Brooklyn: A Great Hawkesbury Town.

Brooklyn: A Great Hawkesbury Town.

From Urban Ambling by Mercator

May 17, 2026 · 26 min · Episode 20

About this episode

This episode explores Brooklyn, a unique settlement on the Hawkesbury River, highlighting its historical significance and scenic beauty.

Brooklyn is on Sydney’s northern edge, but is totally different to the rest of the city.It is a small isolated settlement on the Hawkesbury River. Arriving by train is like stepping back 100 years. The Hawkesbury itself is somewhat ignored by Sydney residents, but it was described by a British traveller in 1873 as having scenery superior to that of the Rhine!! Brooklyn was featured on the original 5 Pound note from 1913 to 1932. This was because of its connection with the Federation of the Australian Colonies. To top it all off , it has the grave of Robert Buie which records that as a Lewis Gunner he was responsible for shooting down the ‘Red Baron ‘ on the 21st April , 1918. Not too many places could top that.

Topics covered

  • Brooklyn
  • Hawkesbury River
  • Australian history
  • travel
  • scenery
  • Federation

Keywords

  • Brooklyn
  • Hawkesbury River
  • Australian history
  • Red Baron
  • scenery
  • travel
  • Federation

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Brooklyn, Hawkesbury River

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