Narrabeen creek on the Estate, 1907.

Glasshouses and field crops, Garden St., 1960s.

Drive-in cinema, MacPherson St., 1995

Glasshouses, MacPherson St., 1960s.

Warriewood Beach

Warriewood Estate, 1906.

Warriewood

Top Reading Further Reading

Warriewood lies between Mona Vale to the north, Ingleside to the west and North Narrabeen to the south and extends east to the ocean at Warriewood Beach.

Much of the area was marked as swampy on early nineteenth century maps. Narrabeen creek flows through the middle of Warriewood valley and Mullet creek at its southern edge. The wetlands of Warriewood are important as a habitat for many birds, including migratory birds, native mammals and frogs. There are also a significant number of Swamp Mahogany trees, eucalyptus robusta.

James Jenkins was granted 350 acres here and by 1829 had established Cabbage Tree Hill farm. Later the Macpherson family farmed this land which was known as Warriewood. In 1906 the land was subdivided and sold in residential and farm blocks.

From 1920s new settlers came to Warriewood including several families from former Yugoslvia. The area expanded as a farming district, and was known as Glass City because the valley was covered with approximately 3,500 glasshouses, mainly used for cultivating tomatoes. Field crops were also grown. Production reached its peak between 1947 and 1954. From the 1960s market gardening declined and some land was redeployed for nursery gardens. Most of Warriewood, apart from some pockets of light industry, was zoned as a rural area until 1991 when the state government permitted subdivision. By 2000 the rural character of Warriewood began to change as the valley became a suburb.

Reading

Top Reading Further Reading

"The Warriewood Farms contain soil of an extremely high quality, suitable for the most approved and successful schemes of intense culture so that the areas range from about two acres, but a block of 100 acres can be made up if required.

…The actual experience of growers on the adjoining estate – only a very small proportion of which equals Warriewood – shows that the land can be prepared and a good return obtained easily within a year, some have sold produce within seven months. Mr. Duffy, with no labor but his own, obtained 43 pounds for peas from an acre and a quarter which less than a year before was bush-land. The crop of peas shown in the picture covers 3½ acres.

…All the farm blocks are situated in a sheltered vale, intersected by the Narrabeen and Fern Creeks, being protected from the easterly and northerly winds by the ridge on which the hill sites are situated, and from the westerlies and southerlies (the worst winds) by a high range of rocky hills a short distance away from the estate boundaries.

The climate is so salubrious, and the temperature so mild and even, that all plants and flowers flourish with luxuriance and come to maturity and bear some weeks earlier than in other districts around Sydney, with the consequent high prices always paid for early products of good quality.

There is almost an entire absence of frost, as proof of which it may be stated that as many as three crops of potatoes have been obtained in one year from the same piece of land.

…Fine timber, including Ironbark, Stringybark, Grey Gum, Turpentine, Mahogany, Forest Oak and others are available in plenty for building, fencing, firewood and other purposes. Many of the trees are very fine and were pushing their leaves to the sunlight long before Captain Cook landed.

The fine coastal rainfall here is ample for all requirements, and the excellent loamy soil possesses that grand characteristic of retaining the moisture for much longer than ever happens between rains; the surface never cakes or bakes, so that even in what might be termed a dry season all vegetation continues to flourish, and droughts as experienced in the country districts are quite unknown."

Henry Halloran & Co, The Great Warriewood Estate, 1907.

Pittwater Library Service

Local Studies

Warriewood

Reading

Further Reading