Imagine a landscape dotted with cranes. Cranebrook got its name from these birds. Pioneer farmer James McCarthy named his farm Crane Brook Farm in 1804. He received a land grant of 100 acres.
Cranebrook is a suburb in Greater Western Sydney. It sits 50 km west of Sydney’s CBD. That’s 65 km by road. It’s part of the City of Penrith. Cranebrook is surrounded by Castlereagh. Llandilo and Londonderry also border it. Mount Pleasant housing estate is now part of Cranebrook.
McCarthy’s story is quite interesting. He was tried in Ireland in 1792. He was sentenced to transportation for seven years. He arrived in Australia in 1793 on the ship Boddington. By 1802, he farmed in the Hawkesbury District.
McCarthy was more than just a farmer. He set aside land for a cemetery after his daughter died. This became one of Australia’s first Catholic cemeteries. It is now known as McCarthys Lane Cemetery. It is considered Australia’s oldest Catholic cemetery.
Cranebrook Post Office had a sporadic history. It opened in 1886. It closed in 1929. It reopened in 1934 and closed again in 1957.
The geography of Cranebrook is hilly. Many residents on the western side enjoy views of the Blue Mountains. They look across the Nepean River. Eastern residents see the ADI Site. This area is rich in Cumberland Woodland. Kangaroos populate it.
The Northern Road divides Cranebrook from the ADI Site. This site covers about 15 square kilometers. Its sale and development have been a local political issue. Andrews Road marks the southern boundary of Cranebrook. Smeeton Road is the northern boundary.
West of Castlereagh Road lie the Penrith Lakes. These are flooded quarries. A quarrying group formed them in 1979. They supply much of Sydney’s sand and crushed aggregate. This includes materials for ready-mixed concrete.
One of these lakes is the Sydney International Regatta Centre. It hosted rowing events for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The Penrith Whitewater Stadium also hosted Olympic events. It held the whitewater slalom.
The Penrith Lakes Scheme is overseen by the PLDC. It ensures environmental, social, cultural, and economic value. The lakes are filled by rainwater and groundwater. They are not filled by the Nepean River. However, the lake system can act as a weir during floods. The lakes even served as a film location. They were in Mad Max: Fury Road.
In 2021, Cranebrook had 15,779 residents. The median age was 33. A large percentage of people were born in Australia. Most residents spoke English at home.
The main commercial area is on Borrowdale Way. It features a shopping centre and parkland.
To get around, residents use The Northern Road or Castlereagh Road to access Penrith. Travel to Windsor and Richmond is also convenient. While Cranebrook lacks a train station, buses connect residents to Penrith.
Cranebrook offers several schools. These include Braddock Public School and Cranebrook High School. Corpus Christi is the Catholic primary school.
Two churches serve the community. Corpus Christi Catholic Church and St Thomas’s Anglican Church.
Cranebrook is primarily residential. Housing ranges from medium-density to semi-rural. Much of the development is recent. The population mainly consists of local families.
Waterside, a 53.3ha housing community, was developed in 2010. Jordan Springs, a new development, is located east of Cranebrook. It shares a boundary via The Northern Road.
So, remember Cranebrook. It is a suburb named for its cranes. It boasts a rich history and a vibrant community. Its location is a blend of rural charm and modern development.