Glenbrook, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the Lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located 70 kilometres west of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains
City of Blue Mountains
The City of Blue Mountains is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains range west of Sydney.-Demographics:...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Glenbrook had a population of 5,138 people.
Glenbrook lies between Lapstone
Lapstone, New South Wales
Lapstone is a small village on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. Lapstone is located 62 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains and is part of the federal electorate of Macquarie. The village consists mostly of...
and Blaxland
Blaxland, New South Wales
Blaxland is a town in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Blaxland is located 70 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains...
at an elevation of 163 m (535 ft) and is approximately an hour's drive from Sydney. It is home to a large number of tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
s, recreational opportunities and native flora and fauna.
The suburb takes its name from Glenbrook Creek, which is on the southern side of the village and must be crossed to enter the Blue Mountains National Park
Blue Mountains National Park
The Blue Mountains National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 81 km west of Sydney, and located in the Blue Mountains region of the Great Dividing Range. The park covers 268,987 hectares. The boundary of the park is quite irregular as it is broken up by roads, urban areas...
. Glenbrook retains many historical homes and buildings throughout the village, although most homes are occupied and not open to the public.
History
Glenbrook took its name from Glenbrook Creek but was originally known as Watertank, when a stop opened here on the original "little" zigzagLapstone Zig Zag
The Lapstone Zig Zag was a ##Zig Zag #railway#|zig zag railway## built near ##Lapstone, New South Wales|Lapstone## on the ##Main Western railway line, New South Wales|Great Western Railway## of ##New South Wales## in ##Australia## between 1863 and 1865, to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb...
railway line. A pipe-line brought water from Glenbrook Lagoon to a tank beside the line, from which the engines could be refilled. The Lagoon itself had been dammed up to hold more water for the trains. Around 1870, a small loop siding was built for trains to pass each other and the name was changed to Wascoe's Siding, referring to its connection with the railway stopping point of Wascoe (now Blaxland). In 1878, Sir Alfred Stephen, Chief Justice and Privy Councillor, decided to give the station a proper name and called it Brookdale, "because the place was well watered". One year later, amid a general re-naming, the station was given the name of the nearby creek, Glenbrook, which Sir John Jamison
John Jamison
Sir John Jamison was an important Australian physician, pastoralist, banker, politician, constitutional reformer and public figure....
thought came from Regents Glen. When the village was officially proclaimed, six years later, it took the name of the station.
The little zigzag opened near Glenbrook in 1867, a part of the ascent of Lapstone Hill
Lapstone, New South Wales
Lapstone is a small village on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. Lapstone is located 62 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains and is part of the federal electorate of Macquarie. The village consists mostly of...
on a gradient of 1 in 30-33, which was built up the side of the range with comparatively light earthwork, although it includes the substantial seven-span sandstone Knapsack Viaduct. The abandoned Glenbrook tunnel was used to store mustard gas during World War II. This was later widened to carry the old Great Western Highway
Great Western Highway
The Great Western Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs 210 km from Sydney to Bathurst.Starting as Broadway at the intersection of City Road near the fringe of the Sydney CBD, and becoming Parramatta Road to Parramatta itself, the Great Western Highway heads due west from...
, when the deviation around the little Zig Zag was built, but it is now part of a walking trail on the old railway/highway alignment, including a memorial to the engineer in charge of the construction of the Blue Mountains line and many other early railways, John Whitton
John Whitton
John Whitton was appointed Engineer-in-Charge for the New South Wales Railways, Australia, in January 1867. Over the next 32 years he completed 2811 miles of railway around NSW and Victoria...
.
Lennox Bridge
Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook
The Lennox Bridge is a stone arch bridge designed by David Lennox situated in Glenbrook, Australia. It is a single arch of 6m span and 9m above water level, with a road width of 9m...
built in 1833 and designed by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
stonemason David Lennox
David Lennox
David Lennox was a Scottish-Australian bridge-builder and master stonemason born in Ayr, Scotland.-Personal details:...
is the oldest bridge on the Australian mainland. In 1999, the town was associated with the Glenbrook train disaster
Glenbrook train disaster
The Glenbrook rail accident occurred on 2 December 1999 at 8:22 am in New South Wales, Australia, in which seven passengers were killed and 51 passengers were transported to hospital with injuries. The accident occurred when an interurban train collided with the rear wagon of the Indian Pacific...
. Since 2005 however, the suburb has been the home of The Australian Gnome Convention organised by the local Rotary Club and held on Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
each year. Owners of garden gnomes display their garden decorations and compete for various awards to raise funds for charities.
Transport
Glenbrook railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains railway line of the CityRailCityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
intercity network. Also, the Great Western Highway passes through the town.
Landmarks
- RAAF Base GlenbrookRAAF Base GlenbrookRAAF Base Glenbrook is home to Headquarters Air Command of the Royal Australian Air Force. There is no airfield at Glenbrook, although it is an HLS . It is a small base in the Lower Blue Mountains outside Sydney, New South Wales, with most administrative services located on the nearby RAAF Base...
is the home of Headquarters Air Command. The Officer's Mess at RAAF Glenbrook is actually the old Lapstone Hotel. Built in the 1930s, it has been restored and the interior re-modelled, albeit only slightly due to its historical status. The outside remains unaltered. - The town also has two fire brigade stations, one which falls under the jurisdiction of the volunteer Rural Fire Service as well as a 'retained' New South Wales Fire BrigadesNew South Wales Fire BrigadesFire and Rescue NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is responsible for firefighting, rescue and hazmat services in the major cities, metropolitan areas and towns across rural and regional New South Wales...
station (station 301). - Many traditional AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n buildings, such as the Station Master's Cottage - Lennox BridgeLennox Bridge, GlenbrookThe Lennox Bridge is a stone arch bridge designed by David Lennox situated in Glenbrook, Australia. It is a single arch of 6m span and 9m above water level, with a road width of 9m...
(AD 1833) - the oldest surviving stone arch bridge in mainland Australia - Historic Glenbrook Public School (1892)
- The old Zig Zag railwayLapstone Zig ZagThe Lapstone Zig Zag was a ##Zig Zag #railway#|zig zag railway## built near ##Lapstone, New South Wales|Lapstone## on the ##Main Western railway line, New South Wales|Great Western Railway## of ##New South Wales## in ##Australia## between 1863 and 1865, to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb...
and an entrance - The New Lapstone Hotel was named after the Original Lapstone Hotel which became the RAAF base
- The Glenbrook LagoonGlenbrook LagoonGlenbrook Lagoon is a fresh water lagoon located in Glenbrook, New South Wales at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Bordered by suburban-style streets and houses on four sides, it serves as a reminder of the areas historic bush past....
- Glenbrook Oval, Glenbrook Park, Whitton Park, Knapsack Oval, Mt Sion Park
- Glenbrook Native Plant ReserveGlenbrook Native Plant ReserveThe Glenbrook Native Plant Reserve is a small botanical garden and arboretum of around in Glenbrook, New South Wales, Australia, featuring Australian native plants, principally those indigenous to the Blue Mountains...
- Entrance to the Blue Mountains National ParkBlue Mountains National ParkThe Blue Mountains National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 81 km west of Sydney, and located in the Blue Mountains region of the Great Dividing Range. The park covers 268,987 hectares. The boundary of the park is quite irregular as it is broken up by roads, urban areas...
- Wascoe Siding Train Park
- Glenbrook Swim Centre
- Glenbrook Cinema
Recreation
- Jellybean Pool/Glenbrook Gorge/Blue Pool, entered via the national park (generally free entry on weekdays)
- Endpoint of the Woodford to Glenbrook bike trail
- Camping at Euroka Clearing where kangarooKangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s can be seen at all times of the day and year (especially summer) - Bushwalking: Via Euroka Clearing to the Nepean RiverNepean RiverThe Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia.The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into Nepean Dam, which...
, Via Evans Track to Warragamba DamWarragamba DamWarragamba Dam is the primary water source for the Australian city of Sydney. It is approximately to the west of Sydney on the Warragamba River, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, and impounds Lake Burragorang.- Overview :... - Glenbrook Cinema (one of three in the Blue Mountains)
- Glenbrook Swimming Centre (also considered to be in Blaxland)
- The Glenbrook/Blaxland Cricket Club
- The Blue Mountains Soccer Club
- The Glenbrook Panthers Bowling Club
External links and references
- Aston, N. (1988) Rails, Roads & Ridges: History of Lapstone Hill-Glenbrook. Glenbrook Public School Centenary Committee. ISBN 0-9588163-1-X
- Blue Mountains National Park - Glenbrook - attractions and walks
- More Glenbrook Information
- Glenbrook Chamber of Commerce
- http://www.gsg.net.au