| Fairyland | |
|---|---|
 "The Rest" at Fairyland | |
| Location | Lane Cove National Park, North Ryde, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°47′54″S151°08′59″E / 33.798351°S 151.149661°E Coordinates: 33°47′54″S151°08′59″E / 33.798351°S 151.149661°E |
| Elevation | 5 |
| Formed | 1910 |
  Location of Fairyland in New South Wales | |
Fairyland Pleasure Ground was a former recreation and picnic area on the Lane Cove River, in Sydney, Australia. [1]
The local indigenous Australian people, the Cammeraygal occupied the area east of the river for at least 5,800 years. The Wallumettagal people were located west of the river. [2] [3] The original area was relatively flat and swampy. Vegetated mostly by eucalyptus, acacia, tea tree, bracken, swamp oak and paperbark. [4]
Illegal logging occurred at the Fairyland site as early as 1834. By 1847 at least ten people were listed as living in the area. [3] In 1895, the state government sold blocks of land beside the river. Robert Joshua Campbell Swan (1864 - 1943) and other family members purchased Portions 385 and 386 of Field of Mars for ₤141. [4] Around 1900, the natural forest country was cleared for agriculture by the Swan family. Many different crops were grown including strawberries and watermelons. New Zealand flax was grown to tie parcels of fruit. By 1905 the property had acquired a name, "The Rest". Between 1905 and 1910 the market gardens were phased out.
After noticing the success of the Avenue Pleasure Grounds downstream at the Fig Tree Bridge and the Fern Bay Pleasure Grounds at Drummoyne, the Swan family then changed the area for recreation.
They planted exotic plant species such as the camphor laurel and date palm. Placing painted fairytale figures on trees, and carved fairy like wooden figures were placed in the grounds, such as Little Bo Peep. There was a slippery-dip in the shape of a sleeping giant, supposedly based on the character "Brutus" from Popeye. Other features were the wooden pirate boat, tiny tots and the upside-down house. Fairyland soon became popular and successful. Fairyland offered a more enticing prospect than its two rivals, mainly due to a more remote and appealing location. [4]
Access to the ground was mostly by ferry. A wharf was built on the river. Some boats would take up to 70 passengers at a time. [1] [5] Two of the craft regularly visiting Fairylands were the Escort and the Twilight. In 1918, when the Upper Lane Cove River Ferry Company closed, Fairyland acquired some of their ferries to be part of Fairyland's operations. Church groups, schools, companies and families used the area for picnics and recreation. [4]
A kiosk, and much playground equipment was installed, such as a flying fox, swings and a wooden pirate ship. The "razzle-dazzle" was a popular circular ride, originating from White City Pleasure Grounds at Rushcutters Bay as was the flying fox and ticket boxes. [4] The ride was said to emulate an ocean voyage, built in 1914. From White city, Robert Swan also acquired strength-testing machines and coin-operated machines through which customers could view silent films. [6] Six boat swings came from Putney Park. A dance hall was built around 1930. Also around that time, netting was installed around a small sandy beach on the river for swimming. [4]
Certain dancers were known to take a train to Chatswood, then walk downhill to the eastern side of the river, then call for boats to take them across the river to the dance hall. After the construction of Fullers Bridge, a road was built down from Delhi road. Parking was available for 120 cars. In wet weather, the parking area became soaked, with cars being bogged. [3] [5] [1] [7] [8]
In the mid 20th century, Fairyland lost much of its popular appeal. Particularly with the expanding suburbs of Sydney, the diminishing remoteness, the rise of the motor car and the opening of the Epping Road bridge. After a series of floods in 1967, 1968 and 1969 Fairyland closed. [4] The area was purchased by the National Parks of New South Wales in the late 1970s. Little evidence of the park exists today, particularly after the severe fires of 1994. The access road off Delhi Road is currently closed, overgrown and barely recognizable. A pair of rusted gate holders and some asphalt are all that remain.
After the area was abandoned, invasive weeds have been particularly troublesome. Much work by bush regenerators has continued into the 21st century. Today, the 42 hectare area is home to three Endangered Ecological Communities. Notable wildlife so close to the city of Sydney here includes the Powerful Owl, Osprey and Echidna. Fairyland is on the Great North Walk. [5] [1] [7] [8]
The Lane Cove National Park is a protected national park that is located within metropolitan Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. The 372-hectare (920-acre) national park is situated about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district and features various vegetation types, such as, wet and dry sclerophyll forest, heathland, mangroves and tidal flats. The park consists of land near the banks of the Lane Cove River, which flows generally south-east into Sydney Harbour. It also extends to the outskirts of Pennant Hills and Wahroonga at its northern boundaries.
The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of 5.1 metres (17 ft), the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Secondary tributaries include the smaller Lane Cove and Duck rivers.
The North Shore refers to a group of suburbs north of Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. The term generally refers to the suburbs located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour up to and including Hornsby and between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River.
The Lane Cove River, a northern tributary of the Parramatta River, is a tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary west of Sydney Harbour, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The river is a tributary of the Parramatta River, winding through a bushland valley. It joins Parramatta River at Greenwich and Woolwich, where together they form an arm of Sydney Harbour.
Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove is nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Lane Cove Council. It is serviced by schools, shops, cafes, restaurants, medical and dental services, recreational facilities and public transport. Lane Cove West and Lane Cove North are separate suburbs.
Burnley is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Yarra. At the 2016 Census, Burnley had a population of 769.
Kirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administered by North Sydney Council. Kirribilli is a harbourside suburb, sitting on the Lower North Shore of Sydney Harbour. Kirribilli House is one of the two official residences of the Prime Minister of Australia.
Hunters Hill is a suburb on the Lower North Shore and Northern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hunters Hill is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Hunter's Hill.
Brooklyn is a town in the state of New South Wales, Australia, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire with the population of 722 as of the 2016 census. Brooklyn is surrounded by the Muogamarra nature reserve and occupies a strip of waterfront along the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River.
North Ryde is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde. North Ryde is in the Northern Suburbs region of Sydney.
Linley Point is a small peninsular suburb located on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the local government area of the Municipality of Lane Cove, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district by car.
Chatswood West is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chatswood West is located 11 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Willoughby and City of Ryde. Chatswood is a separate suburb. The area of Chatswood located west of the Pacific Highway is informally known as West Chatswood, which should not be confused with the separate suburb of Chatswood West, nor should it be confused with the West Chatswood Post Office on Railway Street in the Suburb of Chatswood. Chatswood West shares the same postcode as Chatswood which is 2067.
Lane Cove North is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove North is located 11 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the Municipality of Lane Cove and the City of Willoughby. Lane Cove and Lane Cove West are separate suburbs.
Maudslay State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in Newburyport. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. It is available for weddings and other programs.
Fullers Bridge, officially called the Fullers Creek Bridge, is a road bridge that carries Delhi Road to Millwood Avenue across the Lane Cove River, in Chatswood West, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The concrete beam bridge is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) northwest of the Sydney central business district and connects Chatswood to North Ryde as part of the A38.
The Northern Suburbs is the metropolitan area on the northern bank of the Parramatta River in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia beginning with suburbs in line with or east of West Pennant Hills and ending with suburbs west of the Lane Cove National Park, south of Hornsby. This area includes suburbs in the local government areas of Hornsby Shire, City of Ryde, the Municipality of Hunter's Hill, and parts of the City of Parramatta.
Riverview is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Riverview is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Lane Cove. It is situated on the northern side of the Lane Cove River, at the head of Tambourine Bay; the foreshore is occupied by Tambourine Bay Park. Riverview is primarily a residential area.
Longueville Motor Bus Company was an Australian bus company operating route bus services on Sydney's Lower North Shore.
The Chatswood South Uniting Church is a heritage-listed Uniting church at 518 Pacific Highway, Lane Cove North in the Lane Cove Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Thomas Rowe and possibly a Mr Morrow also and built by Bryson, Leet, Johnson & Montgomery. It is also known as Chatswood South Uniting Church and Cemetery and Chatswood South Methodist Church. The property is owned by Chatswood South Uniting Church. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Fiddens Wharf or Killara Wharf was a former wharf on the Lane Cove River in Sydney, Australia. Named after the convict Joseph Fidden, the wharf was primarily used for the transport of timber and supplies to and from Sydney in the 19th century. It is unknown whether the original structure was a conventional wharf, or a mooring place with lines connected to a metal ring secured in a nearby rock. Fiddens was one of the three main wharves on the river.