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Extending north from Sydney to the Hunter Valley, the
Convict Trail follows the route of the 240 km Great North
Road, built between 1826 and 1836. Most of this road
continues to be used today, offering an alternative, slower
paced scenic route between Sydney and the Hunter, where one
can explore the brilliant engineering works created by
hundreds of convicts - many working in leg-irons.
Relics such as stone retaining walls, wharves, culverts,
bridges and buttresses can still be seen along the entire
length of the Great North Road - in Sydney suburbs like
Epping and Gladesville, at Wisemans Ferry or Wollombi,
Bucketty or Broke, or when walking in Dharug and Yengo
National Parks.
There are still some places where well-preserved sections
of the original Road can be seen. The 43 km section
immediately north of Wisemans Ferry goes through very steep
and rugged country, providing a major challenge to the early
nineteenth century road-builders. Devines Hill, beginning
500m west of the Wisemans Ferry landing on the northern side
of the Hawkesbury River, contains particularly fine examples
of high walling with massive buttresses, drainage systems
and quarries. An easy one hour walk will reveal the wonders
of this engineering feat.
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