Glenbrook, New South Wales

Template:Overly detailed Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Australian place

Glenbrook is a township of the Lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is located Template:Convert west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. As of the 2021 Australian census Glenbrook had a population of 5,078 people.<ref name=Census2021Y />

Glenbrook lies between Lapstone and Blaxland at an elevation of 163 metres (535 feet) and is approximately a 50-minute drive from Sydney. It is home to many cafes and boutiques, while offering various tourist attractions, including weekend markets, recreational opportunities and native flora and fauna.

The town takes its name from Glenbrook Creek, which is on the southern side of the village and must be crossed to enter parts of the Blue Mountains National Park. Glenbrook retains many historical homes and buildings throughout the village, although most of these 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".<ref name="Glenbrook, NSW">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 also built a military depot near the lagoon to monitor traffic on the newly built road.<ref name="Glenbrook, NSW"/>

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 David Lennox 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.<ref name="Glenbrook, NSW"/> 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 Knapsack Viaduct. This was later widened to carry the old Great Western Highway, 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 of the railway up the Lapstone Hill, bypassed the Lapstone Zig Zag altogether. A tunnel 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.<ref name=nswshr-1861/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 28 January 1941, an Avro Anson of No. 1 Air Navigation School, Parkes crashed near Glenbrook during a medical evacuation flight from Parkes to the Sydney Airport.<ref name="Dunn">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> All five crew members were killed.<ref name="Dunn" />

In 1999, the town was associated with the Glenbrook train disaster, when the Trans-Australian Indian Pacific train collided with a V Set commuter train.

Since 2005, the suburb has been the home of The Australian Gnome Convention organised by the Rotary Club of Lower Blue Mountains and held on Australia Day each year. Owners of garden gnomes display their garden decorations and compete for various awards to raise funds for charities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bushwalking

Glenbrook hosts many walking tracks that can be trekked, including the popular walk to Red Hands Cave, from Glenbrook Causeway, which is a Template:Convert return walk from Glenbrook's town centre.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> On the trail to the caves, along the banks of Camp Fire Creek, there are also aboriginal axe grinding grooves on the Sydney Sandstone.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Glenbrook also has walks that are scenic, but not so well known. This includes the untracked walk to Warrimoo via Glenbrook Gorge and Florabella Pass, and the walk to Blaxland via Pippas Pass.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>

Additionally, Glenbrook hosts many natural pools and swimming holes, that can be accessed by walking tracks from the town centre, by a few kilometres.<ref name=":0" />

Natural Pools

Glenbrook's natural pools are popular for swimming in, and their tranquillity.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

These pools are easily accessed by several walking tracks from the town centre.

Glenbrook's Pools include:

Blue Pool, on Glenbrook Creek<ref name=":0" />
Jellybean Pool, a popular swimming hole.<ref name=":0" />
Duck Pool, a few kilometres north upstream from Blue Pool.<ref name=":1" />

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:

Blue Mountains National Park: Blue Mountains walking tracks<ref name=nswshr-980>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
15-17 Great Western Highway: Knapsack Gully Viaduct, 1865<ref name="NSWHD 4301012">Template:Cite NSW HD</ref>
78 Great Western Highway: Glenbrook railway residence<ref name=nswshr-713>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
Great Western Highway: 1892 Glenbrook Tunnel<ref name=nswshr-1861>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
Mitchells Pass: Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook Template:Spaced endashthe oldest surviving stone arch bridge in mainland Australia<ref name=nswshr-24>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>

City of Blue Mountains local government heritage register

Glenbrook has a number of heritage-listed sites, including (but not limited to) the following items listed on the City of Blue Mountains local government heritage register, as recorded in the New South Wales Heritage Database<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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Blue Mountains National Park: Red Hands Cave
Burfitt Parade: Glenbrook railway station
Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Deviation (1913)
2 Great Western Highway: Gatekeeper's Cottage No 1
15 Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Deviation (1892)
15-17 Great Western Highway: Lapstone Zig Zag
29 Great Western Highway: Briarcliffe (now RAAF Base Glenbrook)
29 Great Western Highway: Former Lapstone Hotel (now RAAF Base Glenbrook)
41 Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Native Plant Reserve
12 Hare Street: Glenbrook School of Music
Off Knapsack Street: Lucasville Station
15-19 Lagoon Drive: Glenbrook Lagoon
37 Lucasville Road: Kalamunda
6 Nepean Gardens Place: Ulinbawn
10 Park Street: Glenbrook Primary School
20-30 Park Street: Glenbrook Park
20 Ross Street: Glenbrook Garden Centre

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Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 5,078 people in Glenbrook. 83.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 5.2%. 90.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 41.6%, Catholic 22% and Anglican 15.9%.<ref name=Census2021Y/>

Transport

Glenbrook railway station is on the Blue Mountains Line of the NSW TrainLink intercity network. The Great Western Highway passes through the town.

Services

Glenbrook 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 Brigades station (station 301)

Recreation

Founded in 1975, the Lapstone-Glenbrook Netball Club<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was formed from a merger between what was St Peter's Netball Club and school-based teams at Lapstone Public School<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Glenbrook Public School.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> St Peter's Netball Club was a founding club of the Blue Mountains Netball Association<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was run from the church organisation previously based in the St Peter's Anglican Church building which is now used as a cafe in Glenbrook). Netball is currently the largest participation sport in the Blue MountainsTemplate:Citation needed and all matches are played at the Lapstone complex.

Glen Brook also has a swimming centre.

Other sporting clubs in the area include: