The Lane Cove River, a northern tributary of the Parramatta River, is a tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary west of Sydney Harbour, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The river is a tributary of the Parramatta River, winding through a bushland valley. It joins Parramatta River at Greenwich and Woolwich, where together they form an arm of Sydney Harbour, and serves as a border along with Middle Harbour separating Sydney's North Shore.
Ecology
The Lane Cove River rises near Thornleigh and flows generally south for about . Its catchment area is approximately .
The upper reaches are in a narrow, forested valley eroded into the North Shore Plateau. Fiddens Wharf was the site of early 19th century logging. The middle reaches are impounded by a weir just upstream of Fullers Bridge. Sections of the valley are forested and are protected within the Lane Cove National Park, an area of , formerly a State Recreation Area. The lower reaches of the Lane Cove River, downstream from the weir near Fullers Bridge, are tidal and merge into Sydney Harbour at Greenwich and Woolwich. There are significant areas of mangrove communities along the shores.
The confluence of the river is with Scout Creek in Lane Cove National Park at Cheltenham. At North Epping, still within the confines of the national park, it is joined by Devlins Creek from the south and Terrys Creek near Macquarie Park. Southwest of Killara and Lindfield, the width of the river expands, continuing south through Lane Cove River National Park, towards the suburbs of Linley Point and Riverview, before finally reaching its mouth between Greenwich Point and Woolwich, where it merges with Parramatta River and soon after becomes part of Port Jackson, more commonly known as Sydney Harbour.
Devlin Creek was named after the Devlin family, who lived in Willandra, a historical house in Ryde.
Register of the National Estate
The area surrounding the river, no more than wide, is called Lane Cove National Park, and is a site of ecological importance, listed on the Australian Register of the National Estate. It contains an endangered community of fungi, some species of which have still not been classified.
A popular caravan park and campground known as Lane Cove River Tourist Park is located on the western side of the valley above the river.
Great North Walk
The Lane Cove River is the site of many old trails and tracks, some of which have survived from logging days. They are now used for recreational purposes. Some of them have been incorporated into the Great North Walk, a long-distance walking trail from Sydney to Newcastle. This trail passes along the Lane Cove River between Boronia Avenue, Hunters Hill, and Thornleigh Oval, Thornleigh. On the east side of Thornleigh Oval, the trail makes use of Lorna Pass, a track built during the Depression of the 1930s to provide relief work. The pass was named after Lorna Brand, who raised money for the work. Another trail, the Lane Cove Valley Walk, stretches from Thornleigh to Lindfield.
Fairyland
From 1913 to the early 1970s, the Swan family operated a picnic area called Fairyland, which was located on the banks of the river, upstream from Epping Road. The area was originally a market garden, but the family turned it into a picnic area when they realized the commercial potential. Facilities were developed to the point where Fairyland had its own footbridge, BBQ fireplaces, boat swing, razzle dazzle ride, shelter, dance hall and wharf. The area has now returned to nature and is contained within the Lane Cove National Park. The Great North Walk passes through it.
Cultural items of significance
Harry Smith was a businessman who owned land in what is now the Marsfield area. Smith created a picnic area in a section of his property he called Curzon Park, which bordered the Lane Cove River and consisted of eighty acres of bushland. The picnic area has long since returned to nature, but a set of stone steps can still be seen at the top of the escarpment above the river. It is almost certain that Smith had these steps built to provide access to the picnic area. This is supported by a news item from 1899, which states that a set of stone steps went down to the picnic area.