Muogamarra Nature Reserve

The Cowan rail accident occurred at 7:20pm on 6 May 1990 when the 3801 Limited special steam passenger train returning from the Morpeth Jazz Festival was struck in the rear by the following CityRail inter-urban passenger service. The steam train had stalled while attempting to climb the steep gradient from the Hawkesbury River to Cowan, New South Wales, and it was found that sand applied to the rails to regain traction had interfered with the signals and given the following train a false clear indication.

Cowan Bank is an 8.6-kilometre (5 mi) double-track section of the standard gauge Main North line in New South Wales, Australia. It starts at Cowan station, 48.8 kilometres (30 mi) north of Sydney, descending from 200 metres (656 ft) AHD  to sea level at Hawkesbury River station. It has an average grade of 2.5% (1 in 40).

The Peats Ferry Bridge is a steel truss bridge that carries the Pacific Highway (B83) across the Hawkesbury River, between Kangaroo Point and Mooney Mooney Point, located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The bridge carries the Hornsby to Kariong section of highway, while the adjacent Brooklyn Bridge carries the Pacific Motorway (M1). The Peats Ferry Bridge is a single carriageway with one lane in each direction in state highway conditions; and permits the carriage of motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles. The adjacent Brooklyn Bridge is a dual carriageway with three lanes in each direction of motorway grade-separated conditions. Both bridges are maintained by Transport for NSW.

Peat Island is an island in the village of Mooney Mooney located in the Hawkesbury River on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The Island has approximately eight hectares of land and is located just upstream from the Pacific Motorway and Pacific Highway bridge. It is considered an island due to its size. There is one road connecting the landmass to the mainland.

Brooklyn is a suburb and the northern most town on the Pacific Highway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Brooklyn is located on the northern outskirts of Sydney and is located in the local government area of the Hornsby Shire with a population of 722 as of the 2016 census. Brooklyn is surrounded by the Muogamarra Nature Reserve and occupies a strip of waterfront along the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River. The town provides a range of amenities and activities, while maintaining a quiet village atmosphere. Brooklyn provides convenient access for North Shore residents and day trippers to the Hawkesbury River and Pittwater waterways for boating, swimming and fishing, and to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Muogamarra Nature Reserve for bushwalking and scenic views. Hornsby Council is currently developing a 'Brooklyn Master Plan' to provide for further improvement of the amenities in the area. Hawkesbury River railway station on the Main Northern railway line is served by NSW TrainLink services to the city and the Central Coast and Hunter. The Pacific Highway and the M1 Motorway are both nearby and provide easy access to the town. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park borders the suburb to the south. Long Island runs parallel with the suburb on the opposite side of Sandbrook Inlet and is joined to Brooklyn by the railway causeway. Dangar Island is sited to the northeast.

Spectacle Island is a 36.4-hectare (89.9-acre) island in the village of Mooney Mooney that is located in the Hawkesbury River on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Spectacle Island is located on the junction with Mooney Mooney Creek and the Hawkesbury River. Spectacle Island is one of the two islands located in Mooney Mooney along with Peat Island. It is considered a protected nature reserve precinct and is part of the Brisbane Water National Park.

Mooney Mooney is a small waterfront village and suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Central Coast Council local government area at the end of a peninsula extending southwards into the Hawkesbury River, that is situated 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Sydney. Mooney Mooney has two islands which are Peat Island and Spectacle Island Mooney Mooney is where the Pacific Motorway and Pacific Highway cross from the Central Coast into the Greater Sydney Metropolitan area on the south side of the Hawkesbury River.

Long Island is an elongated island of 73 hectares in the Hawkesbury River, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the Sydney central business district,New South Wales, Australia. It is joined to the mainland at its south eastern edge by the railway causeway across Sandbrook Inlet. At the other end of this causeway is the Sydney suburb of Brooklyn in Hornsby Shire, to which Long Island belongs.Other islands in the Hawkesbury River include Dangar Island, Spectacle Island, Milson Island, Peat Island and Lion Island. As with Spectacle Island and Lion Island, Long Island is a nature reserve (73ha, notified in 1972), which means it is illegal to visit without permission from the N.S.W. Office of Environment and Heritage. The New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service runs very infrequent guided tours of the island, for those who are interested in its flora, fauna, geology and Aboriginal history. Some of the best views of Long Island are from Lloyd Trigonometrical station, and Tipper's Lookout, both located to the west in nearby Muogamarra Nature Reserve. From these vantage points, it is possible to look down along the length of the island and see the mouth of the Hawkesbury River and Broken Bay in the far distance. Long Island was added to the Australian National Heritage List in December 2006.

Milsons Passage is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Hornsby Shire local government area. According to the 2011 census, the population was 112.

Milson Island is an island located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was first settled over 100 years ago and has been used as a bacteriological station, quarantine station, a hospital to treat soldiers from WWI with venereal disease, mental hospital, a rehab for alcoholics, a women's jail, and now a sports and recreation centre. It is in the middle of the Hawkesbury River, so the only means of transport is by ferry. Some of the activities available at Milson Island include a high ropes course, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, archery, bushwalking and abseiling. The accommodation is 3-4 stars with seven lodges (Possum, Koala, Waratah, Kookaburra, Lorikeet, Platypus and Cockatoo) and five holiday units. The camp usually suits two small schools or a big school at the same time. It is a popular place for camps for many schools across Sydney, and families go there for a nice, relaxed and fun retreat. All that is left of the old mental asylum is the nurses' quarters or hospital. When the mental asylum was operating, an alarm system was set up, so that people on the island could keep themselves safe from mad escapees. The nurses' quarters are now rotted away, but the furnishings from the asylum still remain. The Sport and Recreation Centre still uses the refurbished sleeping quarters as the dining room and kitchen. The rooms at Milson Island range from school kids' rooms that sleep up to five people to lodges for one to four people.

Hawkesbury River railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Northern and Central Coast–Newcastle lines in Brooklyn in the Hornsby Shire local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the town of Brooklyn and is located on the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River. It was designed and build by the Department of Railways New South Wales. It is also known as Hawkesbury River Railway Station group and Brooklyn Station. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Cowan is a small outer suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Cowan shares the postcode of 2081 with Berowra. Brooklyn, which lies 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the north-east of Cowan, is considered the northernmost suburb of the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area.