History Project Stories
Firth Park

The area known as Firth Park is located on Bungendore Road, opposite Thurralilly Street. The 0.765 (ha) park is bounded by Bungendore Road to the northwest, the Ridgeway to the north and residential blocks to the east and south.  

This small bushland area was donated by Jack Firth, a past employee of Queanbeyan City Council. The park is dominated by Red Box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos) woodland. Cassinia and Acacia form the understory and there is a variety of native shrubs, grasses and daisies. The woodland continues up the hill onto privately owned blocks in the Kingsway Estate, located on Regent Street and Birdwood Place.   

Firth Park was identified by Trees for Queanbeyan as a site for planting in 1994. Prior to this, probably in the early 1990’s, the Monaro Conservation Society carried out a planting and weeding event with residents. The focus of the planting, according to Tim Booth (2022 interview) was to promote a natural informal park. He said that the group deliberately planted understorey species as well as trees, a relatively new practice at that time. 

In 1996 a meeting of Queanbeyan Landcare discussed planting in the park as issues of erosion on the road reserve in front of Firth Park were visible. Later that year a sub-committee of Queanbeyan Landcare was established to work with the Monaro Conservation Society and Queanbeyan City Council to develop a Plan of Management for the park. Council papers indicated that the long-term aim was to improve Firth Park and connect it via a walking trail to a proposed roadside lookout further up Bungendore Road.  

At the request of Queanbeyan Landcare, Council agreed to conduct works to control roadside erosion and to provide sediment catchment. Landcare members also conducted a survey of woody weeds, produced a plant list, decided that the plants be sourced from local species only (Les Manning) only and worked on the Plan of Management. They also pledged 200 local native trees and shrubs and 1500 native grasses and planting as part of the 1997 Roadside Catchment Program for this park. A Draft Plan of Management for Firth Park was produced by December 1996 but it was never released as Council was preparing to adopt of a generic POM for such natural areas. A copy of that plan is held by Queanbeyan Landcare at the Queanbeyan Library.  

In 1997 actions included removal of invasive species and planting of natives in the lower gully area to shade out invasive grasses.  

In 2001 Queanbeyan Landcare and Queanbeyan City Council conducted a site visit to discuss revisiting the 1997 proposal to treat erosion on Bungendore Hill and establish a heritage trail from Firth Park to the top of Bungendore Hill. The project was given life as at the time the Northern Bypass was under construction and included nearby Thurralilly and Bungendore Streets were being impacted. Issues regarding retention ponds and signage were discussed. A report by a Horticulture student involved in the POM was tabled but no copy can be found. 

The lookout had still not been established, but Tom Baker continued do drive plans for a lookout into 2009 by regularly contacting the RTA.  

The discussions with Roads and Traffic Authority (now NSW Roads and Maritime) about a lookout on the south side (there is a small reserve towards the top) occurred while the NSW RM planned the new road now going up Bungendore Hill. The new residents of the Kingsway Estate, located on the south side of the new Road, were not happy about a lookout near them, so this plan died. However, at the end of Hybon Avenue, which links to Firth Park, and comes off Elizabeth Crescent, there is an excellent, long steep set of steps going right up to Kingsway Estate. (Tom Baker email February 2022.) 

Firth Park is not mentioned in the Queanbeyan Landcare Minutes from 2009 to 2020 however Council Officers still contact Tom Baker about the Park. He was recently advised that spraying for the weeds Gazanias, St Johns and Blackberry would take place in February 2022 and that the Officers would talk to the Contractors before the spraying to point out local species such as the Hoary Sunray which were to be preserved.  

The park has a sign that is visible from Bungendore Road, however it is little known and appears to be visited only by nearby residents.