Blaxland is a town in the
Blue Mountains of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Blaxland is located 65 kilometres west of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
in the
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
of the
City of Blue Mountains
The City of Blue Mountains is a Local government in Australia, local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains, on th ...
. It is at an altitude of 234 metres and borders the townships of
Glenbrook,
Mount Riverview and
Warrimoo. As of the
2021 Census it has a population of 7,434.
History
Blaxland is named for
Gregory Blaxland
Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1778 – 1 January 1853) was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers.
Early life ...
who along with
William Lawson and
William Wentworth
William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian statesman, pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in colonial New South Wales. He ...
, led the
exploration that discovered a route over the Blue Mountains in 1813. Prior to 1879 the area was known as ''Wascoe''.
The Pilgrim Inn was built c. 1825. It was a significant element in the area for some time, but eventually decayed. The remains, which are now adjacent to
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
, are heritage-listed.
The Rev. Joshua Hargrave became a major presence in the area in the early 20th. century, and a significant force in the growth of Blaxland as a village, especially South Blaxland. He built the first church in the area and, with his family and the Calver family, is associated with four homes that still survive: Tanfield in Hope Street, Menahne in Hope Street, Rosedale in View Street and Nardi in View Street. The homes are all heritage-listed.
[State Heritage Register](_blank)
/ref>
Heritage listings
Blaxland has a number of heritage listed sites, including:
* Blue Mountains National Park: Blue Mountains walking tracks
The Blue Mountains walking tracks are heritage-listed picnic areas, walking tracks and rest areas located in the Blue Mountains National Park, west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. They were built from 1880 onwards. The property is owne ...
Population
According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 7,434 people in Blaxland.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.6% of the population.
* 82.6% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 5.0%.
* 91.5% of people spoke only English at home.
In the 2021 Census religious affiliation was as follows:
* Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
was the most widely professed religion accounting for 53.5% of people.
* The largest Christian denominations were Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
(19.5%) andAnglicanism
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
(15.7%).
* People who did not state their religion accounted for 3.4% and 41.4% professed no religion.
Transport
Blaxland railway station
Blaxland railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western railway line, Main Western line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains suburb of Blaxland, New South Wale ...
is on the Blue Mountains Line
The Blue Mountains Line (BMT) is an intercity rail service serving the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The line travels west from Sydney to the major town of Katoomba and on to Mount Victoria, Lithgow and Bathurst. M ...
of the NSW TrainLink
NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...
intercity network. It is a disability-accessible station.
Commercial area
The village of Blaxland received a major overhaul in 2001 with the widening of the Great Western Highway. This work included the controversial planting of Canary Island Palm trees along the highway, but also created space for more shops and led to many refurbishments. These changes, combined with the upgrade of Blaxland Station, have improved business in Blaxland.
Blaxland also has a small industrial estate and the only remaining land fill
Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...
waste facility in the Blue Mountains.
Services
* Blue Mountains Library branch, Hope Street
* Blaxland Rural Fire Brigade falls under the jurisdiction of the statewide Rural Fire Service
Schools
* Blaxland High School
* Blaxland East Public School
* Blaxland Public School
Sport and Recreation
Bushwalking Tracks
Blaxland includes the Florabella Pass track, which leads to Glenbrook, and the Pippas Pass track, leading to a pool on Glenbrook Creek. The Lennox Bridge (Lapstone Hill) and Knapsack Viaduct
The Lapstone Zig Zag was a Zig Zag (railway), zig zag railway built between and stations on the Main Western railway line, New South Wales, Main Western Line of New South Wales in Australia. Constructed between 1863 and 1865 to overcome an othe ...
are to the north and can be accessed by Mitchell's Pass.
Blaxland Redbacks Soccer and Netball Clubs
Blaxland is home to the ''Blaxland Redbacks'' soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
and netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
teams.
The Soccer team was established in 1965
Wascoe Siding Miniature Railway
The Wascoe Siding is a Miniature Railway
A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by Diesel engine, ...
established in 1964 by John Green. It is a conversion of a disused railway cutting from the railway line for Glenbrook Station, then named Wascoe Siding.
Scouts Club
Blaxland is also the home of the 1st Blaxland Scout group.[http://www.whitepages.com.au/wp/li/1st-blaxland-scout-group--blaxland-nsw-N13W.html]
Gallery
Image:Pilgrim_Inn_Blaxland.jpg, Pilgrim Inn, c. 1920s
Image:(1)Tanfield_in_Hope_Street_Blaxland.jpg, Tanfield, part of a heritage-listed group of homes in Hope and View Streets
References
External links
Blaxland History
Blaxland High School
Blaxland Football Club
{{authority control
1830 establishments in Australia
Communities in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)
Populated places established in 1830