Cranebrook

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
Postcode: 2749 Distance from Sydney: 65.5 km NW
Land Area: 15.03 km2 or 1,503 ha Cranebrook NSW on Google Maps

Schools

Penrith Lakes Scheme

  • Number of lakes – 6
  • Largest lake – 380 ha
  • Depth – average 5 metres
  • Water Source – Nepean River
  • Urban Land – 250 ha
  • Recreation Land – 1000 ha
  • Water Area – 750 ha
    The total lineal extent of lake foreshore will be about 40km – and the frontage to
    the Nepean Piver about 11 km.The area 3km north of Penrith, known now as the
    Penrith Lakes Scheme and operated by a conglomerate of companies that
    combined their landholdings and quarrying operations in 1979 (i.e. Boral, CSR,
    and Pioneer International), is by far the largest extractive site in the area. This site
    supplies around 75% of Sydney’s sand and crushed aggregate requirements,
    including about 85% of the materials for ready mixed concrete.

Penrith Whitewater Venue

Landscape Profile

Geology & Soils

  • Cranebrook forms part of the Cumberland lowlands which consist of low-lying and gently undulating plains and low hills of the Wianamatta Shale and Minchinbury Snadstones. The soils are heavy clays and clayey sands with very high wind erosion potential when cleared.
  • Penrith Native Remnant Vegetation Survey: Cranebrook has 12 designated sites. Vegetation here include grey box, forest red gum and narrow-leaved ironbark.

Creeks

  • Cranebrook Creek – Before the construction of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, Cranebrook Creek flowed west into the Nepean River. It now forms part of the upper catchment for the lakes system. The lower reachs of this creek have been removed.
  • Farrells Creek – Before the construction of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, Farrells Creek flowed west into the Nepean River via Cranebrook Creek. It now forms part of the upper catchment for the lakes system. The lower reaches of this creek have been removed. It has been estimated that 26% of total annual water requirements of the Scheme will be provided by Scope and Farrells Creeks. This creek is surrounded predominately by medium density housing like Mt Pleasant, Cranebrook and Kingswood along its catchment area. The total catchment area is 500 hectares, with 151 ha of open space, 29 ha of industrial land and 320 ha of urban residential.
  • McCarthys Creek – Before the construction of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, McCarthys Creek flowed west into the Nepean River. It now forms part of the Upper Catchment for the lakes system. The lower rearches of this creek have been removed. The total catchment area is 37 hectares, with 27 ha of open space, 10 ha of industrial land and no urban residential development in its catchment.
  • Scope Creek – Before the construction of the construction of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, Scope Creek flowed into the Nepean River via Cranebrook Creek. It now forms part of the Upper Catchment for the lakes system. The lower rearches of this creek have been removed. It has been estimated that 26% of total annual water requirements of the Scheme will be provided by Scope and Farrells Creek. This creek has rural and developed urban areas, like Mt Pleasant, Cranebrook and Kingswood in its catchment area. Scope Creek has two distinct arms, and like Farrells Creek its eastern arm is urbanised. The north eastern arm forms a natural channel which passes through a steeply sloping rural residential area. The total catchment area is 188 hectares, with 21 ha of open space, 94 ha rural and 73 ha of urban residential. Scope Creek contains a number of farm dams on its northern arm. These dams contain the only evident aquatic life – carp, alligator weed, water hyacinth and salvinia.

Historical profile

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.

Historical Timeline

1793James McCarthy arrived in the colony on the Boddington
1804AugustMcCarthy received a land grant of 100 acres
1806McCarthy had 5 acres in crops, a few goats and pigs
180918 MarchRosetta Marsh, wife of Samuel Terry granted 160 acres at Cranebrook
184131 MarchMartha, daughter of Samuel Terry, granted 150 acres at Cranebrook
1883Mt Pleasant School opened
1886SeptemberPost Office established in Mt Pleasant School
1971McCarthy’s house destroyed by fire
1981Braddock Public School opened
198529 JanuarySamuel Terry Public School at Cranebrook opened
199215 JanuaryCranebrook Public School reopened
19921 FebruaryCorpus Christi Catholic Parish, Cranebrook, is separated from Penrith

Bibliography

For photos and more information on Cranebrook, search Penrith City Library’s catalogue using an All Resources search.

Economic/ Social
  • 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.
Historical
  • 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.