Glenbrook is a township of the Lower Blue Mountains of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is located 63 kilometres west of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountai ...

in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phras ...

of the

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. The Mayor of Blue Mountains City Council is coun ...

. At the 2016 Australian census Glenbrook had a population of 5,051 people. Glenbrook lies between Lapstone and Blaxland at an elevation of 163 m (535 ft) and is approximately a 50-minute drive from Sydney. It plays host to trendy cafes and boutiques, while offering various

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

s, including weekend markets, recreational opportunities and native

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or ''skin flora''. ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Z ...

. The town 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 The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately west of Sydney, and the park boundary is quite irr ...

. Glenbrook retains many historical homes and buildings throughout the village, although most homes are occupied and not open to the public.

History

Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson reached Glenbrook area and Lagoon on their trek across the Blue Mountains on 12 May 1813 and described it as "a large lagoon of good water full of very coarse rushes". In 1815, William Cox constructed the first road over the Blue Mountains with a gang of convicts and the Glenbrook area became an important stopping point after a storeroom was built near the lagoon.

Governor Macquarie Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...

also built a military depot near the lagoon to monitor traffic on the newly built road. After years of use, Cox's road up Lapstone Hill ran into a few problems. It was very steep in sections and in rain became slippery. A new road and stone bridge was built and opened to traffic in 1833 "The Western Road", at what is today Mitchell's Pass, planned and built by Thomas Livingstone Mitchell. The Stone Bridge, Lennox Bridge completed in 1833 and designed by Scottish

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

David Lennox David Lennox (1788 – 12 November 1873) was a Scottish-Australian bridge builder and master stonemason born in Ayr, Scotland. Personal details Trained as a stonemason, Lennox worked on Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge at Anglesey in Wale ...

is the oldest surviving stone bridge on the Australian mainland. Glenbrook became a town in the 1870s as a result of the arrival of the railway. In 1867 a zigzag railway was built up the Lapstone Hill and on to Weatherboard "Wentworth Falls". A siding was also built at Glenbrook "Wascoe's Siding", named after an Inn from the local area, water from Glenbrook Lagoon was piped to supply the trains after traversing the Lapstone ZigZag. This Wascoe Siding became a passenger station in 1877. In 1878, Sir Alfred Stephen, Chief Justice and Privy Councillor, decided to give the station a proper name and called it Brookdale, but later it was officially changed to Glenbrook in 1879, named after the nearby creek and Gorge. Glenbrook, which Sir John Jamison thought came from Regents Glen. A village sprung up near the station and was officially proclaimed Glenbrook, six years later. The Lapstone ZigZag opened in 1867, a part of the ascent of Lapstone Hill 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 Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

Knapsack Viaduct. This was later widened to carry the old

Great Western Highway Great Western Highway (also known as Broadway from to , Parramatta Road from Chippendale to , and Church Street through Parramatta) is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst ...

, and 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. In 1892 the

first deviation In commutative algebra, the deviations of a local ring ''R'' are certain invariants ε''i''(''R'') that measure how far the ring is from being regular. Definition The deviations ε''n'' of a local ring ''R'' with residue field ''k'' are non-neg ...

of the railway up the Lapstone Hill, bypassed the

Lapstone Zig Zag The Lapstone Zig Zag was a zig zag railway built between and stations on the Main Western line of New South Wales in Australia. Constructed between 1863 and 1865 to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb up the eastern side of the Blue ...

altogether. A

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube const ...

was built through the hill to the Old Glenbrook station (subsequently dismantled). The 1892 Glenbrook Tunnel ran into trouble with water seeping from the nearby creek and the steep gradient making the climb hard for most trains, often getting stuck in the tunnel. In 1913 the second deviation of the railway line up Lapstone Hill was completed with a new double-tracked 1913 tunnel at the Bluff Point. The old 1892 Glenbrook Tunnel was subsequently closed. As a result of the new line, the Old Glenbrook station was relocated from next to the Great Western Highway to its current location next to the village of Glenbroook at the end of Ross Street, and was officially opened 11 May 1913. The abandoned 1892 Glenbrook Tunnel has been used to store mustard gas during World War II, and grow mushrooms in recent times. The eastern entrance can be still seen from a walking track at Lapstone. On 28 January 1941, an

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...

of No. 1 Air Navigation School,

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

crashed near Glenbrook during a medical evacuation flight from Parkes to the

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...

. All five crew members were killed. In 1999, the town was associated with the Glenbrook train disaster. Since 2005, the suburb has been the home of The Australian Gnome Convention organised by the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

of Lower Blue Mountains and held on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Jack ...

each year. Owners of garden gnomes display their garden decorations and compete for various awards to raise funds for charities.

Heritage listings

New South Wales State Heritage Register

Glenbrook has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following items listed on the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Herita ...

: * Blue Mountains National Park:

Blue Mountains walking tracks The Blue Mountains walking tracks are heritage-listed picnic areas, walking tracks and rest areas located in the Blue Mountains National Park, in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from ...

* 15-17 Great Western Highway: Knapsack Gully Viaduct, 1865 * 78 Great Western Highway: Glenbrook railway residence * Great Western Highway: 1892 Glenbrook Tunnel * Mitchells Pass: Lennox Bridge, Glenbrookthe oldest surviving stone arch bridge in mainland Australia

City of Blue Mountains local government heritage register

Glenbrook has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following items listed on the City of Blue Mountains local government heritage register, as recorded in the

New South Wales Heritage Database New South Wales Heritage Database, or State Heritage Inventory, is an online database of information about historic sites in New South Wales, Australia with statutory heritage listings. Contents It holds the information about sites listed on t ...

: * Blue Mountains National Park: Red Hand Cave * 67 Brook Road: ''The Bluff'' * Burfitt Parade: Glenbrook railway station * 2 Cross Street: House * 15 Euroka Road: ''Thurso'' * 26 Explorers Road: House * 175 Explorers Road: ''The Spurline'' * Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Deviation (1913) * 2 Great Western Highway: Gatekeeper's Cottage No 1 * 2 Great Western Highway: Whitton Memorial * 15 Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Deviation (1892) * 15-17 Great Western Highway:

* 29 Great Western Highway: ''Briarcliffe'' (now

RAAF Base Glenbrook RAAF Base Glenbrook is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base located in Glenbrook, in the Lower Blue Mountains, approximately west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The base serves as home to Headquar ...

) * 29 Great Western Highway: Former Lapstone Hotel (now

) * 41 Great Western Highway: Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson Memorial * 41 Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Native Plant Reserve * 41 Great Western Highway: Original Glenbrook Railway Sign and Monument * 12 Hare Street: Glenbrook School of Music * Off Knapsack Street: Lucasville Station * 15-19 Lagoon Drive: Glenbrook Lagoon * 33 Lucasville Road: Phoenix Palm Group * 37 Lucasville Road: ''Kalamunda'' * 2 Mann Street: House * 9 Mann Street: House * 33 Moore Street: ''Bonnie Doone'' * 6 Nepean Gardens Place: ''Ulinbawn'' * 4 Park Street: ''Serendip'' * 6 Park Street: ''Glenbrook Cottage'' * 10 Park Street: Glenbrook Primary School * 10 Park Street: The Warruwii Centre – Building B00A * 20-30 Park Street: ''Glenbrook Park'' * 23-29 Park Street: Green Real Estate * 41 Park Street: ''Briar Hill'' * 51 Park Street: "Girrahween" * 2 Ross Street: Horse Trough * 20 Ross Street: Glenbrook Garden Centre * 6 Raymond Street: House * 8 Raymond Street: House * 6 Wascoe Street: House * 8 Wascoe Street: ''Ilford'', house and garden * 9 Waters Road: ''Arcadia''

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 5,051 people in Glenbrook. 82.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 5.4%. 90.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 31.5%, Catholic 24.5% and Anglican 18.7%.

Transport

Glenbrook railway station is on the Blue Mountains Line of the

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary int ...

intercity network. Also, the Great Western Highway passes through the town.

Landmarks

* 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 Brigades station (station 301) * Glenbrook Cinema * Glenbrook Cottage (1916), Park Street (heritage-listed) * Glenbrook Oval * Glenbrook Park (1884) and stone gate are heritage-listed * Glenbrook Stone Suburb Staircase * Glenbrook Swim Centre * Knapsack Oval * Mount Sion Park * Sir Douglas Smith Park * Wascoe Siding Train Park * Whitton Park

Gallery

File:Glen brooktunnel.JPG,

Glenbrook Tunnel (1892) The Glenbrook Tunnel is a heritage-listed single-track former railway tunnel and mustard gas storage facility and previously a mushroom farm located on the former Main Western Line (since deviated) at the Great Western Highway, Glenbrook, ...

File:(1)School of Music Hare Street Glenbrook-2.jpg, Former School of Music, Hare Street File:(1)Glenbrook Public School.jpg, Glenbrook Public School File:(1)St Andrews Uniting Church Glenbrook.jpg, St Andrew's Uniting Church File:(1)View from Chalmers Lookout south east Glenbrook.jpg, Chalmers Lookout, Glenbrook File:(1)Ross Street Glenbrook-2.jpg, Ross Street, Glenbrook Village Shopping Area File:Euroka bmnp roo.jpg, Kangaroos at Euroka Camp Area, Blue Mountains National Park Glenbrook Entrance. File:DSC2683-1 Lennox Bridge Glenbrook.jpg, Lennox Bridge, 1833 File:Blue Mountains suburbs staircase.jpg, Blue Mountains suburbs staircase

Recreation

* Jellybean Pool/Glenbrook Gorge/Blue Pool, entered via the national park (generally free entry on weekdays) * Endpoint of the Oaks Firetrail, a popular off-road bike route between Woodford and Glenbrook * Camping at Euroka Clearing where

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gr ...

s can be seen at all times of the day and year (especially summer) * Bushwalking: Via Euroka Clearing to the

Nepean River Nepean River (Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region of ...

, Via Evans Track to

Warragamba Dam Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supp ...

* Glenbrook Cinema (one of three in the Blue Mountains)Glenbrook Cinema – Official Website
/ref> * Glenbrook Swimming Centre (also considered to be in Blaxland) * Th
Glenbrook Swimming Club
* Th
Lapstone/Glenbrook Netball Club
* Th
Glenbrook/Blaxland Cricket Club
* Th
Blue Mountains Football Club
* Th
Glenbrook Panthers Bowling Club

References

* Aston, N. (1988) ''Rails, Roads & Ridges: History of Lapstone Hill-Glenbrook''. Glenbrook Public School Centenary Committee.

External links

Blue Mountains National Park – Glenbrook – attractions and walks

Glenbrook Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales