Hawkesbury River is the name of the railway station at Brooklyn, on the Hawkesbury River. The station is on the Main Northern railway line, which is served by the Central Coast and Newcastle Line. "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 back to Hawkesbury River.
Though the name of Brooklyn has been gazetted for the town here three years earlier, the station's name seems to have been chosen because it was built primarily to service the construction works of the Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge, located just north of the town of Brooklyn. The bridge was the final link in the Eastern seaboard rail network and was a major engineering feat at the time of its construction.
Hawkesbury River station 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.
Associated with the Hawkesbury River railway station is the now defunct River Wharf railway station (above). This was located on the eastern end of Long Island, across the causeway linking Long Island with the mainland and was in use from at least 15 August 1887. River Wharf was the terminus of the northern line until the first Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge opened in 1889. During its operation, trains would disgorge passengers and goods here for transfer to the General Gordon paddle steamer.
They would then be transported out into Broken Bay and up to Woy Woy station from where they would rejoin a train for their onward journey north. This inconvenience was alleviated somewhat when the Woy Woy Tunnel was opened and the line extended south to another defunct platform named Mullet Creek, that was in the general vicinity of the present day Wondabyne station, in January 1889, as this meant the General Gordon only had to cross the Hawkesbury River and travel up Mullet Creek a few kilometres.
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.
Located on the Hawkesbury River at the northern extremity of the Sydney metro area, Brooklyn is a charming, easy going fishing and holiday village that is an ideal base or starting point from which to explore or otherwise enjoy the central Hawkesbury River region. It has become a focal centre for both holidaymakers and daytrippers in seach of the peace and tranquility afforded by this picturesque section of the river. Brooklyn is accessible by road (Old Pacific Highway) or train (alight at Hawkesbury River Station on the Central Coast line). Ferries to Patonga, Dangar Island and the River Postman leave from Brooklyn. Hire boats are available here.
Brooklyn Marina
The railway station is in the middle of the town's tourist facilities which include accommodation, restaurants, ferries, tours and houseboats, making exploration of the river easy. Boating and fishing are the major attractions on the Hawkesbury; there is a good boat launching facility at the eastern end of the suburb in Parsley Bay and several local marinas offer boat and houseboat hire. If your schedule does not allow a longer stay, there is plenty to do to fill a day in and around Brooklyn.
Just across the water from Brooklyn in the middle of the Hawkesbury River are a number of islands. Of these, Dangar Island is the most interesting, and no visit to Brooklyn is complete without hopping on the ferry and heading across the water to what is the Sydney metropolitan area's most northerly residential area. There are few better ways to spend a pleasant hour or two than wandering around exploring this little corner of paradise.
There are beaches where you can walk or swim, and a bushwalk across the top of the island where you will come across Aboriginal rock carvings. Stop for a cuppa or lunch (highly recommended) at the general store before catching the ferry back to Brooklyn. Ferry services to the island are timed to coincide with trains arriving from Sydney. With no private cars to disturb the 'sounds of silence', Dangar Island is a haven of peace and tranquility and an ideal place for a holiday, a weekend away or even a day trip from Sydney.
The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge was the third largest bridge in the world when it was built in 1889, and was the final link in the railway connection between the eastern colonies of Australia. The bridge had seven truss spans, each 120 metres centre to centre of the bearings. Eleven bay trusses were modified by the use of counterbalances in the five central bays.
Commenced in April 1887 and completed 2 years later, a workforce of 800 men housed in a tent village on Dangar Island was needed to complete the task. As well as steelwork, 10 million bricks, 10,000 bags of cement, 110 tonnes of blasting powder and 10 tonnes of dynamite were used to construct the bridge and its approaches. This was almost as expensive and difficult a task as building the bridge itself. It involved cutting numerous tunnels, the one under Mt Wondabyne, at 1,925 metres, was Australia's longest.
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