Davidson, NSW 2085

Leafy, bushland family suburb about 20 km north of the Sydney CBD on the eastern edge of Garigal National Park, in Northern Beaches Council's 'Forest District' alongside Belrose, Frenchs Forest, Forestville, Killarney Heights, Terrey Hills and Duffys Forest. Davidson began life as a mining quarry and residential development did not begin until the late 1970s; it is named for Sir Walter Davidson, Governor of NSW 1918–1923, and its uneven, valley-cut topography still reflects the quarry era. At the 2021 census it had 2,725 residents — a mature, family market with a median weekly household income of $3,254 — and 98.2% of occupied private dwellings were separate houses. Eucalyptus and liquidambar-lined streets, abundant native birdlife, creek valleys and pockets of national park on the doorstep give it a distinctly quiet, nature-immersed character. Local colour includes the annual 'Davidson Lights' Christmas display and the volunteer Davidson Rural Fire Brigade. Agents describe a suburb where original owners are finally turning over to younger families wanting large bush-fringe homes for less than surrounding areas (Homely).

At a Glance

Transport

Public transport is bus-only: Davidson has no railway station, light rail or ferry wharf, and services are operated by CDC NSW. Route 274 runs from the City (QVB) to Davidson via Frenchs Forest, with stops on Sir Thomas Mitchell Drive, and a loop service (281) links Davidson with Chatswood station for the North Shore line. Residents are largely car-dependent — buses and most shops are a drive away — and the closest rail stations are on the North Shore line at Chatswood or Gordon.

Schools

Davidson's two primary schools are both inside the suburb: Kambora Public School (NSW government) and St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School. The local government high school, Davidson High School (est. 1974, about 790 enrolments in 2025), is named for the suburb but its campus on Mimosa Street lies just across the border in immediately neighbouring Frenchs Forest, adjoining the suburb's western boundary.

Shopping & Amenities

Davidson has essentially no local shops — a deliberate part of its quiet, bushland character — so residents drive to neighbouring centres: Forestway Shopping Centre in adjacent Frenchs Forest and the Glenrose Village centre (Woolworths, post office, chemist) in adjacent Belrose, each about 1 km from Davidson's edge (inTheSuburbs; Homely). Local services within the suburb are limited to community facilities such as the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade station (relocated from Forestville in 1976, about 110 members) and parks, with a local medical practice and sporting fields nearby.

Parks & Outdoors

Davidson's western edge meets Garigal National Park, with numerous reserves inside the suburb itself — McFarlane Reserve, Maitland Street Reserve, Aranda Place Reserve and Richard Healy Oval — and the Middle Harbour Track passing through. The bushland creek valleys on Davidson's southern fringe were incorporated into the Davidson State Recreation Area in 1974 and became part of Garigal National Park in 1992, extending down to Bantry Bay on Middle Harbour, whose Bluff Track starts just outside the suburb at Grattan Crescent, Frenchs Forest. The 1994 Garigal bushfires came dangerously close to the suburb, a reminder of its bushland setting.

Property Market

The median house price in Davidson was around ~$2.2M–$2.45M across trackers in 2026: $2,250,000 median house price on 33 sales in the past 12 months (−4%, realestate.com.au), $2,432,500 on 52 house sales with 37 days on market (YIP/CoreLogic) and a $2.45M median with typical range $2.18M entry to $2.77M premium (StMate); Cotality's automated median value sat at $2,200,333 as at 31 Jul 2026 (OnTheHouse) (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. A near-pure house market: 98.2% of dwellings are separate houses on large, often bush-fringed blocks, with tiny sales volumes that make short-term medians swing between trackers. Long-term owners are starting to sell to younger families drawn by large homes at relatively lower prices than neighbouring Forest suburbs (Homely). New supply is minimal — limited infill townhouses such as 151A Prahran Avenue (guide $1.975M–$2.15M, 2026) are a recent addition to a stock profile that has been almost entirely detached houses.

New Developments

Very limited — Davidson is a low-density residential suburb hemmed in by Garigal National Park on its western edge, steep quarry-era topography and bushfire-prone bushland, with 98.2% of its housing detached houses at the 2021 census. No major residential developments were identified; new supply is confined to occasional infill such as the four-bedroom townhouse at 151A Prahran Avenue marketed in September 2026, and the main recent change is demographic — turnover of original owners to younger families.

Jobs & Local Economy

Education is a core local employer: Kambora Public and St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary sit in the suburb, with Davidson High School (about 790 students) immediately adjacent in Frenchs Forest, and emergency services are represented by the ~110-member volunteer Davidson Rural Fire Brigade. Most day-to-day employment and services are found just outside the suburb — retail at Forestway Shopping Centre (Frenchs Forest) and Glenrose Village (Belrose), and health at Northern Beaches Hospital in nearby Frenchs Forest — with many residents commuting by bus or car to the CBD, Chatswood or Macquarie Park.

Nearby Suburbs

Frenchs Forest, Belrose, Forestville, Terrey Hills, Killarney Heights

Sources & method

Researched 4 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.

Sources cited in this guide:

• Wikipedia — Bantry Bay (New South Wales)
• Transport for NSW
• Dictionary of Sydney

Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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