Great North Road (Mount Manning to Wollombi Section) facts for kids

The Great North Road (Mount Manning to Wollombi Section) is a very old road in New South Wales, Australia. It stretches between Mount Manning and Wollombi. Some parts of this historic road are still used today, while others have been left behind.

This important road was built between 1830 and 1832. It was constructed by groups of convicts. Surveyors like Heneage Finch and L. V. Dulhunty planned its path. On June 2, 2009, it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This means it's a very important part of the state's history.

Building the Great North Road

This section of the Great North Road north of Mount Manning was mostly built under the eye of Heneage Finch. He was the assistant surveyor who first chose the road's route in 1825. In 1830, Finch took over supervising the area from Mount Manning up to the Hunter Valley.

Finch wanted to build a road as good as the one between Wisemans Ferry and Mount Manning. The builders used similar methods. These included "cut and fill," which meant a lot of blasting and digging rocks. They also built huge earth walls and stone walls to hold up the road. They added culverts and bridges over small creeks between Mount Manning and Wollombi.

Key Construction Sites

St Albans Road Quarry and Ramp

The ramp, or raised road, that is now part of the St Albans Road was likely finished by a convict group called the No. 9 Iron Gang. This happened between May and December 1830. This group was known for building strong structures, like the walls south of Wisemans Ferry.

Stone Culverts and Bridges at Bucketty

The Great North Road near Mount McQuoid was built in 1830 and 1831. The No. 29 Road Party probably built the old bridge here during that time. These structures show the strong building methods used.

Ramsays Leap Retaining Wall

Several convict groups worked at Mount Simpson from 1830 to 1832. They built the long road down to the valley. The No. 42 Road Party likely built the huge curved stone wall at Ramsays Leap. This wall helped the road wind safely down the steep mountain.

Old Stone Causeway

There is an older part of the road, about 150 meters long, east of the modern road. It is just north of Mount Simpson. This section shows how the road was originally built.

Fernances Crossing and Murrays Run Structures

The area near Mount Finch was hard to build through. It had a swamp, several creeks, and steep hills. Convict groups like No. 27 Road Party worked here for a long time. They built two large stone culverts that are still there today.

Thompsons Bridge

The bridge known as Thompsons Bridge has new timber on top of old stone supports. It's not clear if it was part of the original road. The stonework looks different from other nearby structures. This suggests it might have been built later, or rebuilt using older stones.

Abandoned Road Loops

Some parts of the road were later changed, leaving behind old sections. These include loops near Laguna Shop and Milsons Arm. Convict groups like No. 7 Iron Gang and No. 42 Road Party built the road through this valley in the 1830s.

What the Road Looks Like Today

This part of the Great North Road starts where it meets the road from St Albans. It ends at Cleghorns Bridge over Wollombi Brook. About 5 kilometers of the road are unsealed (dirt road). After the Bucketty junction, the road is sealed (paved). This 30-kilometer section still has many valuable and unique structures. It connects old historic sites, early supply depots, and old farms.

Some structures are now separate from the main road because the road was changed. This has helped keep them safe. Community groups have even fixed some of these old structures. The Convict Trail project has put up signs to explain the history at different spots.

Important Features You Can See

Mount Manning Descent

Building the road down Mount Manning was a huge job. Workers cut into the hillside to make part of the road. The rest was built on packed earth behind stone walls. Many of these walls are now covered, but the cut sections and drains are still there. At the top, you can see a small quarry where stones were taken.

St Albans Road Ramp

The ramp on St Albans Road is made of two sloped stone walls. These walls support the road as it crosses a deep dip. The walls are about 9 meters apart and up to 4 meters high. They are built from regular, squared stone blocks. You can still see the quarry site nearby where the stones came from.

Road from St Albans Road Ramp to Bucketty

Much of this road still follows the original path. You can see the original cut sections and drains, though modern road work has damaged some. Under the current road, you can find the original surface, which was cut into the rock and filled with crushed stone.

Stone Culverts and Bridge at Bucketty

The abandoned section at Mount McQuoid/Bucketty is about 400 meters long. It was cut off when a nearby intersection was rebuilt. This short section shows many different ways the road was built. It has a stone culvert, an old stone wall, and parts of the road cut into the bedrock.

From Bucketty to Mount Simpson

Here, the modern road is on the same path as the original. In some places, the new road is lower than the old one, so you can see the original road and drain in the side cutting. In other spots, the paved road is directly on top of the original surface.

Ramsays Leap Retaining Wall

The curved stone wall at Ramsays Leap is a major structure. It's built into a steep gully and is about 100 meters long and up to 4.5 meters high. The wall is made of carefully cut stones, laid without mortar. A square culvert (water channel) is built into the center of the wall. On the uphill side, you can see marks from the tools used to cut the rock. There's also a small "well" or drinking trough.

Stone Causeway

This section of older road, about 150 meters long, is east of the modern road. About 75 meters of it is paved with hand-cut, tightly packed stones. The road is raised about 60 centimeters above the ground and is about 3 meters wide.

Fernances Crossing Stone Culvert

A curved stone wall with a rectangular culvert carries the road over a small gully. The wall is 3 meters high and made of rough, uneven stone blocks. The culvert's opening has a decorative semi-circle carved into it. You can also see signs of old quarrying nearby.

Murrays Run Stone Arched Culvert

Another curved stone wall with a culvert carries the road over a gully. This wall is 4 meters high. The culvert has an arch made of shaped stones at its outlet. This design is very fancy and unique.

Thompsons Bridge (Still Used)

This bridge has a new timber top, but its stone supports are very old. The stone walls on each side are made of rough stones. The northern support curves with the road around the corner.

Laguna Shop Abandoned Loop

This unsealed section of older road is about 250 meters long. It runs west of the modern paved road. Few original building features are clear here. The old road seems to pass under a new community hall and then in front of a general store.

Milsons Arm Road Abandoned Loop

This unsealed section of older road is also about 250 meters long. It's found east and west of the current paved road near the Milsons Arm Road intersection. In the southern loop, you can see small cut sections and old timber guard posts. These show the old road was lower, next to the Wollombi Brook. The northern loop leads to a property called "Potter's Gallery," where you can see signs of old quarrying.

Current Condition

As of 2007, most of this part of the Great North Road is still in good shape. Some areas have been slightly changed by tree roots or erosion. At the St Albans Ramp, some sandstone blocks have been stolen.

Why This Road is Important

The Great North Road is a very important part of Australia's history. It meets many standards for being a heritage site.

• A Look into History: This road is important because it was the first main road built north of the Hawkesbury River. Convict groups built it between 1826 and 1836. It shows how the colony of Sydney grew and how convicts were used for big public projects.

• Famous People Connected to the Road: The road has links to important figures from the past. These include Governor Darling and Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell.

• Amazing Engineering and Artistry: The Great North Road is a real example of convict labor. Many parts of the road show the high quality of work done by convict builders. Some sections are still in quiet, untouched areas, making you feel like you're back in the 1830s. Other parts are still used for transport today. This section between Mount Manning and Wollombi has many features that show off convict road building and engineering. It has unique examples of culverts, water channels, cuttings, and pavements.

• Community Connection: The Great North Road is highly valued by the communities it passes through. A group called the Convict Trail Project has worked hard to research, promote, protect, and explain the road's history.

• Learning from the Past: Studying the Great North Road can teach us a lot about its construction. It can also tell us about the lives of the convicts who built it, their supervisors, and the explorers and surveyors of that time. The section between Mount Manning and Wollombi is especially rich in this kind of evidence.

• A Unique Achievement: The Great North Road as a whole is a unique engineering feat. It includes some of the oldest known stone bridges on the Australian mainland. This section has many individual parts with special designs and craftsmanship.

• A Great Example: The Great North Road is a prime example of public works built using convict labor. The section between Mount Manning and Wollombi especially shows the high level of skill and beauty in these projects.