Exciting news! There is a new destination to add to your outdoor adventure list. The Fagan Park Children’s Forest is now open, offering an immersive nature experience specifically designed for kids. North Shore Mum’s reviewer took her three kids Cassie (8), Vivi (6) and Elliot (5) to check it out and here’s what they found.
At a ceremony on 11 April, 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 on opening day by planting the forests’s final trees before a ribbon cutting at the site’s entrance.
Getting to Fagan Park Children’s Forest
Thankfully finding the forest is nice and easy and didn’t take us too long once we arrived. We parked at the playground (see our Fagan Park review here) which is visible from the car park (which you have to pay $5 to park) and unloaded the bikes, as all the kids wanted to jump on their bike.
If you head directly behind the playground you will come across a path and in the distance you will be able to spot the forest. Just follow (or in my kids’ case, ride) down the path and it will lead you there.
Entering the Forest
It’s no secret that this forest is all about nature, learning, outdoors and plenty of fun. As you walk up you are met with warning signs for ‘Wild Children’ and ‘Children May Learn Stuff’.
Elliot being WILD!
I couldn’t stop my kids from running off the moment they got inside.
The Pond
The first spot all three of the kids ran was straight to the pond. Within seconds their shoes and socks had been torn off as they jumped from stone to stone making their way across the water – and of course stepping into the water in the process.
The kids played here for ages
So many games followed, from racing each other to see who could make it to the other side first (with bets that the loser had to clean their sibling’s room for a week!) and timed trials using their watches.
Discovery Pods
Learning about turtles
Cassie (8) loved all the discovery pods around the forest. She came running up to me to share just how important termites are for our forests and all the reasons forests couldn’t exists without them.
Learning about termites
She made her way around each and every one of them and loved coming back to share what she’d learned with me.
Learning about light
Testing out what she has learnt
The light sign particularly fascinated Cass as she learned all about how reflecting light and how this influences what we see.
Balancing Fun
They had so much fun playing Floor is Lava!
Plenty of learning along the way
The younger two particularly loved the fallen tree trunks and stepping wooden blocks that they could climb all over. It wasn’t long before I was coaxed into a game of ‘The Floor is Lava’ and given three lives to make my way around (all of which I used!).
Couldn’t resist climbing…
Listening…
Listening to each other shout
There is another section where kids can actually listen to all the different noises in the forest, from the leaves rusting in the breeze to creatures. Of course, my two thought it was more fun to shout through these and see if they could hear each other!
Yarning Circle
This contributes to Council’s work with local indigenous community (or caring with country principles).
Planning Fagan Park Children’s Forest
Fagan Park Children’s Forest will be the first park in NSW designed to encourage a sense of connection to nature for children.
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.
Essential Details: Fagan Park
- Location: 38-48 Arcadia Road, Galston
- Open: Every day (except Christmas Day), 7am until 5.30pm (6.30pm during daylight savings)
- Contact: 9847 6666 or email [email protected]
- More information: Hornsby Shire Council website
