Forestville, New South Wales facts for kids

Forestville is a suburb located in Northern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 12 kilometres north of the main city area of Sydney. Forestville is part of the Northern Beaches Council area and is known as part of the Forest District.

Where is Forestville?

Forestville is in a special spot where Sydney's North Shore meets the Northern Beaches. It's often thought of as part of both areas. Middle Harbour helps mark this boundary.

The suburb is surrounded by beautiful bushland. To the east and west, you'll find the Garigal National Park. To the south, it's bordered by Middle Harbour.

Nature and Wildlife

Lots of plants and animals live in Garigal National Park and nearby Davidson National Park. This area, along with Frenchs Forest, Belrose, and Terrey Hills, gets a lot of rain. This helps the bushland stay green and healthy.

A Look Back: Forestville's History

The name Forestville means town in the forest. This area was once a very thick forest.

In 1856, a man named James French came here. He started cutting down trees for timber. He even built a small wharf on Bantry Bay. This allowed him to ship timber to Sydney. James French later bought more land in the next suburb, which is now named Frenchs Forest after him.

After World War I, some land was given to soldiers returning from the war. These were called "soldier settlement" farms. However, many of these farms, especially near Killarney Heights, were not good for growing crops. So, in the early 1960s, this land was used to build houses instead.

The local Post Office first opened in 1920. It was called French's Forest Settlement. In 1947, its name was changed to Forestville.

Shopping and Local Businesses

Forestville has a main shopping area called Forestville Village Shops, also known as The Centre. It's located on Darley and Starkey Streets. Here you can find a Coles supermarket. There are also many other special shops, services, and places to grab a bite to eat.

You'll find a few more shops along Arthur Street. These include a cafe, a physiotherapist, and a chiropractor.

Forestville used to be home to the office and call centre for the NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES). WIRES helps rescue and care for injured wildlife. They have since moved to Brookvale. Cook Street also has many DIY shops, like a Mitre 10 store. You can also find car service centres and other businesses there.

Homes in Forestville

Forestville is a lovely place to live, with many parks and nature reserves. It's almost completely surrounded by beautiful bushland, full of native plants and animals.

Most homes in Forestville are family houses with medium-sized backyards. The houses are not too close together. You'll see a mix of different housing styles.

Many of the original "Soldiers Cottages" were built in the 1950s and early 1960s. Over time, some of these have been replaced by larger, newer homes or smaller townhouse villas. However, more and more people are choosing to renovate and keep the original cottages. Others are building new homes designed to fit in with the bushland. This careful way of developing houses helps Forestville keep its unique bushland feel. This is also true for nearby areas like Killarney Heights and Frenchs Forest.

Schools in Forestville

Forestville has three primary schools for younger students:

• Our Lady of Good Counsel
• Forestville Montessori School
• Forestville Public School

For high school, the closest option is Killarney Heights High School. Other high schools nearby include The Forest High School and Davidson High School, both in Frenchs Forest. There is also the Aspect Vern Barnett School, which is a special school for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Places of Worship

Forestville has several churches:

• St David's Anglican Church
• Cityview Church
• Forestville Uniting Church
• Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church
• Rest Church
• Ruach Ministries (a group of smaller house churches)

Sports and Fun Activities

Forestville offers many places for sports and recreation. You'll find sporting fields, tennis courts, and netball courts. These are home grounds for local teams like:

• Forest Killarney Soccer Club
• Forest Netball Club
• Forest Rugby Club
• Forestville Ferrets Junior Rugby League Football Club

There's also a Returned Services League (RSL) Centre nearby called The Forest Club. It's a place where people can gather and relax.

Who Lives in Forestville?

According to the 2016 census, there were 8,329 people living in Forestville. The average age was 42 years old, which is a bit older than the national average of 38. About 20.2% of the people were 65 years or older.

The most common backgrounds of people in Forestville were:

• English (26.8%)
• Australian (21.4%)
• Irish (8.1%)
• Scottish (6.7%)
• Chinese (5.6%)

Most people (65.9%) were born in Australia. Other common countries of birth included England (6.0%), China (2.5%), New Zealand (2.1%), and South Africa (1.4%).

About 74.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Armenian (3.5%), Cantonese (2.7%), Mandarin (2.6%), French (1.9%), and Japanese (1.5%).

When it came to religion, the most common answers were:

• No Religion (9.7%)
• Catholic (23.8%)
• Anglican (18.2%)

Getting Around Forestville

Warringah Road is the main road that connects Forestville to nearby suburbs like Roseville Chase and Frenchs Forest.

Two different bus companies operate in Forestville:

• CDC NSW runs many bus routes through the suburb. These buses can take you to the Sydney CBD, Chatswood, and Terrey Hills.
• Keolis Downer Northern Beaches operates two bus routes that pass through Forestville. These buses go from Chatswood to Dee Why or Westfield Warringah Mall.