Built on the land of the Gameygal clan, Carss Park is named for William Carss, the first of the early landowners to actually live on his property, who moved there in the 1860s. By 1917 when the Carss farm was left to the Sydney Sailor's Home, the area was mostly small mixed farms, with bushland and orchards. Public protest prevented the land being sold completely for development, and a portion was set aside for Carss Bush Park.