Smoothey Park/Milray Reserve
Just three bays up from the Harbour Bridge and five stations up the railway line from Town Hall station, the Lower North Shore suburb of Wollstonecraft is encapsulated on three sides by a delightful ribbon of natural bushland on its harbourside shoreline. Just 20 metres from the railway station exit is Smoothey Park, a pleasant reserve through which flows Gore Creek, bouncing its way over rocks and through splashing pools on its way to Gore Cove.
Smoothey Park is a mix of European style parkland and natural bushland areas, while the many vegetation communities in Gore Cove Reserve provide habitat for a diverse range of wildlife.
A walking path alongside it meanders through Milray Reserve to the cove then follows its shoreline to the isthmus connecting Berry Island to the peninsula. The walk around Berry Island includes Aboriginal rockart and harbour views to the city. Easy walk. Walk from station to Berry Isld via Smoothy Park, return to station via Shirley Rd. 1.6 km. The interpretive Gore Cove bush walking track links Smoothey, Greendale and Holloway Parks to Berry Island Reserve via Gore Cove Reserve.
Shell middens found in the area indicate that Aboriginal people frequented this valley, using the creek as a fresh water supply. Both Smoothey Park and Gore Cove were part of the original Berry/Wollstonecraft estate.
Smoothey Park was named after Mr S Smoothey, an Alderman of North Sydney Council from 1911 to 1920, while Gore Cove Reserve is named after Provost Marshall William Gore who was granted land in the area in 1806.