My Countrytown: Piperlain – Glenbrook, NSW

Regional towns are in our blood here at CountryTown! From Tamworth to Toowoomba, Ballarat to Noojee, we love the pubs, the people and the places that make Australia tick. But most of all, we love the amazing country musicians our regional centres produce, like Piperlain.

The Piperlain sound has been compared to a contemporary version of The Cranberries and The Corrs with similarities to Sarah Blasko and Josh Pyke. Piperlain made the finals of the B&T Madweek ‘Battle of the Bands’ where they received commendation from Sony on live performance and songwriting talent. In 2017, the Blue Mountains-based folk-rock duo released the concept album Mother Mourned, which recounts the personal and emotional journey of two people growing up with and caring for mothers with serious illnesses.

Piperlain followed up with their recently released new EP. Recorded at MusicPro studios by engineer Paul Iannuzzelli and mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London by engineer Geoff Pesche, Time features songs written during the early stages of collaboration between Piperlain artists, Benjamin Knight and Rebecca Voorn-Knight.

To get to know Piperlain a little better, we’ve asked what they love about Glenbrook, NSW.

Piperlain says, “We live in a small village at the foot of The Blue Mountains called Glenbrook. I’m Blue Mountains born and bred. What we love about Glenbrook is the village feel. It’s a small town so there’s a lot of familiar faces and connections. Also, a lot of people stay in The Blue Mountains, so there are generations of families that stick around. The nature is also amazing. Being located at the gateway to The Blue Mountains is a good base to explore all the great walks, waterfalls and spectacular scenery that is inspiring for artists and musicians. There’s a creative culture throughout the mountains that makes it a great place to be a musician and a songwriter.”

1. Glenbrook Village

Take a stroll down the main street, check out all the specialty shops and grab a cuppa or a meal in one of the trendy cafes. I recommend Kickaboom and Vincent Diner towards the end of Ross Street. Kickaboom is smaller café that has live music and Vincent has a diverse menu, including lots of gluten free options. There is also a great park in the village and Glenbrook cinema – the little cinema with a big smile.

2. Red Hands cave

Located in The Blue Mountains national park, the cave reflects the Aboriginal dreaming containing red and white ochre stencils. It’s a bit a drive from the entrance of the park. You can head down to Euroka clearing first and then continue on towards the cave. Once parked, it’s short walk down a pathway to a viewing platform and the paintings themselves are protected by Perspex. This truly feels like stepping back in time and observing a very special moment in history.

3. Glenbrook Lagoon

This lessor known place to visit is peaceful and a great place to see ducks and birds. A daily walk around the lagoon is very popular with locals and it’s been one of my favourite walks. On a summer evening, the lagoon comes to life with the sounds of Marsh frogs that sound like popcorn popping. It’s an unusual experience and one not to be soon forgotten.

4. Glenbrook Tunnel

A heritage-listed single-track former railway tunnel that was used to store mustard gas during World War II and later used as a mushroom farm. You can walk or ride a bike down to the tunnel and whilst it used to be dis-used and overgrown, there has been plans to revitalise the area for broader use. It used to be a bit of a spooky place to hang out!

5. Tourist Centre

From here you can find out all the great places to visit throughout The Blue Mountains – from Lennox Bridge in Glenbrook to Echo Point at Katoomba and beyond, there’s a road trip or few to recommend and no doubt I’ve probably done most of them. There are many walks and scenic places to visit throughout the entire Blue Mountains and festivals as well as home grown produce outlets, including one of my favourites – chocolate mud gluten free cookies with chunks of Belgium chocolate from Whisk & Pin – also born in The Blue Mountains!

To keep up to date with Piperlain, follow them on Facebook here.

For more of our My CountryTown series, check out here.

Image: Supplied