1867: The Debut of Blue Mountain Railway Station in New South Wales

July 11, 1867

A railway station in the village of Blue Mountain in the Australian colony (and present-day state) of New South Wales first went into service. This village, located on one of the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains, had been established as far back as 1817. It was formally known as Christmas Swamp at that time but was renamed 24 Mile Hollow by the 1830s. Another name change took place sometime around 1848, when the village was retitled Blue Mountain.

The impetus for this change was the Blue Mountain Inn, which was constructed and operated in the village by London-born entrepreneur Henry Wilson (1814-1880). This inn quickly became a popular stopover for travelers crossing the Blue Mountains. This inn exists today as a hotel called the Henry Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountain Railway Station – situated only 1,312.3 feet (400 meters) away from the inn sharing the geological part of its name – was built as an extension of the Main Western Railway between what is the present-day City of Penrith in the Sydney area and the town of Weatherboard (now called Wentworth Falls) in the Blue Mountains region.

In 1879, the village of Blue Mountain underwent yet another name change. It was renamed this time around in honor of British solder and explorer William Lawson (1774-1850), who had achieved fame in 1813 as one the first Europeans to successfully cross the Blue Mountains. This fourth and most recent name change resulted in the station being officially redesignated Lawson railway station.    

This station, which has been extensively modified over the decades, continues to be part of the Main Western Railway line. Lawson railway station is operated by NSW TrainLink. The station also serves as a connection for one of the bus routes operated by Blue Mountains Transit. On April 2, 1999, Lawson railway station was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register. (The accompanying photo of this station was taken by William Henry Broadhurst [1855-1927].)

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For more information on Lawson railway station (originally called Blue Mountain railway station), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawson_railway_station