Picture this. You are standing in Brookvale. The air hums with the ghosts of market gardeners. Their legacy lives on in the names Green Street and Dale Street. These streets echo the former name Greendale a name that is preserved by Greendale Creek. This creek flows from Beacon Hill down through Brookvale into Curl Curl Lagoon.
Brookvale. A name that replaced Greendale in 1888. It’s a story woven from the land itself. From the marshland and lightly timbered valley between Allambie Heights and Beacon Hill. A place where Aboriginal people lived for thousands of years. Their presence lingers in the engravings and sites on the surrounding hills.
Early settlers like William Frederick Parker arrived around 1836. He bought 100 acres of land. He built a home near present-day William Street. He named it Brookvale. The name inspired by the brook that ran nearby. His son William Francis built Brooklands a stone cottage at the end of Cross Street. Another early settler Matthew Charlton bought land nearby. He called his property Greendale.
The arrival of the tramway in 1910 was a momentous occasion. The tram bedecked with flowers steamed into Brookvale. Locals cheered its arrival. It was a symbol of progress. The tramway was short-lived. Buses replaced it in 1939. The Brookvale bus depot opened in 1952. It boasted the first woman bus driver in New South Wales.
Brookvale’s transformation continued. Post-war industry reshaped the landscape. Market gardens gave way to factories. By the mid-1960s some 70 factories operated in the area. The Brookvale Chamber of Commerce and Industry formed in 1954. This cemented Brookvale’s position as a major industrial hub. Even a brewery existed briefly. Brookvale Union Brewery opened in 1950. It closed in 1956 unable to compete with larger rivals.
Brookvale’s industrial heart beats alongside its coastal soul. The area became home to many surfboard manufacturers. Bennett Surfboards one of the oldest Australian manufacturers is still here. The area is a place where industry and nature coexist.
Brookvale. A place of rich history. A place of transformation. A place where the past and the present intertwine. It’s a story you can feel. A story you can almost hear whispered on the breeze. This is Brookvale a place worth exploring.