Primrose ParkHistoryPrimrose Park was originally occupied by the Cammeraygal people. The Willoughby Falls area in the western gully was a favourite picnic spot in the early days of white settlement. This park was named after H L Primrose, a North Sydney Mayor from 1926 to 1932 and later NSW Minister for Health. The oval was once an estuarine bay and in 1899, was the site of North Sydney's first sewage treatment works that serviced North Sydney and parts of Willoughby and Mosman. The former engine house and compressor houses, tunnels and canals can still be seen today and the remaining buildings are the home of the Primrose Park Art and Craft Centre as well as a range of sporting clubs. The sewage works closed in the late 1920s and the area was dedicated as parkland in 1930. Bush regeneration and Bushcare have been working in Primrose Park since 1994. AccessFollow Young Street off Military Road at Neutral Bay to the end. There are two car parks. Catch any of the buses that stop along Military Road from North Sydney or Wynyard and walk 10 minutes down Young Street. Interest SpotsWilloughby Falls; Aboriginal rock art; and the former Primrose Park Sewage Works structure. Folly Point is a beautiful spot for a rest, covered in She Oak trees overlooking a superb view of Middle Harbour. Barcroft Henry Boake was a writer and poet best known for his 'Out Where the Dead Men Lie'. Unable to find work in the depression of the 1890s, he hanged himself in 1892, aged 26 from a tree at Folly Point. His tombstone sits in St Thomas Rest Park. Flora/FaunaThe Sydney Red Gum, Peppermint and She Oak crown this open forest with an understorey of flowering shrubs and ferns. There are some beautiful stands of Tree Ferns along the walk and Black Wattle canopy along Willoughby Falls. There are also extensive areas of weed including large areas of Lantana and Privet found in the reserve behind the houses, due to past disturbances and neglect. Both the indigenous bush and weeded areas provide habitat for an array of wildlife. Look for Eastern Water Dragons sunning themselves on the rocks surrounding the waterfall in the middle of the day. Listen for the chorus of bird species including: Whip Birds, Rosellas, Lorikeets, Butcher Birds, Noisy Miners and sea birds around the foreshore. Masked Plovers, Magpies and Crested Pigeons forage for food on the oval. In the dense understorey White-browed Scrub-wrens can be seen. Kingfishers visit and migrate to the creek line. Up in the trees, the Boobook Owl and Tawny Frogmouths roost.
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