Brooklyn, New South Wales
Brooklyn Federal division(s) | Berowra[5] | ||||||||||||||
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Brooklyn is a suburb and the northern most town on the
The town provides a range of amenities and activities, while maintaining a quiet village atmosphere. Brooklyn provides convenient access for North Shore residents and day trippers to the Hawkesbury River and Pittwater waterways for boating, swimming and fishing, and to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Muogamarra Nature Reserve for bushwalking and scenic views. Hornsby Council is currently developing a 'Brooklyn Master Plan' to provide for further improvement of the amenities in the area.
Recreation amenities and activities
Visitors to the town can enjoy several cafés both in the town and on the waterfront with a focus on local seafood. A range of other options for meals include the Angler's Rest Hotel and the new Estuary restaurant at Kangaroo Point. The iconic 'Peat's Bite' restaurant on the Hawkesbury River is only a 10-minute boat ride from Brooklyn.
Boating and fishing are major tourist attractions in Brooklyn. There are several local marinas which provide boat hire, marine services, supplies and fuel for boaties, and houseboat rental for those who want to spend a few days enjoying the river. The Hawkesbury River is also a venue for dragon boat racing and Brooklyn is home to the 'Hawkesbury River Dragons' dragon boat racing club.
McKell Park is a popular spot for picnickers. It provides superb river views and multiple venues for recreation. The park encompasses the entire headland from the northern waterfront with its netted public swimming pool and children's playground, to the picnic area at Flatrock lookout, around to Parsley Bay which has a large new boat ramp, multiple pontoons for water access, a large parking area for cars with room for boat trailers and a park with barbecue facilities. Yachts are anchored here with permanent moorings and kayaks can be hired in Parsley Bay to explore the waterways. The waterfront trail around McKell park is a beautiful short walk. There is also a multi-use sporting field and children's playground near Baden Powell Hall on Brooklyn Road.
The town has a vibrant art scene with a number of local artists providing works which can be viewed and purchased at the Edge Art Space on Brooklyn Road and the Redfish Cafe Gallery. Brooklyn holds its annual Spring Fair and Markets at the Brooklyn Soccer Oval in September.
Brooklyn is surrounded by reserves with plenty of scope for bushwalking. The town is on the route of the famous Great North Walk, a 250 km bushwalking trail from Sydney to Newcastle. Visitors can use this trail to access excellent views within a short distance from the town. The annual Oxfam 100 km Trailwalker charity event also starts from Parsley Bay in Brooklyn. The Muogamarra Nature Reserve is open for several weeks each year during the spring wildflower season. An entry charge applies, 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 Peats Ferry Road.
The
Brooklyn Public School is the local primary (junior) school, with high school students going to either private schools (
Accommodation can be found at the Brooklyn Hotel, The Anglers Rest Hotel, and on various websites.
Popular culture
- Robert Buie was a local resident who fought in World War I, and his headstone in the Brooklyn cemetery credits him with shooting down Manfred von Richthofen, the German air ace who is more commonly known as the "Red Baron".[citation needed]
- The 2005 movie Oyster Farmer was filmed in and around Brooklyn. Many local residents were employed as extras.[citation needed]
Demographics
According to the 2021 census, there were 737 residents in Brooklyn. 76.7% of people were born in Australia, with the next most common countries of birth being England 5.7%, the United States of America 1.9%, New Zealand 1.5%, South Africa 1.5% and Scotland 0.9%. 90.0% of people only spoke English at home, the next most common languages sp[oken at home were Gujarati 1.2%, Russian 0.8%, German 0.7%, Afrikaans 0.7% and Swedish 0.7%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 50.2%, Anglican 15.3%, Catholic 14.0 and Christian, not further defined 3.1%.[1]
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 Hornsby was completed.
In January 1886, the
Peat's Ferry Post Office opened on 1 January 1874 and was renamed Brooklyn in 1888.[8]
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 Cowan 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" or bank engines being attached to the rear of steam trains here for extra assistance on the 8-kilometre climb to Cowan.
There have been three major railway accidents in Brooklyn over the years. On 21 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 20 January 1944 the local bus stalled across the railway tracks at the level crossing in Brooklyn Road and was hit by the northbound Kempsey mail train. Seventeen people were killed. In the Cowan rail accident on 6 May 1990 an interurban electric train ran into the rear of a heritage steam train 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 (20 cm) short of a world record. The bridge cost A£190,000 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 V and Queen Mary), whilst in Australia for the inaugural opening of federal parliament, anchored their yacht the "Ophir" in Cowan Creek and boarded the paddle wheel steamboat 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.
Heritage listings
Brooklyn has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Main Northern railway: Hawkesbury River railway station[9]
- Main Northern railway: Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge[10]
Commercial area
The town has traditionally been associated with the farming of
Transport
Brooklyn is the base for Hawkesbury Cruises running The Riverboat Postman each weekday at 10:00 am, and by Brooklyn Ferry Service running the Dangar Island ferry from 6:00 am every day.
CDC NSW operates one bus route through Brooklyn:
- 592: Brooklyn to Hornsby via Mooney Mooney, Cowan, Berowra and Asquith[11]
Kangaroo Point
The southern ends of the Pacific Motorway (M1) Brooklyn Bridge and the Pacific Highway Peats Ferry Bridge across the Hawkesbury River are located at Kangaroo Point. It has been termed "the entrance to Sydney" by those commuting from the north.[12] The first Australian five-pound note included a picture of Kangaroo Point.[12] In 2012 Hornsby Shire Council undertook building work to construct viewing platforms and recreational areas.[12]
See also
Notes
- New South Wales Land & Property Information.[13]
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Brooklyn (NSW)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the originalon 21 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Brooklyn". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "The Legislative Assembly District of Hornsby". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 23 April 2024. Localities and Postcodes. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
Arcadia, Asquith, Berowra, Berowra Creek, Berowra Heights, Berowra Waters, Berrilee, Brooklyn, Canoelands, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Cowan, Dangar Island, Dural, Fiddletown, Forest Glen, Galston, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Hornsby, Hornsby Heights, Laughtondale, Maroota, Middle Dural, Milsons Passage, Mount Colah, Mount Kuring-Gai, Pennant Hills, Singletons Mill, West Pennant Hills, Wisemans Ferry.
- ^ "Profile of the electoral division of Berowra (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. 27 August 2022. Location Description. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
Berowra covers an area from Hawkesbury River in the north, to the M2, Pennant Hills Road and North Rocks Road in the South. Osborn and Normanhurst Rd and Main Northern Railway and Belmont Parade, Cockle and Cowan Creeks in the east, Hawkesbury, Bellbird and Cattai Creeks, Boundary Road, Taylor Street, High Road, Castle Hill Road, Main Northern Railway, Old Northern Road, Gilbert Road, Merrick Way, Gawin Court and Linksley Avenue in the west. Suburbs include Annangrove, Arcadia, Berowra, Brooklyn, Cattai, Cherrybrook, Cowan, Dangar Island, Galston, Glenorie, Hornsby (part), Maroota, Middle Dural, Mount Colah (part), Mount Kuring-gai, Pennant Hills, Westleigh, West Pennant Hills and Wisemans Ferry.
- ^ a b c Bureau of Meteorology max[dead link]
- ^ Rowland, Joan (2008). "Brooklyn". Dictionary of Sydney. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024 – via State Library of New South Wales.
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- .
- .
- ^ "592 Brooklyn to Cheero Point and Mooney Mooney". transportnsw.info. 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Findlay, Tracey (3 May 2012). "Overhaul for historic Kangaroo Point". The Hornsby Advocate. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Brooklyn". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
Further reading
- Johnson, Noel E. (1993). History of Brooklyn. Noel E. Johnson. ISBN 0-646-13446-9.
- Australian Encyclopaedia Vol II and VII. Published by Angus & Robertson 1950
- Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin no. 541 November 1982
- Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin no. 334 August 1965
- Brown, Trevor. Working on the Hawkesbury…a Memoir. Deerubbin Press, 1997.
- Richmond, Tom. 1906: the birth of Hornsby Shire. Deerubbin Press and Hornsby Shire Council, 2007.
- Richmond, Tom. Brooklyn: Federation Village. Deerubbin Press, 2010.
- Richmond, Tom. Brooklyn underground: transcriptions and family histories for Lower Hawkesbury burials. Deerubbin Press, 2003.
- Richmond, Tom. ‘Growing Up in Brooklyn’ edited by Nathan Tillbury. Hornsby Shire Recollects. https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/6058
- Richmond, Tom. Love among the Prawns: Brooklyn families and characters. Deerubbin Press, 2003.
External links
- History of the 1888 (initial) Railway Bridge
- Joan Rowland (2008). "Brooklyn". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 25 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]
- Niall Clugston – Hornsby Shire Library (2008). "Kangaroo Point Hornsby". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 27 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]
- Niall Clugston – Hornsby Shire Library (2008). "Peats Ferry". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 28 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]