Davidson, New South Wales
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| Davidson Sydney, New South Wales |
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| Postcode: | 2085 | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 20 km (12 mi) north-east of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Warringah Council | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Davidson | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Mackellar | ||||||||||||
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Davidson is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Davidson is located 20 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council. Davidson is part of the Northern Beaches region and also considered to be part of the Forest District, colloquially known as The Forest.
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[edit] Location
Davidson is adjacent to Belrose and Frenchs Forest and is located on the eastern edge of the Garigal National Park. As the crow flies, Davidson is located approximately 15km from the Sydney CBD.
Davidson comprises part of the "Forest" area, which also encompasses the suburbs of Belrose, Frenchs Forest, Forestville and Killarney Heights. The Forest forms part of the Warringah Council jurisdiction, which encompasses a large part of the Northern Beaches area of Sydney.
[edit] History
Davidson was named for Sir Walter Davidson, Governor of New South Wales from 18th February 1918 to 4th September 1923. A park was dedicated in his honour in this area in 1923 and the developing suburb later took this name. Davidson began life as a mining quarry, with residential developments not beginning until the early 1980s.
The suburb faced a significant threat in January 1994 when bush fires came dangerously close to Davidson, via the Garigal National Park. The suburb was fortunate enough not to be touched by the fires however, and owes much to its vigilant band of volunteer firefighters who were prepared to fight the blaze had it reached Davidson.
[edit] Geography
An unusual feature of Davidson is its uneven topography. In large part, this is due to the area’s origins as a mining quarry, as well as its proximity to Garigal National Park. Steep descents are evident in Stone Parade, Borgnis Street and Maitland Street, whereas more undulatory landscapes can be seen along parts of Prahran Avenue and Kambora Avenue.
The Eucalyptus trees and Liquid Ambers that line the streets of Davidson provide a pleasant backdrop for those living in the suburb. They also provide a haven for large numbers of native birds, such as Kookaburras, Galahs and Rainbow Lorrikeets. Possums are also a common sight in Davidson after nightfall.
[edit] Parks
Davidson is blessed with a plethora of stunning parkland. The suburb adjoins Garigal and Kur-ing-gai Chase National Parks, and, in addition, has numerous other reserves suitable for picnics, ambling and quiet moments of reflection. These include McFarlane Reserve, Maitland Street Reserve, Aranda Place Reseve and Richard Healy Oval, to name but a few.
[edit] Commercial Areas
Davidson is home to a Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade.
[edit] Education
Davidson is home to two primary-level schools. Kambora Public School, located on Kambora Road and St Martins Catholic Primary School, also located on Kambora Road. Davidson High School is named for the suburb, however the campus of the school is actually in nearby Frenchs Forest, on Blackbutts Road.
[edit] Transport
There are no major arterial roads running through Davidson. Vehicles may only access the suburb through adjoining Frenchs Forest or Belrose. Davidson is also heavily car dependent. The only public transportation available is an infrequent bus service provided by Forest Coach Lines, a private company which is granted a monopoly by the NSW State Government to provide bus services to Davidson and surrounding suburbs.
[edit] Housing
Davidson is notable for having one of the highest rates of home ownership in Sydney. An article published on 10 July 2004 in Sydney Morning Herald ranked Davidson as the Sydney suburb with the 10th highest rate of home ownership with 90.4% of homes owned and only 6.6% rented.
According to an article published in the Sunday Telegraph on 23 May 2004, the median house price in Davidson was AUD$821,000 with a 5 year growth rate of 11.1%. Housing divisions are relatively large, with residential properties typically 700 square metres or greater in size. There are no apartments or blocks of flats in Davidson, albeit there are a limited number of dual-occupancy premises. The capacity of the suburb to expand beyond its current boundaries is severely limited by the envelopment of national park at its edges.
[edit] Sport
While no sporting clubs are domiciled in Davidson, several from the surrounding area draw participants from the suburb. Perhaps the largest is the Wakehurst Soccer Club, headquartered at Lionel Watts, Belrose. Wakehurst is the largest soccer club on the northern beaches, with over 1300 registered players. Lucas Neill, a member of the Australian national team, played junior soccer with Wakehurst. Other soccer clubs supported by the area, albeit to a lesser extent, include the Belrose Terry Hills Raiders and Forest Killarney. Netball, cricket, tennis and rugby league also enjoy popular support in Davidson.
[edit] Population
It is a small suburb with only approximately 400 homes. Despite its small size and obscurity, its residents have indelibly left their mark on the business, sporting and cultural landscape of Australia. The residents of the suburb are predominantly of Anglo-Saxon descent with only some multi-cultural influences.
[edit] Notable residents
- Michael Hutchence (Former frontman of popular Australian band INXS)
- Matt Shirvington (Olympic level athlete, competed in the 100 metres sprint)
- Peter Hardcastle (Olympic level athlete, rowing, two time Olympian 2000 & 2004)
- Scott Needs (baseballer, was awarded a scholarship at an Alabaman college in 2000)
- Mark Soden (former professional rugby league player for the North Sydney Bears rugby league team)
[edit] Culture
Davidson garners attention each December for its residents' enthusiastic display of Christmas lights. The "Davidson Lights" draw families from all over Sydney. Borgnis Street provides the centre of the nightly celebrations in the lead-up to Christmas, however the festive spirit is spread widely throughout the suburb with residents of Stone Parade and its various cul-de-sacs also actively participating.[1]
[edit] References
- The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
[edit] External links
- Davidson, New South Wales is at coordinates Coordinates:
Davidson on Wikitravel
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