Cherrybrook is a Metro station on the North West & Bankstown Line, sitting right next to Epping, so it’s an easy one to get to if you’re already anywhere near that part of the line. What makes it worth a stop on its own is what’s growing along both sides of the tracks — a run of blossom trees that come into full bloom for a couple of weeks each spring, right along the platform.
Getting the Best Photos
The platform itself is a fine spot, but the view gets better once you walk back out through the station and shoot from above the entrance — you get more of the trees in frame that way. On the platform, the fences on either side and the station signage can get in the way of a clean shot, and the trees are spread out rather than clustered together, so it works best either shooting down from above or shooting up with a person in the foreground for depth.
If you’re bringing proper gear, a filter or two is worth it — plenty of people turn up for portrait shots, and how good your photos come out really does depend on the light that day.
A Bonus for Bird Watchers
One nice surprise: rainbow lorikeets turn up to feed on the blossoms too, so if you’re patient with the camera, you might get more than just flowers in the shot.
Timing It Right
Blossom season here runs for about two weeks once it starts, typically kicking off in early September, so there’s a fairly short window. Sunny afternoons work well for light, but the trees outside the station itself tend to lag a little behind the ones on the platform — the platform trees are often in near-full bloom while the ones outside are still catching up, so it’s worth checking both sides before you settle on your shot.
It’s also a quiet spot even on a nice day, which is part of the appeal if you’ve already fought the crowds at somewhere like Auburn. If you’re making a special trip just for this, the Metro is the easier way in — there isn’t a lot else drawing people to the immediate area, so it suits a quick visit rather than a long stay.
The Parking Trap
If you’re driving, skip the station’s own car park — the flat rate there caught a few visitors off guard at $35 for a short visit. Street parking nearby is the better option: park, get your shots, and head off.
Why It’s Called the “Sakura Station”
A fun detail worth knowing: the trees along the platform are actually a flowering plum variety rather than true cherry blossom, though they look almost identical in bloom. Combined with the fact that “Cherrybrook” translates literally to something like “cherry creek,” the nickname “sakura station” has stuck, even though it’s not technically sakura. Either way, it’s a striking bit of unexpected scenery for a train platform, and probably the closest Sydney gets to the train-station cherry blossom scenes you’d see in Japan.
If you’re planning a spring outing around this, our NSW term dates page has the current school holiday dates, and our things to do with kids page has more ideas if you want to build a bigger day out around it.