Ferndale Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ferndale Park New South Wales
"Old Man's Cave" and Swaines Creek
Ferndale Park Location in New South Wales
Website	Ferndale Park

Ferndale Park is a special green space. It's in Chatswood, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. This park is about 8 km (5 miles) from Sydney's city centre. It's like a mini-forest in the city! The park helps protect a type of forest called Blackbutt forest. It also has a beautiful, mossy gully rainforest. Most of the original forests in this area were cut down long ago. This was to make space for farms and homes.

Park Location and Environment

Ferndale Park gets a lot of rain each year. About 1200 mm (47 inches) falls near the park. The soil here is quite good for plants. It's made from Hawkesbury sandstone and Ashfield Shale. Most of the park is part of the Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest. This means it has a unique type of forest.

A Look Back in Time

The Cammeraygal people lived here for a very long time. They are the local Indigenous Australian people. They used this area for at least 5,800 years. They knew a special place called "Old Man's Cave." They would use this cave for shelter. It kept them safe during hot weather or heavy rain.

Fun Things to Do

Ferndale Park has many walking tracks. You can explore the park on these paths. Some people who work in Chatswood like to jog here. They enjoy a run through the park during their lunch break. It's a great place to get some exercise and enjoy nature.

Amazing Plants of the Park

Ferndale Park is home to many interesting native plants. You can see tall blackbutt trees. There are also smaller plants like tree heath. Other cool trees include celery wood and coachwood. You might also spot the native crabapple. The hard corkwood tree also grows here.

The park is famous for its many types of ferns. Some ferns you might find are jungle brake and fishbone water fern. There's also the tiny filmy fern. Look for the Japanese lady fern. The delicate rock fern and necklace fern are also here. An endangered fern, the dwarf finger fern, grows on sandstone cliffs. In winter, you might see colorful waxcap mushrooms.

Wonderful Animals of the Park

Many animals live in Ferndale Park. You might see ring-tail possums and brushtail possums. Grey-headed flying foxes are also common. They are large bats.

Lots of birds fly through the park. Look for colorful rainbow lorikeets. You might also spot Australian king parrots and crimson rosellas. Currawongs are often heard. Other birds include the owlet-nightjar and the koel. The tawny frogmouth and pacific baza are also residents. Keep an eye out for the large powerful owl.

Tiny microbats live here too. These include Gould's wattled bat and the Lesser long-eared bat. The Little Forest Bat is another small bat. Many spiders and insects also call the park home. The Emerald Spotted Frog lives in the park. A special marsupial found here is the sugar glider.

Helping the Park Grow

People are working to protect Ferndale Park. They are doing "bush regeneration." This means they help the native plants grow. They also remove plants that don't belong. Two big problem weeds are trad and privet. These weeds can take over the park. The shady areas are great for fungi and rainforest plants. But disturbed areas can easily be taken over by weeds.