Once upon a time, a simple cottage stood here. It was surrounded by cherry trees. This is the story of Cherrybrook.
Cherrybrook, a suburb of Sydney, sits 29 kilometers northwest of the city center. It’s part of the Hornsby Shire. Many consider Cherrybrook part of the Hills District. Let’s uncover its past.
In 1839, Joseph Harrison and his wife Mary Ann Thompson settled here. They planted orchards. They built a timber cottage and named it Cherrybrook Cottage. The name “Cherrybrook” came from the cherry trees they grew. These trees grew near the creek flowing through their land. Their 65-acre block became known as Cherrybrook Farm. Mary Russell had originally been granted this land in the 1820s. The orchards blossomed with peaches, apricots, pears, plums, and citrus fruit. Later, Eric Vaux bought the property. He started a dairy farm, keeping the Cherrybrook name alive.
Fast forward to February 1959. The land was subdivided. It became Sydney’s first project home village. Bulldozers cleared the bushland. Exhibition homes rose on the leveled sites, then came landscaping. Development accelerated in the 1980s. The Cherrybrook Post Office finally opened on July 20, 1994.
Even Cherrybrook’s street names whisper stories. Many streets honor native plants and trees. Some commemorate historical figures from convict times. Others pay tribute to local landowners. When Cherrybrook was subdivided in 1959, developers chose colonial architects as a theme for some streets. Interestingly, none of these architects ever lived or worked in Cherrybrook.
Consider Francis Greenway Drive. It is named after an early Sydney colony architect. Macquarie Drive honors Major-General Lachlan Macquarie. He was the fifth Governor of NSW. Lambe Place remembers David Lambe. He was an architect and farmer from the 1800s. Dawes Place is for William Dawes. He laid out Sydney and Parramatta. He also built Australia’s first observatory.
Shepherds Drive once led to the farms of James and Isaac Shepherd. Purchase Road was John Purchase’s driveway. He arrived in Australia in 1838 and operated a citrus orchard with his thirteen sons. Booth Place is named after the Booth family. They lived in Cherrybrook until the mid 2010s. New Line Road is one of the oldest roads. Boundary Road marks the northern boundary of the Field of Mars Common established in 1804. Abbey Place sits on the former Benedictine Abbey Estate. Paxton Close connects to the Benedictine Order. Tallowwood Avenue gets its name from the Eucalyptus microcorys tree. Boldrewood Place is named after Rolf Boldrewood. He wrote “Robbery Under Arms”. Gumnut Road was once Pogson’s Lane. Burrawang Street derives its name from the Dharuk language.
Today, Cherrybrook is a vibrant suburb. The Cherrybrook Village Shopping Centre opened in 1989. Cherrybrook is serviced by bus routes and the Cherrybrook railway station which opened May 26, 2019.
Cherrybrook offers diverse educational institutions and various Christian churches. Greenway Park is a popular recreation area.
From cherry orchards to modern suburbia, Cherrybrook has transformed. It carries its history in its name and streets. Each corner tells a story of growth and change.