Lawson, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Lawson
city = Sydney
state = NSW

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caption = The Great Western Highway at Lawson
lga = City of Blue Mountains
postcode = 2783
est =
pop = 2,419 (2006)
area =
propval =
stategov =
fedgov = Macquarie
near-nw = "Blue Mountains National Park"
near-n = "Blue Mountains National Park"
near-ne = Hazelbrook
near-w = Bullaburra
near-e = Hazelbrook
near-sw = Bullaburra
near-s =
near-se = Hazelbrook
dist1 =
dir1 =
location1=

Lawson is a town in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Great Western Highway between Hazelbrook in the north east and Bullaburra in the west. It has a station on the Main Western line. The town is also served by a public swimming pool and over the years has developed into the commercial hub of the mid-mountains area that expands from Linden to Bullaburra, boasting a significant industrialised area as well as a shopping centre located on the south-eastern side of the highway.

The current population, combined with that of Bullaburra, is 3637 (Census 2001).

History

One of the first settlements on the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains, Lawson was identified on early maps as 24 Mile Hollow - a name which was changed, curiously, to Christmas Swamp for a few years. When the Blue Mountain Inn was opened in 1848, the locals adopted the name Blue Mountain for the village. This name was also given to the original railway station after the rail line was pushed through in 1867. The presence of a Blue Mountain on the Blue Mountains, however, became so confusing to visitors that the authorities stepped in and renamed the village Lawson in honour of William Lawson who, along with William Wentworth and Gregory Blaxland, blazed the first trail across the Blue Mountains in 1813 ["Origin of Blue Mountains Town Names" [http://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au Blue Mountains City Council] ] .

Attractions

Unlike neighbouring Hazelbrook and other areas in the Blue Mountains, Lawson is not well known for scenic attractions; however, several walks exist to the south and north. A circular track through South Lawson Park adjacent to the former Central Blue Mountains Golf Club takes in a series of four waterfalls: Adelina Falls, Cataract Falls, Federal Falls and Junction Falls. On the north side of town beyond the swimming centre, walks take in Dantes Glen and Echo Bluff.

Recent history

Lawson was at the centre of controversy due to an ongoing government project to widen the Great Western Highway. The highway was a single lane in each direction through the town; the proposed plan by the Roads and Traffic Authority for widening necessitate the removal and relocation of the existing shops and the demolition of the old Mechanics Institute building that dated back to the early 1900s. Groups opposed to the demolition claimed the hall could be re-sited; others claimed this would be too costly, that the building was in poor repair and contained dangerous levels of asbestos. There was also a group lobbying for the retention of the shops on heritage grounds.

References

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Link title

[http://www.saveourhall.blogspot.com] ]