The associated housing (not owned by RailCorp) increases the significance of the Brooklyn Railway precinct, representing the provision of railway workers accommodation for construction and permanent ongoing operation of the railway, a practice that is no longer occurring. Like many historic railway stations in NSW the station complex is able to evoke a former era of travel, communication and trade. This is heightened by the presence of a water spout at the southern end of the station from the former days of steam powered railway travel and the jetty, which forms an interface between transport on land and sea. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The station group has an outstanding degree of aesthetic significance. It has a particularly picturesque setting on the edge of the Hawkesbury, with views over the water to the east and west and to Long Island to the north. The station affords a view of the land bridge between Brooklyn and Long Island and the portals of the current and former Long Island tunnels, providing a rare opportunity to easily view some of the technical achievements of the Short North line construction. Its waterside setting is unusual and as such it is one of the most picturesque station settings in NSW. The station building is an example of early twentieth century railway station design with fabric and details typical of this period and is similar to other rail buildings of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the Sydney region. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The place has the potential to contribute to the local community's sense of place and can provide a connection to the local community's history. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The Hawkesbury River station complex is a common station Type 11 (standard A8-10), well represented elsewhere in the Sydney metro network. Its waterside setting is however rare, providing one of the most picturesque station settings in NSW. The station group also forms part of an unusual late nineteenth and early twentieth century railway landscape of outstanding significance clustered around the Hawkesbury River, which includes the Long Island tunnels and maintenance depot, the