Welcome to: Cranebrook NSW, Australia

Location: Where is Cranebrook?

Cranebrook, New South Wales, Australia is located in the northern section of the City of Penrith. It is surrounded by the rural suburbs of Castlereagh, Llandilo and Londonderry. The urban area of Penrith joins Cranebrook to the south. Cranebrook is bounded by Andrews Road on the south, the Northern Road on the east, Smeeton Road to the north. It takes in part of the Penrith Lakes on the west. Cranebrook is a very historic suburb within the City of Penrith with the McCarthy's Lane Cemetery considered the oldest Catholic Cemetery in Australia. The suburb today is a mixture of rural and urban aspects. The Mt Pleasant housing estate has now been incorporated into Cranebrook making it the most diverse suburb, in socio-economic terms, in the City. Cranebrook offers splendid views of the Blue Mountains escarpment.

33 46' S 150 42' E

Community Profile

This profile is a snapshot of the suburb of Cranebrook as a community.

Community Services

Bus Services

Cemeteries

Children's Services

Churches

• Corpus Christi: 86-94 Andromeda Drive, Cranebrook, 2749.
  Ph: (02) 4730 1249.
• St Thomas' Anglican Church: 29 Callisto Drive, Cranebrook, 2749.
  Ph: (02) 4730 3434.

Health Services

• Penrith Council conducts immunisation clinics for all childhood vaccinations including Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Meningitis. Adult vaccinations for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, Mumps and Rubella are also available.
• Medical Services for the Penrith City Local Government Area.

Neighbourhood Centres

• Cranebrook Neighbourhood Centre: Hoskings Street, Cranebrook, 2749.
  Ph: (02) 4732 8021.

Schools

Population

2001 Census of Population and Housing

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Copyright in ABS data resides with the Commonwealth of Australia. Used with permission.

For more preliminary data on Cranebrook (or any other areas in New South Wales) from the 2001 Census, please contact Penrith Library Research Services (02) 4732 7886, or call in to Penrith City Library Civic Centre 601 High Street Penrith, NSW 2750.

Recreation Profile

Cranebrook Little Athletics

Economic/ Land use profile

Penrith Lakes Scheme

Other Links

Penrith Whitewater Venue

Landscape Profile

Geology & Soils

Climate

Source: Bureau of Meteorology, 1999

Creeks

Aside from the established urban areas in Cranebrook, a new urban development, Lakes Environs is proposed for the Andrews Road/Cranebrook Road corner. It will hold 550 lots of a variety of housing densities.

Historical profile

Aboriginal History

For more general information on the Dharug people please see The Dharug Story by Chris Tobin (Penrith City Library collection 994.004 DHA). It is also available online. For information on the Aboriginal population of Cranebrook from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing see Population section above.

Origin of the place name - Cranebrook

James McCarthy was tried at Antrim, Ireland in August 1792 - the nature of his crime unknown - and sentenced to 7 years transportation. He arrived in Australia onboard the ship 'Boddingtons' in August 1793. By 1802 he is listed in the musters as farming in the Hawkesbury District and in August 1804 he received a land grant of 100 acres from Governor King. He named his property Crane Brook Farm, probably after the number of cranes frequenting the numerous lagoons in the area. Unlike many farmers of the time, McCarthy was very successful with wheat, corn, vineyards, cattle and horses. His home became the centre for Catholic services and a small room was set aside for the Priest when he stayed. McCarthy set aside a small parcel of land for a cemetery for Catholics in the area and is now recognised as the oldest Catholic Cemetery in Australia. In the twentieth century his property became a productive dairy farm. The house was extended several times but remained in the family until 1960. It was destroyed by fire in 1971. The site is now part of the Penrith Lakes Development. The district was originally part of Castlereagh, but in September 1886, a Post office was established in Mt. Pleasant School which had begun in 1883. Both school and Post Office now took the name of Cranebrook, as did the surrounding area.

• Penrith City e-history

Historical Timeline

Bibliography

For more information on Cranebrook:

• Bannerman, S.M. & Hazelton, P.A. Soil Landscapes of the Penrith 1:100,000 Sheet 9030, Soil Conservation Service, Sydney, 1990.
• Penrith Lakes Upper Catchment: Draft Stormwater Management Plan, October 1999.

• Murray, R. & White, K. Dharug to Dungaree: The History of Penrith and St. Marys to 1860, Penrith City Council, Penrith 1988.
• Nepean District Historical Society, From Castlereagh to Claremont Meadows: Historical Places of Penrith City Council, Penrith,1997.
• Parr, Lorna, A History of the Nepean and District Street Names, Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1990.
• Parr, Lorna, Penrith Calendar, Nepean District Historical Society, 1987.
• Stacker, Lorraine Pictorial history: Penrith & St Marys, Kingsclear Books, 2002.
• Stevenson, Colin R., Place Names and their Origins within the City of Penrith, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1985.
• Stickley, Christine, The Old Charm of Penrith, 2nd ed., the author, St. Marys, 1984.