Ropes Crossing, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Ropes Crossing is a suburb
of Blacktown
, Sydney
in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Ropes Crossing is located 49 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown
and is part of the Greater Western Sydney
region.
. The suburb is named as a crossing of Ropes Creek, a watercourse which is approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) long rising near Devils Back Tunnel and flowing north into South Creek. The creek itself was named for Anthony Rope, a First Fleet
convict
who it is assumed was granted land fronting the creek.
The area was the site of a World War 2 munitions area, now formerly known as Australian Defence Industries
or (ADI). The area had its own railway line which was electrified in 1957. When the line first opened on the 1 May 1942, it only ran from St Marys
to Dunheved at a distance of 50.350 rail kilometres from Sydney
and on the 29 June 1942 the line opened from Dunheved to Ropes Creek at 53.010 rail kilometres from Sydney.
When electrification was extended on the western line in the late 1950s a new station was built and called Cochrane and was located 52.480 rail kilometres from Sydney. The station opened on the 2 September 1957. The line was mainly munitions traffic with morning and afternoon passenger services for muntions workers. Towards the end of the line being open, the only traffic seen on the line was the occasional scrap metal trains that visited Sims Metal which was located off the Up line just south of Dunheved. Working of these trains meant that the trains worked to Dunheved where the locomotive ran around the train and proceeded back to the Sims Metal Siding to shunt loaded cars in and empties out as required.
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 Blacktown
City of Blacktown
The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area...
, Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney is a term used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. The University of Western Sydney defines Greater Western Sydney as comprising 14 local government areas...
in the state 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...
. Ropes Crossing is located 49 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown
City of Blacktown
The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area...
and is part of the Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney is a term used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. The University of Western Sydney defines Greater Western Sydney as comprising 14 local government areas...
region.
History
Ropes Crossing was originally part of the suburb of St MarysSt Marys, New South Wales
St Marys is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. St Marys is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith....
. The suburb is named as a crossing of Ropes Creek, a watercourse which is approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) long rising near Devils Back Tunnel and flowing north into South Creek. The creek itself was named for Anthony Rope, a First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
convict
Convictism in Australia
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their...
who it is assumed was granted land fronting the creek.
The area was the site of a World War 2 munitions area, now formerly known as Australian Defence Industries
Australian Defence Industries
Thales Australia is a primary defence contractor for the Australian Defence Force. Thales Australia is best known for its naval ship repair operations, and currently leases the Captain Cook graving dock at Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney, New South Wales and also leases and occupies many of the...
or (ADI). The area had its own railway line which was electrified in 1957. When the line first opened on the 1 May 1942, it only ran from St Marys
St Marys railway station, Sydney
St Marys is a railway station on the Western line, Sydney of the CityRail network. It has four tracks, and the tracks are paired by direction down/down/up/up. This means that all trains to the city leave from the same island platform, so if a train happens to travel on the unexpected track, it is...
to Dunheved at a distance of 50.350 rail kilometres from 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...
and on the 29 June 1942 the line opened from Dunheved to Ropes Creek at 53.010 rail kilometres from Sydney.
When electrification was extended on the western line in the late 1950s a new station was built and called Cochrane and was located 52.480 rail kilometres from Sydney. The station opened on the 2 September 1957. The line was mainly munitions traffic with morning and afternoon passenger services for muntions workers. Towards the end of the line being open, the only traffic seen on the line was the occasional scrap metal trains that visited Sims Metal which was located off the Up line just south of Dunheved. Working of these trains meant that the trains worked to Dunheved where the locomotive ran around the train and proceeded back to the Sims Metal Siding to shunt loaded cars in and empties out as required.