Fairfield Park Precinct

{{Infobox park

|name = Fairfield Park

|image = Honouravenue.jpg

|image size =

|photo_caption = Fairfield Park Honor Avenue

|type = Urban park, sports ground, nature reserve

|location = {{NSWcity|Fairfield}}

|coords = {{coord|33.8744|S|150.9595|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

|map = Australia New South Wales

| map_caption = Location of Fairfield Park

|map_width = 250

|area = {{convert|18|ha|acre|2}}

|plants =

|species =

|collections =

|opened =

|owner =

|operator = Fairfield City Council

|budget =

|visitors =

|status = Open all year

}}

Fairfield Park Precinct, or Fairfield Park, is an urban park situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.King Michael & Associates (1997) Recreation Needs Assessment Study prepared for Fairfield City Council Situated to the south of Fairfield CBD, the park contains an open grassland, bushland, picnic spots, playgrounds, indoor and outdoor sport facilities, and recreational areas within the vicinity of native plants, such as eucalyptus trees.Fairfield City Council (December 1999) Vision for Fairfield Fairfield City Council

Facilities

The park contains several recreation and sporting attractions such as Fairfield Bowling Club, tennis courts, a 7,500 square metre obstacle course with 3 metre high tree top walk,{{Cite web|url=http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/press/article/124/obstacle_course_at_fairfield_park|title=Obstacle course at Fairfield Park|first=Mark|last=Bransdon|website=www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au|accessdate=6 January 2025}} and a recently constructed nature playground, Fairfield Adventure Park, a large playground for older children and teens, which was opened in April 2015. Costing $1.4 million, the playground features an 11 metre high climbing net, a sky bridge and three-slide combination, one of the tallest of its type in the country, and a 33 metre long double flying fox.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/info/20002/planning_and_building/319/major_projects |title=Fairfield Adventure Park |access-date=22 October 2018 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220113704/http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/info/20002/planning_and_building/319/major_projects |url-status=dead }}

The park also features Fairfield Youth and Community Centre, a large hall which opened in October 2015, that contains basketball courts, trampolines, a rock climbing wall, program rooms and extra parking spaces. Adjacent is the Fairfield Leisure Centre, an aquatic centre, which has two swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), a mini-water park, a squash court and a gym.Fairfield City Council (1999) Management Plan for Fairfield City 1999-2003 Fairfield City Council

Geography

File:Fairfieldpark.png

Indigenous trees and shrubs are plenteous in the park, which are a remnant of the Cumberland Plain Woodland and Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark ecological community, with vegetation species that include Melaleuca decora, Eucalyptus amplifolia, Eucalyptus moluccana, Eucalyptus baueriana, Eucalyptus fibrosa, Eucalyptus teriticornis, angophora floribunda, Casuarina glauca, Callistemon viminalis, Ficus microcarpa, Camphor laurel, Bursaria spinosa, Indigofera australis and Eucalyptus bosistoana, most of which have large canopies that provide shade for visitors.

Prospect Creek winds on the eastern end of the park and there is a pedestrian bridge above it, providing views over the creek. The vegetation that surrounds the reserve's creekline is within the riparian zone. The fauna commonly includes Australian birds, such as the Australian raven, Australian magpie and the galah.Fairley A and Moore P (1995) Native Plants of Sydney District – an identification guide Kangaroo Press, Sydney

All in all being {{convert|18|ha|acre|2}} in size, the park proper (which excludes the area south of Prospect Creek, around Orphan School Creek) is around {{convert|12|ha|acre|2}} in size. Hypothetically, if Makepeace Oval, a sports field across the road to the northeast, was included within the park's precinct, then the overall size of the parkland will be approximately {{convert|21|ha|acre|2}}.Clouston (1999) Fairfield Open Space Strategy prepared for Fairfield City Council

Transport

The park is situated on Vine Street and is only a 10-minute walk from Fairfield railway station. It contains a number of walkways and cycleways, namely near Prospect Creek, which link it to Carramar to the south and Fairfield East to the east. The Horsley Drive is a major arterial road on the east side of the parkland. There is also an entry to the park from Haughton Street in Carramar to the south, via a walk/cycleway, adjoining Heiden Park to the west.Fairfield City Council (1994) Local Environment Plan Fairfield City Council

Heritage

Honour Avenue, situated on the entrance of Fairfield Park, is a memorial gateway that commemorates Australia's involvement in various 20th century wars. It was built in honour of the Fairfield residents who served in the World Wars and it includes the names of World War II personnel. Its connecting metal arch displays the words: '1939 Honour Avenue 1945'. The avenue therein contains large brush Boxes and hill's weeping figs on both sides and public seating.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/download/downloads/id/442/fairfield_city_centre_development_control_plan_2013.pdf |title=Fairfield City Centre Development Control Plan |access-date=22 October 2018 |archive-date=17 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417124732/http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/download/downloads/id/442/fairfield_city_centre_development_control_plan_2013.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Crime

In February 2013, a body of a young man, a homicide victim, was located in the park's oval at around 4am by police and paramedics.[https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/fairfield-advance/police-investigate-drug-links-to-fairfield-and-cabramatta-murders/news-story/b50acafda8433f48d160b9fd3feb7136 Police investigate drug links to Fairfield and Cabramatta murders] by The Daily Telegraph, November 3, 2016[https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/mystery-man-found-dead-with-numerous-injuries-in-fairfield-park/news-story/989983692477f42ab84a5bbf7fc8c408?sv=b1d3f48422667503991eb75dd80a3691 Two bodies discovered in separate incidents in Fairfield and Mt Druitt] by News.com.au In April 2014, two 16 year old girls who skipped school were raped by three men in broad daylight within the park grounds.[https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/girls-who-skipped-school-raped-in-fairfield-park-police-20140409-36c6n.html Girls who skipped school raped in Fairfield Park: police] by Rachel Olding and Megan Levy, 9 April 2014, Sydney Morning Herald