For the first 50 years after Bathurst Road was built, permanent dwellings in the Blue Mountains were mainly built as accommodation, watering and feeding places for travellers and freight haulers. The railway lined opened in 1867 and a more constant reliance became apparent on the needs for water as most trains were powered by steam. Lawson had the swamp, and water was pumped from a dam to a large reservoir at the top of the hill near Badgerys Cres. In 1973 when it was no longer needed for water, the water tankwith its rounded curveswas repuposed into a building for a new bowling club, which is a Lawson landmark today.