Morceau of France with the harbour and bush thrown in to taste

Over the past 20 years Killarney Heights has become a little slice of France around the bend from Sydney Harbour. The once insular peninsula, down the hill from Forestville on the northern beaches, is now anything but that. It combines the best of European flair, food and culture with the bush and the water facilities that are so wonderfully unique to Sydney.

We moved here for the children. Killarney Heights Public School operates a bilingual program with FANS (French Association of the North Shore) that teaches the NSW curriculum in French and English from kindergarten to year 6. From year 7, the students can follow their French studies at KH High School, across the oval.

Like my children, many students in the primary school have a third or fourth language at home (Portuguese for us), ensuring it has a worldly outlook, welcomes all cultures and instils a sense of global citizenship on its students. The Brazilian association ABCD, which is close to my heart, runs Portuguese classes here in the afternoon, too, and Mandarin is available twice a week during school hours.

I love that I can hear different languages on the streets and in shops and can get my fix of delicious French pastries and baguettes without having to fork out for a plane ticket. The French markets held at the school every November are also a must.

Le Parisien Café Patisserie, among the trees in Tramore Place, Killarney Heights. Credit: Facebook/Le Parisien

Best café? I cannot go past Le Parisien in Tramore Place without popping in with the obligatory “Bonjour”. The owners Didar and Jerome and their staff are adorable, the coffee is perfect – my favourite right now is the French espresso – and the croissants are to die for. If ever in the area, try Jerome’s tray of petits-fours to take home. It’s heaven in bite sizes.

Killarney has another three cafes, a greengrocer that also serves coffee and a Japanese bakery that’s a bit of an institution. They are all located among the trees with other businesses – including a gift shop, two music schools, a dance studio and beautician – around a children’s playground, creating a definite village atmosphere.

Best restaurant? The suburb could do with one or two more restaurants. There are two pizza shops, a successful mixed-menu café that opens on Friday nights, and locals are only down the hill from other options at Forestville, but to make it perfect, Killarney Heights needs a destination French bistro and a wine bar. Any takers?

Flat Rock Beach and Middle Harbour in Garigal National Park at low tide.Credit: Alamy

Best beach, park or pool? Flat Rock Beach on Middle Harbour in Garigal National Park. Pack lightly, it’s accessible only through stairs and a bush track (or by boat).

First place you take visitors? Down the easy track to Davidson Park, in Garigal National Park, for a stroll along the water’s edge to the Lyrebird Trail. The views are great, the breeze and picnic grounds always pleasant and lucky visitors might see the odd wallaby, brush turkey or echidna in the flesh.

Davidson Park, in Garigal National Park, near the Roseville Bridge.Credit: Fairfax

Perfect night out in your suburb? On a picnic rug with friends and champagne at one of the Northern Beaches World Food Markets at Killarney oval. The next one is on February 9.

What would make your suburb better?Killarney’s best assets are its proximity to the national park, its water views and tracks. Sadly, a section of track that provided access to Killarney Point has been closed to pedestrians since 2015. The busting of an alleged drug lab in 2016 ended with the burning of the historical building once used as a dance hall. An illegal road carved out of sandstone and a retaining wall made of tyres collapsed into a landslide after heavy rains in March 2022, further complicating access. Despite residents’ efforts to convince the state government to return the property’s 1.5 hectares to the national park, the hazardous track is still closed, the ruins of the building still visible and the opportunity to revive both the track and the site still beckon.

The burnt ruins of 107 Killarney Drive on Killarney Point. The section of the track parallel to the road has been inaccessible for years. Credit: Google Maps

Best secret spot in your suburb? So many secret spots deserve to be known, they have been compiled along with other interesting information in a not-for-profit book by local Dan Haigh – A knowhere guide to Killarney Heights – Secrets of a sleepy suburb. In the A to Z guide, you’ll learn about waterfalls, tracks, ammunition depots, Instagrammable spots and World War II refugees Stephan and Genovefa Pietroszys who lived in a cave for 28 years until her death in 1979. A friend who grew up in the area still remembers regularly taking food prepared by her mother to them. You can get the book from the local cafes or www.wonderofwhere.com.

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