Davidson, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Davidson is a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of northern Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Davidson is located 20 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...

, in the local government area of Warringah Council
Warringah Council
Warringah is a local council area in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Australia. Warringah Council overlaps with a number of suburbs from the Manly Council area to the south and the Pittwater Council area to the north...

. Davidson is part of the Northern Beaches region and also considered to be part of the Forest District
Forest District (Sydney)
Forest District is a general term for an area in the northern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Forest District is also referred to as The Forest...

, colloquially known as The Forest.

Location

Davidson is adjacent to Belrose
Belrose, New South Wales
Belrose is a suburb of the northern beaches, Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 19 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Warringah Council, and is part of the Northern Beaches region...

 and Frenchs Forest
Frenchs Forest, New South Wales
-Commercial areas:Forestway shopping centre is at the intersection of Forestway and Warringah Roads. During the 1960s and 1970s, this centre had the name Arndale...

 and is located on the eastern edge of the Garigal National Park
Garigal National Park
Garigal National Park is a national park in New South Wales , 20 km north of central Sydney. The park is somewhat disjointed but covers the following areas:...

. As the crow flies, Davidson is located approximately 15 km 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.

History

Davidson was named for Sir Walter Davidson, Governor of New South Wales from 18 February 1918 to 4 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 area faced a significant threat in January 1994 when bushfires in the Garigal National Park came dangerously close to the suburb. These fires were suppressed by the brigades of the Warringah/Pittwater Rural Fire Service from entering the Davidson Valley System.

Geography

Davidson features uneven topography, in large part 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.

Parks

Davidson has many parks. 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.

Davidson is home to the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade (Cnr of Borgnis St & Kambora Ave) since the station relocated from Cannons Parade Forestville in 1976. The Station has approximately 50 members and is one of 13 Brigades in the Warringah/Pittwater District of the NSW Rural Fire Service.
www.davidsonrfb.org

Education

Davidson is home to two primary schools. Kambora Public School, located on Kambora Avenue and St Martin de Porres Catholic Primary School, also located on Kambora Avenue (although its address is Prahran Avenue and its main entrance is in that avenue). Davidson High School
Davidson High School (New South Wales)
Davidson High School, is a school located in Frenchs Forest, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Mimosa Street. It is a co-educational high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training with students from years 7 to 12...

 is named for the suburb, however the school campus is actually in nearby Frenchs Forest, on Blackbutts Road.

.

Population

It is a small suburb with only approximately 400 homes. The residents of the suburb are predominantly of Anglo-Saxon descent with only some multi-cultural influences.

Notable residents

  • Michael Hutchence
    Michael Hutchence
    Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...

     (Former frontman of popular Australian band INXS
    INXS
    INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...

    )
  • Matt Shirvington
    Matt Shirvington
    Matt Shirvington is an Australian athlete and television presenter who held the Australian 100m national sprint title from 1998 to 2002...

     - Olympic athlete, sprinter
  • Peter Hardcastle
    Peter Hardcastle (rower)
    Peter Hardcastle is an Australian rower who competed at the Summer Olympic Games in 2000, 2004, and 2008.-References:*...

    (Olympic level athlete, rowing, two time Olympian 2000 & 2004)

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.

External links

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