April 2024 - Now open

At a ceremony on 11 April 2024, Mayor Philip Ruddock AO was joined by Matt Kean MP and Stephen Bali MP to officially open the new section of Fagan Park — an immersive experience for kids designed to connect them with nature and inspire their curiosity for trees and the natural world.

Only the second of its kind in Australia, the Children’s Forest was designed in close consultation with children from five local schools. Students from Galston Public School and Arcadia Public School put the final touches on the park today by planting the forest’s final trees before a ribbon cutting at the site’s entrance.

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  • August 2023 Project update

    In August 2023, a new concrete pathway was constructed which connects the Children’s Forest to the existing Fagan Park playground.

    In October 2023, tree pruning works were undertaken in the Children’s Forest to get the space ready to commence construction.

    The construction of the Children’s Forest started on 20 November 2023 and be complete by end of February 2024.

Background

Fagan Park in Galston is Council’s largest parkland. Fagan Park Children's Forest will be the first park in NSW designed to foster an ongoing sense of connection and responsible stewardship of nature for children and will provide an educational model showcasing the value of trees.

This project is proudly funded by the NSW Government in association with Hornsby Shire Council.

What we heard from the kids

Collecting ideas and suggestions from children and carers/ educators from surrounding schools offered an invaluable perspective that underpinned the draft concept design for the Children's Forest. Kids from five schools, including children with physical or sensory needs, took part in interactive sessions in September 2022, where they were asked what activities they would like to have in the Children’s Forest and to rank their favourites.

The most popular preferences were for:

  • Tree House
  • Flying through the Trees
  • Treetop Canopy Walk
  • Cable Ferry
  • Tree Climbing

For a detailed summary of all feedback received, a consultation snapshot and a detailed consultation report can be found in the Document Library.

The Proposal

After collating the feedback from the kids and carers/ educators, a design brief was created that helped to inform and develop a long-term masterplan vision for the Fagan Park Children’s Forest. The Masterplan can be viewed in the Document Library.

Council is proposing to construct the Children’s Forest in stages as funding becomes available. Following this consultation and adoption of an agreed masterplan, Council proposes to fund a stage 1 of works. The proposed stage 1 work is also included in the Document Library for information. The focus of Stage 1 is to open the children’s forest as a safe and accessible space with a few key features, which can then be added to as future funding becomes available.

Stage 1 proposes the following:

  • Construction of a connection path from the existing carpark and playspace to the Children’s Forest to enable access to the area
  • Construction of pathways and decking within the Children’s Forest to aid in exploration and discovery
  • Erection of a perimeter fence around the Children’s Forest to make the play space safe
  • Creation of discovery pods and educational items (e.g. fallen tree on ground to explore and outdoor classroom). This also includes the creation of a Yarning Circle which contributes to Council’s work with local indigenous community (or caring with country principles).

Have your say

We welcome any comments on the draft Fagan Park Children's Forest by:

  • completing the form below
  • writing to: Hornsby Shire Council, PO Box 37 Hornsby, NSW 1630 marked as 'Fagan Park Children’s Forest'
  • emailing: hsc@hornsby.nsw.gov.au

Feedback closes: Tuesday 14 March 2023