Davidson, New South Wales
Davidson is a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Davidson is located 20 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. Davidson is part of the Forest District. Location Davidson is adjacent to Belrose and Frenchs Forest and is located on the eastern edge of the Garigal National Park. Davidson is located approximately from the Sydney CBD. Davidson comprises part of the "Forest" area, which also encompasses the suburbs of Belrose, Frenchs Forest, Forestville, Killarney Heights, Terrey Hills and Duffys Forest. The Forest forms part of the Northern Beaches 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 late 1970s. 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 Lorikeets. 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 Reserve and Richard Healy Oval, to name but a few. Education Davidson is home to two primary schools: Kambora Public School St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School Davidson High School is named for the suburb, but is located in neighbouring suburb Frenchs Forest. Commercial and Fire Brigade A shopping complex on the corner of Yindela Street and Pound Avenue contains a small number of commercial premises, including a popular café, a hairdressers salon and a sports injury clinic. The complex also contains the only apartment accommodation in the suburb. Davidson is also home to the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade since the station relocated from Cannons Parade Forestville in 1976. The Station has approximately 110 members, including former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and is one of 13 Brigades in the Warringah/Pittwater District of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS). On 2 October 2013 a small bush