Aboriginal culture Prior to the arrival of the
First Fleet in
Port Jackson in 1788, the area of land we now know as Frenchs Forest, and surrounding Warringah areas, was the home of the
Dharug language group of the Garigal
Aboriginal clan. Evidence of their habitation remains today in the form of rock engravings, rock art, open campsites, rock shelters, scarred trees and middens. The word
Warringah has many interpretations including "sign of rain", "across the waves" and "sea".
European settlement European exploration into Warringah began within the first weeks of settlement at
Sydney Cove in 1788.
Governor Phillip made a number of journeys throughout the area, detailing the landscape, flora and fauna, as well as observing Aboriginal lifestyle and culture. Although
Beacon Hill advertises the "Arthur Phillip lookout" at its peak, it is believed by some historians that Phillip's travels actually took him through
Bantry Bay and up into Frenchs Forest to gain views over the area. In 1853, Simeon Henry Pearce (1821–1886) and his brother James acquired in this area. The property was later known as Rodborough when it was acquired by James French, a police constable, who took over Warringah. Despite its relative proximity to Sydney, Frenchs Forest remained predominantly rural throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. A 1951 article in
The Bulletin noted: == Geography ==