongest religious affiliations in the area were in descending order: Anglican, Catholic, No religion, Uniting Church, Presbyterian and Reformed, Other Christian, Oriental Christian and Pentecostal.
The three most common forms of dwelling were in decreasing order Australian Bureau of Statistics logo The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the Australian government agency that collects and publishes statistical information about Australia. ... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Logo of the UCA The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was formed on June 22, 1977 when the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia and Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union document. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ...

• A separate house (3883)
• A semi-detached, row or terrace house, or townhouse (115)
• A flat, unit or apartment (36)

Notable Residents Semi-detached housing (usually abbreviated to semi, as in three-bedroom semi) consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each houses layout is a mirror image of its twin. ...

The following notable people were born or lived in Frenchs Forest:

• Athlete Matt Shirvington.
• Astronomer Bryan Gaensler.

Matt Shirvington is an Australian athlete who won the Australian 100 and 200 metre national sprint titles on multiple occasions. ... Bryan Malcolm Gaensler (born July 4, 1973) is an Australian astronomer based at Harvard University. ...

Amenities

Shops

Although Frenchs Forest has its main shops at Forestway at the intersection of Forestway & Warringah Roads, it is also serviced by satellite strip shopping.

At the western side at Sorlie Road Shops, most is quality suburban restaurants, styles including Thai, pizza/Italian cafe, Indian and Chinese, a well regarded Vegetarian as well as a highly professional therapeutic massage. At the eastern end there are the Skyline shops on Frenchs Forest Road East, its name being derived from the Skyline Drive-in Movie Theatre that existed nearby until the mid 1980's. These shops include daytime take-away food stores and a mini-supermarket, with a Fish and Chip shop and Chinese shop that are open into the evening. At the central/southern side is Bantry Bay shops with food types including Indian, quality Pizza, Thai, hamburger, pan-Asian as well as a day/evening pharmacy and 3 doctors (daytime) surgeries.

Educational

There is a public Primary school, Frenchs Forest Public School (K-6) at Ann St and a public High School, The Forest High (7-12) on Frenchs Forest Rd. Although there is also a public Primary school, Mimosa Public School (K-6) and a public High School, Davidson High School (7-12) both on Mimosa St at the western end of Frenchs Forest, these are essentially for the neighbouring suburb of Davidson.

Medical

There are numerous General Practitioners in the area, particularly at Bantry Bay Shops and next to (north) of Forestway shops, as well as few doors west of Skyline Shops.

The accessible hospitals with an emergency department include (approx non-peak car travel times)

• Royal North Shore Hospital (~15-20min) via Warringah road westbound
• Mona Vale Hospital (~15min) via Wakehurst Parkway northbound
• Manly Hospital (~15min) via Wakehurst Parkway southbound
• Sydney Adventist Hospital PRIVATE Wahroongah (~25-30min) via Forestway

There has been an announcement that there will be a new 300 bed Hospital built in Frenchs Forest on the bushland adjacent to The Forest High but it isn't expected to be operational until 2012. (See Mona Vale Hospital) Mona Vale Hospital provides medical services to the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia. ...

Transport

Road

The main Routes through Frenchs Forest include the east-west Warringah Road (State route 29), connecting Roseville in the west with Brookvale in the east; the north-south Forestway, starting at Warringah Rd 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 Blinking Light

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 (first half of the 20th century) to warn motorists of the danger. Long-time residents are known to still refer to the intersection as "the blinkin' light".

Buses

Historically there was little Sydney Buses public bus service in The Forest except the original peripheral Skyline shops-Manly 145 (now replaced with 142) and City Services 169 and 173, these routes only servicing the eastern end of the large suburb. A private bus firm, Forest Coach Lines filled the void for many years, connecting The Forest with Chatswood railway station in the west, Warringah Mall Shopping Centre at Brookvale in the east and Terrey Hills in the north. More recently, their network has included an express City bus service to Town Hall Station in the CBD as well.

Not having serviced the area well before the mid 1980's, Sydney Buses provides an east-west Manly-Chatswood Station 136 connection, starting at Manly via Dee Why Beach, through Frenchs Forest (last pickup westbound before Forest High) then express to Roseville, then Chatswood. The return Journey is express from Roseville Bridge until (next set down) Naree Rd, Frenchs Forest. This oblique pickup/setdown regime is in deference to the negotiated rights of Forest Coach Lines to privately service the area for many years, when Sydney Buses saw it as an unprofitable service.

Sydney Buses also has (previosuly mentioned) Skyline Shops-Manly service and Skyline Shops-City 142 and E66 respectively.

Rail

• Forest Coach Lines bus 279-285 to Chatswood Station
• Forest Coach Lines bus 276-280 Warringah Mall to Chatswood Station
• Forest Coach Lines bus 270 to Jamison St, Wynyard Station and Town Hall Station (City)
• Sydney Buses bus 136 to Chatswood Station

Ferry

Skyline shops-Manly bus 142) connects eastern Frenchs Forest with Manly Wharf for Ferry & JetCat city services.

Air

It is about a (non peak car time) 40 minute drive via Warringah Road westbound to Sydney's domestic & international Kingsford Smith Airport (IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY) at Mascot using the Sydney Harbour Tunnel & Eastern Distributor. A fare in a Taxi would be in the order of $70 (2006) Sydney (Kingsford Smith) International Airport, or Sydney Airport (IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY), is located in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter alphabetic code designating many airports around the world. ... The ICAO airport code (IPA pronunciation: ) is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... The Sydney Harbour Tunnel is a tunnel in Sydney, Australia. ... The Eastern Distributor is a six-kilometre long motorway linking the Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Central Business District (CBD) with the Airport. ...

There is a general aviation airport located in Bankstown, Bankstown Airport (IATA: BQU, ICAO: YSBK) which is of the order 70minute drive via Warringah Road westbound then crossing the harbour using the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Eastern Distributor and M5 motorway. Bankstown Airport (IATA: BWU, ICAO: YSBK) is a general aviation airport located in Bankstown, 22km from the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter alphabetic code designating many airports around the world. ... The ICAO airport code (IPA pronunciation: ) is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... Metroad 5 (M5) is a main arterial route linking Sydney, Australias city centre to its southwest suburbs and beyond. ...

Cycling

There are some cycling amenities in the area including:

• Two main road overbridges that people often ride over providing safer pedestrian/cycle access than the main roads.
  • Crossing Warringah Road at the junction of Forestway, connecting the western side of Frenchs Forest with the southern side
  • Crossing of Wakehurst Parkway from Bantry Bay road to the Aquatic centre, connecting the southern side with the south-eastern side.
• 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 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).
• The Northern Beaches Mountain Biking Group (NoBMoB) have details of trails around Cascades at the western end of Frenchs Forest.

Attractions

• Garigal National Park
  • Bush tracks e.g Carrol Ck track, Governor Phillip track.
  • Native wildlife, birds, turtles, wallabies, lizards
• Close to beaches, e.g. Dee Why Beach by car(6min), bike(15min) or bus (20min).
• Olympic indoor heated swimming pool, baseball pitchs, overbridge access at the Warringah Aquatic Centre
• Reasonable shopping centres, fulfilling many general needs including a non-inspection RTA Motor Registry
• Organic Food Market, every Sunday morning at the Parkway Hotel, Frenchs Forest Rd (east).
• Reasonable commuting access to major business districts of
  • Chatswood
  • St Leonards
  • North Sydney
  • The City
• Glen Street Theatre
• Frenchs Forest Showground (Cnr Blackbutts Rd and Pringle Ave)
  • "Off leash" areas for dogs
  • Horse events
  • Fireworks nights (Queens Birthday)
  • FOREST FUNDAY, once a year free fair provided by the combined Christian churches of The Forest on ANZAC Day, 25th April.
• Lionel Watts Oval (between Blackbutts Rd and Glen St), providing sports fields for
  • Australian Rules football
  • Soccer
  • Rugby League football
  • Netball
• Ararat Reserve (Bantry Bay Rd). Here you can find a number of ethnic clubs: Dutch, Scandinavian (Danish Swedish), Sokol Czech/Slovak, Armenian, Austrian.
  • EUROFEST in Mid September
  • soccer

Garigal is a national park in New South Wales (Australia), 20 km north of Sydney. ... Dee Why is both a suburb of Sydneys Northern Beaches and a beach within the suburb. ... Categories: Incomplete Sydney suburbs | Suburbs of Sydney ... St Leonards is a suburb in Sydney, Australia about 5 km northwest of downtown Sydney. ... See also: North Sydney, Nova Scotia North Sydney is the name of a suburb, local and federal government area, and commercial district on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Australian War Memorial, 25 April 2005, 90th anniversary Australia and New Zealand commemorate the ANZAC Day public holiday on April 25 every year to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), and of all those... Australian Rules and Aussie Rules redirect here. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeNetball is a team sport similar to and derived from basketball, and was originally known as womens basketball. While basically unknown in its homeland, it is the pre-eminent womens team sport (both as a spectator and participant sport) in Australia and New Zealand and is popular in... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Esoteric Services

• The Manly-Warringah Radio Society provide a number of radio repeaters for amateur radio use, including
  • VHF VK2RMB 146.875 MHz (-600 kHz offset) covering Frenchs Forest, Warringah and the Northern Beaches.

A Radio Repeater is a combination of a radio receiver and a radio transmitter that receives a weak or low-level signal and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power, so that the signal can cover longer distances without degradation. ... Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is a hobby and public service enjoyed by about 3 million people[1] throughout the world. ... Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^a b c Census 2001
2. ^

[1] [2]

External links

Coordinates: -33.7524° 151.22440° Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.