Forestville is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Forestville is 12 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. Forestville is part of the Forest District. Location Forestville's location is at a junction between Sydney's North Shore and Northern Beaches and is often considered to be part of both, with Middle Harbour forming the boundary of this distinction. The suburb is bound to the east and west by bushland of the Garigal National Park and to the south by Middle Harbour. Flora and fauna thrive in Garigal National Park and nearby Davidson National Park, with the area, along with Frenchs Forest, Belrose and Terrey Hills, receiving some of the highest rainfall in Sydney. History Forestville means town in the forest. This area was originally thick wooded forest until James French settled here and began felling timber in 1856 and eventually built a small wharf on Bantry Bay to ship timber to Sydney. French later acquired more land in the adjacent suburb which bears his name, Frenchs Forest. The area was used for so called "soldier settlement" farms after the 2nd world war with very mixed success. Much of the land, particularly toward Killarney Heights was totally unsuitable for any type of farming and was developed as housing land in the early 1960s. French's Forest Settlement Post Office opened in 1920 and was renamed Forestville in 1947. Commercial areas Forestville Village Shops - or The Centre - is the suburb's main shopping centre located on Darley and Starkey Streets with a Coles supermarket and a variety of specialty shops, services and food options. A few shops are located along Arthur Street, including a cafe, physiotherapist and chiropractor. Forestville is also formerly the home to the office and call centre of the NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES), which has since relocated to nearby Brookvale. Cook Street is also home to many DIY shops such as a Mitre 10 (also known by its original name "Eatons") and multiple car service centres and other industries. Housing Dotted with many parks and reserves and almost completely surrounded by beautiful bushland with much native flora and fauna, Forestville is a low density housing area consisting of mostly family homes with medium-sized backyards. The housing style is mixed. Many of the timber Soldiers Cottages that were originally built in