Brooklyn is a small
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
of northern
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, in the state of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. Brooklyn is located 51 kilometres north of the
Sydney central business districtThe Sydney central business district , is the main commercial centre of Sydney, 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 the south...
, in the local government area of
Hornsby ShireHornsby Shire is a vast Local Government Area in the Northern region of Sydney, Australia. The estimated population of Hornsby Shire was 155,971 .- The followings are the suburbs of Hornsby Shire:...
and is part of the
North ShoreThe North Shore is an informal term used to describe a primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, although...
region. Brooklyn is the northernmost suburb of the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area.
Brooklyn occupies a narrow strip of tidal waterfront land aligned east - west along the southern bank of the
Hawkesbury RiverThe Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National ParkKu-ring-gai Chase is a national park in New South Wales , 25 km north of Sydney located largely within the Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Warringah and Pittwater municipal areas. Ku-ring-gai Chase is also officially classed as a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. The villages of...
borders the suburb to the south and the F3
Sydney-Newcastle FreewayThe Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales and is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
crosses the river just to the west.
Brooklyn is a small
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
of northern
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, in the state of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. Brooklyn is located 51 kilometres north of the
Sydney central business districtThe Sydney central business district , is the main commercial centre of Sydney, 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 the south...
, in the local government area of
Hornsby ShireHornsby Shire is a vast Local Government Area in the Northern region of Sydney, Australia. The estimated population of Hornsby Shire was 155,971 .- The followings are the suburbs of Hornsby Shire:...
and is part of the
North ShoreThe North Shore is an informal term used to describe a primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, although...
region. Brooklyn is the northernmost suburb of the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area.
Brooklyn occupies a narrow strip of tidal waterfront land aligned east - west along the southern bank of the
Hawkesbury RiverThe Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National ParkKu-ring-gai Chase is a national park in New South Wales , 25 km north of Sydney located largely within the Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Warringah and Pittwater municipal areas. Ku-ring-gai Chase is also officially classed as a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. The villages of...
borders the suburb to the south and the F3
Sydney-Newcastle FreewayThe Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales and is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
crosses the river just to the west. Long Island runs parallel with the suburb on the opposite side of Sandbrook Inlet and is joined to Brooklyn by the railway causeway.
Dangar IslandDangar Island is a small forested island in the Hawkesbury River, just north of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It has a permanent population of about 250, which swells dramatically during holiday seasons. The island is serviced regularly by the Dangar Island Ferry service that departs from...
is sited to the north east.
History
The general area was known as Peat's Ferry crossing for a long time until January 1884 when a plan of survey for the subdivision of land owned by Peter and William Fagan was registered with the suburb name of Brooklyn. A hotel of the same name followed later in the year. The town owes its existence and location to the main northern railway line with the railway arriving in Brooklyn in 1887 when the single track section north from
HornsbyHornsby is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hornsby is located 25 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Hornsby Shire.-History:The name Hornsby is derived...
was completed.
In January 1886, the
Union Bridge CompanyThe Union Bridge Company was a bridge fabricator and contractor with works in Buffalo, New York, and Athens, Pennsylvania. The Union Bridge company was formed in 1884 as a merger of several other bridge-building firms. Partners included George S. Field of Buffalo, Edumund Hayes of Buffalo,...
from New York was awarded the contract to build a railway bridge across the Hawkesbury River. The
Hawkesbury River Railway BridgeThe Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge spans the Hawkesbury River just north of the town of Brooklyn on the northern outskirts of Sydney, Australia....
was the final link in the Eastern seaboard rail network and was a major engineering feat at the time of its construction. "Hawkesbury River" was the original platform name when the station opened in 1887 but the nomenclature varied over the following twenty years with the names "Flat Rock", "Brooklyn" and "Hawkesbury" all being used until the final change in 1906 to
Hawkesbury RiverHawkesbury River railway station is a railway station on the Newcastle and Central Coast Line of the CityRail network which serves the suburb of Brooklyn and other towns near the northern end of the Hawkesbury River...
.
Brooklyn is positioned at the northern end of the Cowan Bank, a scenic stretch of steep track on a 1 in 40 grade. The line drops 200 metres from the ridgetop near
CowanCowan is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cowan is located 40 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region. Cowan shares the postcode of 2081 with Berowra...
to almost water level, passing through four tunnels in the process. Prior to electrification and diesel locomotives, Brooklyn was a staging post for trains heading south to Sydney with "push up" engines being attached to the rear of steam trains here for extra assistance on the eight kilometre climb to Cowan.
There have been three major railway accidents in Brooklyn over the years. On the 21st June 1887, an excursion train from Sydney ran out of control down the steep Cowan Bank. There were two other trains full of holidaymakers standing at the platforms at Hawkesbury River railway station and disaster was only averted by the alert station master who could hear the roaring engine and frantic whistling. He dispatched a railway porter to throw the points lever open and divert the runaway down a siding that led to the new bridge site. The train lost speed along the railway causeway out to Long Island and collided with some empty wagons. The locomotive slid off the embankment and ended up partially submerged in the river. The engine driver was trapped in the cabin and drowned but the fireman escaped. The toll was six dead and seventy injured.
On the 20th January 1944 the local bus stalled across the railway tracks at the level crossing in Brooklyn Road and was hit by the north bound Kempsey mail train. Seventeen people were killed. On the 6th May 1991 an interurban electric train ran into the rear of the heritage steam train 3801 which had stalled climbing the Cowan Bank. Six people lost their lives.
Early road traffic was conveyed across the river by George Peat's ferry and prior to the first road bridge being completed there were two vehicular ferries in operation, the "Frances Peat" and the "George Peat". The new concrete road laid down between Hornsby and Gosford had been completed by 1930 and the increased traffic was beyond the capacity of the ferries. Long queues formed on holiday weekends as vehicles awaited their turn.
Work began on the first road bridge in September 1938 and it opened in May 1945. The width and depth of the river between Kangaroo Point and Mooney Mooney presented problems. The total distance to be covered was nearly 800 metres but an embankment of fill was built out from the northern side and the actual bridge spans only covered 580 metres. The southern foundation pier was sunk to 233 feet below high water before reaching bedrock, only 8 inches short of a world record. The bridge cost 190,000 pounds to build. This was supplemented by a second road bridge, a six lane concrete construction that was completed in 1973 as part of the Sydney to Newcastle freeway.
In 1901 the Duke and Duchess of York (later
King George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
and
Queen MaryMary of Teck was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India as the consort of King-Emperor George V. By birth, she was a princess of Teck, in the Kingdom of Württemberg, with the style Serene Highness...
), whilst in Australia for the inaugural opening of federal parliament, anchored their yacht the "Ophir" in Cowan Creek and boarded the paddle wheel steam boat the "General Gordon" for a tour of the lower Hawkesbury.
A small obelisk unveiled in 1939, adjacent to the railway station and the avenue of tall palms in McKell Park, commemorates the discovery and naming of the Hawkesbury River by Governor Phillip in 1789. After a long campaign, the sewerage system began being connected to Brooklyn and adjacent villages in 2007.
Commercial area
The town has traditionally been associated with the farming of
Sydney rock oysterThe Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, formerly known as Saccostrea commercialis, is an oyster species endemic to Australia and New Zealand...
with generations of the same families involved. Oyster beds are a common sight along wide sections of the river but in 2004 the disease QX wiped out production and the industry is currently undergoing a transition.
Transport
The
Hawkesbury River railway stationHawkesbury River railway station is a railway station on the Newcastle and Central Coast Line of the CityRail network which serves the suburb of Brooklyn and other towns near the northern end of the Hawkesbury River...
is on the
Main Northern railway lineThe Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
, which is served by
CityRailCityRail is an operating division of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter, 'intercity' and regional rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest...
's
Newcastle and Central Coast lineThe Newcastle and Central Coast Line is an intercity railway line of Sydney's CityRail network. It runs from Sydney's Central Station via the Central Coast along an inland route, and ends in the Central Business District of Newcastle...
. The
Pacific HighwayThe Pacific Highway is a major transport route in easternAustralia and is part of Australia's Highway 1. It is long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour,...
and the F3
Sydney-Newcastle FreewayThe Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales and is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
are major arterial roads to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is the base for
Hawkesbury River FerriesHawkesbury River Ferries is a ferry and cruise boat operator based at Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River in the northern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, who operate both their ferry service to Dangar Island, and their
Australia's last Riverboat Postman service, from a wharf adjacent to the railway station.
Sport and Recreation
Boating and fishing are the major tourist attractions in Brooklyn. There is a good boat launching facility at the eastern end of the suburb in Parsley Bay and several local marinas offer houseboat hire.
McKell Park is a pleasant and popular spot for weekend picknickers with superb river views and an enclosed tidal swimming pool.
The Riverboat Postman leaves Ferry Wharf in Dangar Road adjacent to the railway station on its daily run (Monday - Friday) delivering mail and supplies to the water access only communities of Dangar Island, Wobby, Bar Point, Marlow Creek and Milson's Passage. The trip is popular with tourists.
Brooklyn is surrounded by reserves with plenty of scope for bushwalking. The
Great North WalkThe Great North Walk is a walking track which runs from Sydney to Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. The main track, in length, runs between the Obelisk in Macquarie Place in Sydney to Queens Wharf Tower in Bicentennial Park in Newcastle and is well sign-posted. There are many "side tracks"...
, a bushtrack that runs from Sydney to Newcastle passes through the town. The
Muogamarra Nature ReserveMuogamarra is a nature reserve New South Wales , on the northern edge of Sydney. It lies between the outer Sydney suburb of Cowan to the south, and the Hawkesbury River to the north. It is closed to the public for most of the year, but opens for 6 weekends each year in spring, when there are...
is open for six weeks a year during the spring wildflower season. Entry is $5 and there are guided and unguided walks within the reserve which is closed to the public outside these times. A wide variety of very good aboriginal rock carvings can be seen here along with sections of the old Peat's Ferry Road.
Facilities
- Pub (The Angler's Rest) with accommodation.
- Several seafood cafes and restaurants.
- Holiday rental accommodation.
- Boat mooring and hire.
Pop Culture
- According to his headstone, one of the locals who is buried in the Brooklyn cemetery claims to have shot down Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron". He was the most successful flying ace of the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories.Richthofen was a member of an...
, more commonly known as the "Red Baron".
- The 2005 movie Oyster Farmer
Oyster Farmer is a 2004 Australian romantic comedy / drama film about a young man who runs away to the Hawkesbury River and gets a job with eighth generation oyster famers. It was written and directed by Anna Reeves, and stars Alex O'Loughlin and Diana Glenn.-Cast:*Alex O'Loughlin .... Jack*Jim...
was filmed in and around Brooklyn. Many local residents were employed as extras.
External links