Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct |
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| Location | Old Bathurst Road, Woodford, City of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1814– |
| Architect | William Cox |
| Official name: Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct; 1814 Road; Old Bathurst Road; Old Western Road; Coxs Road | |
| Type | State heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 31 July 2015 |
| Reference no. | 1954 |
| Type | Road |
| Category | Transport - Land |
| Builders | William Cox; Convict Road Party |
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Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct is a very old road in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It was built a long time ago, starting in 1814. Today, parts of it are used as a fire trail or local road.
This historic road was designed and built by a man named William Cox. He had help from a group of workers, many of whom were convicts. The road is also known by other names like 1814 Road, Old Bathurst Road, Old Western Road, and Coxs Road. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on July 31, 2015, because it's a very important part of history.
Contents
Building Australia's First Mountain Road
Why Was Cox's Road Built?
In 1813, European explorers found new lands west of the Blue Mountains. Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who was in charge of the colony, wanted a road built quickly to connect these new lands to Sydney. This would help the colony grow.
The road from Emu Ford to Bathurst was about 163.3 kilometres (101.5 mi) long. It was an amazing achievement because it was finished in just six months, between 1814 and 1815! Most of the workers who built it were convicts.
Who Was William Cox?
William Cox was born in England in 1764. He came to New South Wales in 1800. In 1810, he became a chief magistrate in Windsor. Governor Macquarie chose him to lead the building of the new road over the Blue Mountains in July 1814. Cox died in 1837.
Building Challenges and Old Techniques
The land where the road was built had been the traditional home of the Dharug, Gundungurra, and Wiradjuri Aboriginal people for thousands of years. They had their own paths through the mountains.
When Cox's road builders reached the Linden and Woodford area in August 1814, they faced very steep, rocky ground. Cox's way of building roads was simple and practical. They cleared the flattest parts, removing a lot of rock. Sometimes, they used the natural rock as the road surface. Where the ground was softer, they marked the road with rows of broken stones.
Cox kept a journal about building the road. He wrote that the area between Linden and Woodford was "nearly a solid rock" and very difficult to make a smooth road. He believed the road would get better the more it was used.
The workers cleared plants and trees, often cutting them below ground. They made the road as simple as possible, with small cuts into the sides of hills and low banks where needed. In very rocky areas, they cut directly into the mountain, using the natural rock as the road.
How the Road Changed Over Time
Even after it was built, the section between Linden and Woodford was known as the "most rugged" part of the journey. Early travelers often complained about the slippery sandstone and bumpy rock steps. People started making small side paths to avoid the hardest parts.
Over time, the road was improved. From the 1820s onwards, new and better roads were built by convict gangs. Most of the original Cox's Road was no longer used for main travel, though some parts became local roads, like Old Bathurst Road in Woodford. Even in 1839, travelers still felt the "jolting and bumping" over the old rock steps.
What Cox's Road Looks Like Today
Exploring the Woodford Section
The Old Bathurst Road section of Cox's Road in Woodford is one of the best places to see the original 1814 road. It's easy to get to and you can clearly see how it looked. This section stretches for over a kilometer. It runs alongside a modern dirt road and also goes through some private land that hasn't been built on.
From the top of the ridge near the Woodford Trig Station, you can see wide views, just like early travelers did. Even though some modern things like power poles are there, you can still imagine what it was like to travel on this road long ago.
Features of the Old Road
This part of the 1814 road follows the top of a ridge. You can see parts of the old road that were cut into the sandstone rock. These cuts look like low walls or kerbs, sometimes with shallow gutters for drainage. They helped mark the edge of the road for travelers.
Near the Woodford Trig Station, you can see kerbs cut into both sides of the road. The old road was about 4 metres (13 ft) to 6.6 metres (22 ft) wide. The kerbs are usually only 5 to 10 centimetres (2.0 to 3.9 in) high, but some can be up to 40 centimetres (16 in). These low kerbs didn't do much for drainage, but they clearly showed where the road ended in the wild landscape.
You can see two types of road surfaces here. Much of the road uses the natural rock, which was sometimes smoothed or chipped away. Some areas have deep ruts from old and new vehicles. In other places, the road was filled with small rocks and sandy dirt.
South of the Woodford Trig Station, there's a cutting and a solid stone pavement. You can also find old stone walls on the east side of Old Bathurst Road. These walls might have been built at different times, with some possibly from later improvements in the 1820s.
Other Old Paths
Near the Woodford Trig Station, besides the 1814 road, there are other old tracks. These might be some of the early detours people made to avoid the bumpy, slippery parts of the original road.
Other Important Parts of Cox's Road
The State Heritage Register lists several other important sections of Cox's Road:
- Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Linden, Linden Precinct
- Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Appian Way Precinct
- Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Mount York, Cox's Pass Precinct
- Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Hartley, Clarence Hilly Range / Mount Blaxland Precinct
- Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Sodwalls, Fish River Descent Precinct
Condition of the Road Today
The Woodford section of Cox's Road is in good condition. Many original features from the 1814 road, like the road surface, gutters, and cuttings, can still be seen clearly. Some parts were changed or improved in 1817 and 1824.
Why This Road is So Important
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A Key Part of History
The parts of Cox's Road that still exist are very important to the history of New South Wales. It was the first road built across the Blue Mountains by Europeans. This road was built after explorers like Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson, and William Wentworth found a way across the mountains.
Building this road was a huge step. It showed that people could overcome the challenge of the Blue Mountains. Governor Macquarie wanted to open up the land beyond Sydney for new settlements. The road helped make this happen, but it also meant big changes for the Aboriginal people who lived on these lands.
Connected to Important People
Cox's Road is strongly linked to Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who ordered the road to be built. It's also connected to William Cox, who led the project. Many convicts worked on the road, hoping to earn their freedom. Most of them did receive pardons or "Tickets of Leave" (permission to work for themselves) after the road was finished.
William Cox was known for being fair to convicts. He completed the road quickly, without losing any lives, which showed his great leadership and skill.
Learning About Old Road Building
The surviving parts of Cox's Road show us how roads were built in the early 1800s using simple tools and techniques. You can see how they traced, cut, and shaped the road. Later improvements in the 1820s also show how road building changed over time, before even better roads were designed by people like Sir Thomas Mitchell in the 1830s.
The Woodford section is one of the longest and clearest parts of the original 1814 road. It helps us understand what it was like to travel in the early 19th century.
A Road People Care About
Many people today are interested in Cox's Road. They want to explore it, learn about it, and celebrate its history. This shows that the road has a special meaning for the community. It's especially important to the families of William Cox.
What We Can Learn from the Road
The different parts of Cox's Road are valuable for research. They help us understand how roads, culverts (tunnels for water), and bridges were built in the early 1800s using basic skills. The road shows us the conditions of that time and how exploration and development happened. It's a major example of early engineering and craftsmanship.
A Rare Piece of History
The surviving parts of Cox's Road are rare examples of early colonial road building in New South Wales. They show how roads were built before the more advanced techniques used in the 1820s and 1830s.
