Sunshine North is a suburb 12 km west of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, 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...

. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank

City of Brimbank

The City of Brimbank is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the western suburbs between 10 and 20 km west and northwest from the Melbourne city centre.It has an area of 123 km²...

. At the 2006 Census, Sunshine North had a population of 10,162.

Flora and fauna

Many native species exist along the Maribyrnong River

Maribyrnong river

The Maribyrnong River rises about 50 km north of Melbourne, Victoria , near Mount Macedon. It flows generally southward and combines with the Yarra River to flow into Port Phillip....

 on the eastern border of the suburb. Some species thrive in the area. The most abundant are;

• Rainbow Lorikeet
  Rainbow Lorikeet
  The Rainbow Lorikeet, is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia , Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania...
  
  
• Common Brushtail Possum
  Common Brushtail Possum
  The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
  
  
• Flying Foxes or Fruit Bat Pteropus
  Pteropus
  Bats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the megabat or Megachiroptera sub-order, are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as the fruit bats or flying foxes among other colloquial names...
  
  
• Cockatoo
  Cockatoo
  A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
  
  
• Galah
  Galah
  The Galah , Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, Galah Cockatoo, Roseate Cockatoo or Pink and Grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia.It is endemic on the mainland and was...
  
  
• Eastern Brown Snake
  Eastern brown snake
  The eastern brown snake , often referred to as the common brown snake, is a species of genus Pseudonaja. This snake is considered the second most venomous land snake based on its value in mice. It is native to Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia.-Description:Adult eastern brown snakes are highly...
  
  

Introduced species;

• European Rabbit
  European Rabbit
  The European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity...
  
  
• Red fox
  Red Fox
  The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
  
  
• Feral cat
  Feral cat
  A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
  
  

Sport

The suburb host former National Soccer League

National Soccer League

The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...

 and current Victorian Premier League

Victorian Premier League

The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...

 competitors Melbourne Knights

Melbourne Knights

Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...

.

See also

• City of Sunshine
  City of Sunshine
  The City of Sunshine was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1860 until 1994.-History:...
  
  - the former local government area of which Sunshine North was a part.

External links

• http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=72 Parks Victoria Brimbank Park page Sept 2007
• http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=139 Maribyrnong River Parks Victoria page Sept 2007
• http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=139 Maribyrnong Valley Parklands - See Parknotes