Convict History of Wisemans Ferry
Join a National Parks and Wildlife Service Volunteer Guide and step back in time to learn about the adventure, suffering, achievements and humour of the convicts of early 19th century New South Wales.
Join a National Parks and Wildlife Service Volunteer Guide and step back in time to learn about the adventure, suffering, achievements and humour of the convicts of early 19th century New South Wales. The Great North Road was constructed between 1829 and 1932 to replace an earlier road, Finch’s Line, that was considered unsuitable by Governor Darling. The road commenced in Sydney and finished in the Hunter Valley; a distance of 240 km. It is a magnificent remnant of early road building construction by convict labour using hand tools and bullocks. View the towering 12 metre road support buttresses, hewn sandstone blocks, culverts, drains and the remnant sandstone quarry. We first visit the Wisemans Ferry ‘Stockade’ site which accommodated the convicts who were building the Great North Road. To follow, we cross by ferry, walk over the historic Thomas James Bridge built in 1830 to ‘Devines Hill’ to witness the incredible workmanship of the convicts and the dramatic ‘Hangman’s Rock’.