Great North Road (Mount Manning to Wollombi Section) is a heritage-listed road alignment, partly in use and partly abandoned, between Mount Manning and Wollombi, New South Wales, Australia. It was built between 1830 and 1832 by convict road gangs, having been surveyed by Heneage Finch (1830–1831) and thereafter by L. V. Dulhunty. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 June 2009.
History Much of the section of the Great North Road north of Mt Manning was constructed under the supervision of Heneage Finch who had been the Assistant Surveyor responsible for the selection of the original line of road in 1825. in 1830, Finch replaced lt Percy Simpson as supervisor of the area north of Mt Manning up to the Hunter Valley. After a dispute, Finch was abruptly dismissed in 1831. Finch's successors were L. V. Dulhunty (1831–1834) and Peter Ogilvie (1835–1836). Finch had aimed to complete a road equal in excellence of construction to the existing section between Wisemans Ferry and Mt Manning. Similar construction techniques were used, including cut and fill methods that resulted in extensive blasting and quarrying combined with the use of massive embankments and retaining walls as well as culverts and bridges over the numerous small creeks between Mt Manning and Wollombi.
Major items Quarry site & ramp on St Albans road The ramp structure or embanked causeway that now forms part of the St Albans Road was probably completed by the No. 9 Iron Gang, under Percy Simpson's supervision, between May and December, 1830, as the gang is recorded as being "stationed near Mt Manning" during this period. The style and workmanship of the ramp are also similar to that of other structures completed by the same gang, such as the retaining walls south of Wisemans Ferry and on the ascent of Mt Baxter.
Stone culverts and bridge (abandoned section at Bucketty) The great North Road in the vicinity of Mt McQuoid was constructed during 1830 and 1831 by No. 29 Road Party who also probably built former bridgeBridge 7 here during this period.
Ramsays Leap - retaining wall and flume near Mt Simpson Several gangs were employed during 1830–32 at Mt Simpson building the extensive descent to the valley floor. These included the No. 27 Road Party,April–December, 1830 No. 29 Road PartyMarch–April, 1830 and No. 42 Road Party.January, 1831 – September, 1832 The latter party probably built the massive curved retaining wall with its buttressing flume at Ramsays Leap. It is likely that the remainder of the descent, winding precariously along the steep contours of the mountainside, was originally supported by a continuous retaining wall of equal standard, but of which, as a result of road widening, only a fragment near the base remains.
Stone causeway A section of earlier road, about 150m in length situated east of the modern day road alignment just north of the base of Mt. Simpson.
Stone culvert at Fernances Crossing and stone arched culvert & retaining wall at Murrays Run The area near Mt Finch, also known as "Murray's valley" or the "back of Murray's Farm", posed a major obstacle to road construction as a swamp, several creeks and steep climbs required much arduous labour. Heneage Finch stationed No. 27 Road Party there not long after his arrival and it remained there during 1830 and 1831. No. 29 Road Party and No. 7 Iron Gang also spent short periods there. These two large stone culverts survive in this area.
Thompsons Bridge The bridge now known as Thompsons bridge has a recent deck atop coursed rubble abutments and wing walls. It is difficult to ascertain whether it was part of the original construction of the road. If so, it may have been built by No.7 Iron Gang between July and September, 1830, although, unlike the stream, it does not appear on White's 1831 map. The stonework contrasts in size, dressing and quality with other structures in the area, suggesting that it may be a later construction. It is possible that later additions were built on the site of a pre-existing bridge, perhaps using the stones from the earlier structure. [Another interpretation suggests it may have been a culvert (like those at Murrays Run and Fernances Crossing) that collapsed at some stage and was replaced with a bridge that decreased the bend. At this stage part of the wall was rebuilt on a different alignment. There is a distinct bend in the stonework that changes quality at the bend, that closest to the bridge being of lesser quality. At the edge of the bitumen leading to where a culvert would have been can be seen original knapped stone paving].
Abandoned loops at Laguna Shop and Milsons Arm The road through the valley here was mainly constructed by No. 7 Iron Gang and No. 42 Road Party during 1830, and completed in 1832 by Nos. 27 and 42 Road Parties.
Description This section of the Great North Road begins at its junction with the road from St Albans.MR 181 The northern limit of this listing is the southern abutment of Cleghorns Bridge over Wollombi Brook. The road surface is unsealed for 5 km. After its intersection with George Downes Drive at the Bucketty junction, the road is sealed. This 30 km section of the road retains several individually valuable and unique structures. It passes and links surviving historic and archaeological sites and early depots, rural homesteads and land grants.
Several structures have been isolated by road realignments. This has assisted their potential long term preservation. Community groups have carried out repairs to some structures. The Convict Trail project has placed interpretive signs and plaques at several locations.
Major items
Descent of Mt Manning The descent was a major work where the hillside was cut down to form part of the road surface, the remainder being constructed on fill behind retaining walls. These walls are now mostly hidden under overfill, but the cuttings and side drains and one large culvert still exist. At the top is a small quarry site and most of the rock cutting along the road side is pick dressed.
Quarry site & ramp on St Albans Road The ramp or embanked causeway on the St Albans Road is formed by two battered (sloped) masonry retaining walls which support each side of the roadway where it traverses a deep hollow. The retaining walls for the ramp are approximately 9 metres apart and reach a maximum height of 3.5 to 4 metres at the centre. The walls are constructed of fairly regular, squared stone blocks. The masonry is dry-laid with a well prepared bed (horizontal) joints, a plain worked face and roughly prepared perpends (vertical joints). Course heights are generally in the vicinity of 250 to 300 mm with stone lengths generally in the range of 250 to 400 mm.; the top course ranged from 75mm to 300m. The southeast wall extends approximately 65 m. The wall increases in height until it reaches its maximum of 12 courses in the centre. The northwest wall is approximately 44 m long with a maximum height of 14 courses. There is a quarry site on the hill southwest of the ramp structure.
Road from St Albans Road Ramp to Bucketty Much of this road still lies on the original road surface with original cuttings and drains (damaged by modern road maintenance) Under the current road surface is the original surface cut into the bedrock in parts filled with knapped stone.
Stone culverts and bridge (abandoned section at Bucketty) The abandoned loop at Mt. McQuoid/Bucketty comprises a section about 400 metres long which was cut off by the reconstruction of the nearby intersection immediately east of the earlier alignment. This short section includes a diverse range of features which illustrate the nature of the road construction utilised on the Great North Road. At the southern end is a stone culvert flanked by the remains of wing walls. The culvert was reconstructed in 2003. Immediately north of the culvert is a macadam type pavement of compacted broken stone about 7m wide. About 75m north of the wing-wall culvert is an extensive ashlar masonry retaining wall. The wall curves to cross a gully where a former bridge was located. The span of the bridge has now been infilled with a large diameter concrete pipe surrounded by cement mortared stone blocks probably deriving from nearby structures such as the wing-walled culvert. North of the former bridge the road alignment rises up to a rock cutting with the road pavement cut into the bedrock, and an associated rock-cut side drain. This then changes to a macadam type pavement. There is also a well preserved sandstone masonry box-culvert within this northern pavement/road section of the Mt. McQuoid precinct.
From Bucketty Private Road number 3 to the ascent of Mt Simpson Here the current road lies on the same line as the original road, in part cut below the original road leaving evidence of the original road and drain in the side cutting. In other parts the bitumen had been laid on the original road surface and evidence of the original road can be seen in the cuttings; the drains and at the edges of bitumen.
Ramsays Leap - retaining wall and flume near Mt Simpson The Ramsays Leap curved retaining wall is a major structure built into a steep gully which slopes away to the west. The wall is curved and battered (sloped) and is about 100 metres long and up to 4.5 metres high. The batter is 1 horizontal to 4 vertical. The masonry is ashlar work, dry laid, and generally in sound condition with well prepared stones and tight joints. The coursing is consistently level. A square culvert is set in the centre of the curve, three courses below the top of the wall and running perpendicular to the road. The inlet has a drop entry with an inclined, rounded race. At the outlet a shaped slab sill projects from the wall throwing water about 3m down onto a short horizontal race and thence to a final spillway approximately 3.5m from the toe of the wall. The spillway is about 4m high and has a batter of 1:4. On the uphill side, there is a continuous cutting beside the road with jumper marks, carved initials, bench marks, and other historic features. Part of the earlier work has been removed by subsequent widening activities. There is also a small "well" or drinking trough about 30 cm wide and 20 cm deep. This may be a "convict drinking well" (as reputed) or may relate to a later period in the use of the road. The road remains in use here with a sealed bitumen/aggregate pavement.
Stone causeway A section of earlier road, about 150m in length situated east of the modern day road alignment just north of the base of Mt. Simpson. About 75m of the earlier alignment is paved with a hand-knapped, closely packed stones forming a pavement surface. Stones are of various shapes and sizes, the largest about 20 cm across. In the central part of the paved section, the stones are broken up into smaller pieces, possibly caused by weathering and erosion from water flow in peak periods. At the southern end, where there is also a side cutting, the hand-placed pavement is substantially intact. The road is built up above the surrounding flat to a height of approximately 60 cm and the formation is approximately 3m wide.
Stone culvert at Fernances Crossing