Roads and Bridges of Sydney Town 1788 - 1842

Governor Phillip submitted a town plan for Sydney, with the main streets 60 metres wide. The plan was not followed.

Australia's first bridge was built over the Tank Stream near the present intersection of Pitt and Bridge Streets about this time. Judge-Advocate David Coilins reported that "A gang of convicts were employed in rolling timber together to form a bridge".

Major Francis Grose built a timber bridge over the Parramatta River at Parramatta. The bridge was lost in a flood in 1795. A second bridge was built in 1802. Grose also reported, "I have caused a very good road to be made from Sydney to the banks of the Hawkesbury". The road went through Parramatta to Windsor.

Lachlan Macquarie became Governor and introduced the turnpike or toll system for road maintenance by contractors. Tenders were called for the erection of toll bars.

It was around 1811 that Assistant Engineer and Superintendent of Stone Masons, John O'Hearne, built a replacement stone arch bridge over the Tank Stream. Payment was in spirits.

In 1813, NSW Assistant Surveyor, George William Evans, marked the line for the first road over the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. An unpavedtrack, from Penrith to the Bathurst Plains, was completed by William Cox by January, 1815, along the line marked by Evans. As part of the construction of the Great Western Road, in 1814 Cox and a gang of convicts also built a number of timber bridges. Much of this road was used for many years.

A bridge 65 metres long in 5 spans on timber piles was built across South Creek at Windsor, NSW - the then largest bridge in the colony. The site had been bridged previously.

The Sydney to Liverpool road, built by William Roberts, was opened to traffic. Roberts also built George St, Sydney, out to Brickfield Hill, and the original Old South Head Road.

The first proposal for a bridge across Sydney Harbour was made in 1815 by the NSW Government Architect Francis Greenway. Several other crossings were later proposed, including a number for a tunnel. A regular ferry service across the harbour began in Aug, 1842, from Dawes Point to Blues Point. The charge was 3 pence a passenger, 1/- a horse and 2/6 for a carriage or cart.

Dr Charles Throsby marked a cattle track down the Bulli Mountain north of Wollongong and Surveyor James Meehan marked a line from Appin to Bulli Mountain.

Surveyor John Oxley followed what virtually became the route of the Oxley Highway, NSW - from north of Warren via Mount Seaview to Port Macquarie.

The Chief Constable of Windsor, John Howe, travelled by land from Sydney to the Hunter River at Jerrys Plains. The Putty Road (Windsor-Putty-Howes Valley-Singleton) generally follows this route.

Cornelius O'Brien cleared a cattle track down Mount Keira west of Wollongong. It was paid for by subscription.

Work on the Great North Rd, New South Wales, via Castle Hill, Wiseman's Ferry and Wollombi to Singleton, was commenced.

Thomas Mitchell completed the survey of the Sydney-Goulburn road-via Campbelltown, Appin, Wilton, Pheasant's Nest, Bargo, Mittagong, Berrirna, Marulan and Towrang.

The Governor was empowered to levy tolls for the purpose of providing funds to repair roads, bridges and ferries. Scottish stonemason David Lennox arrived in Australia. He built the oldest surviving bridge on the Australian mainland at Mitchell Pass on the lower Blue Mountains (completed in July, 1833). He also built Lansdowne Bridge (1836) on the Hume Highway, near Liverpool, and many other stone and timber bridges in New South Wales and Victoria. Mitchell built the present Great Western Highway route down Victoria Pass in the Blue Mountains. This replaced Cox's 1814 route down Mount York which was "a road as a cart may go down empty ... without a possibility of its being able to return with any sort of load whatever".

A track linking Sydney and Melbourne was completed.

Lennox completed a 15 metre stone-arch bridge over the Wingecarribee River on the Hume Highway at Berrima, NSW. It was lost in a flood about 1860. A replacement (1897) was of timber trusses on masonry which lasted until it was replaced by the present bridge in 1962.

Captain Westmacott of Bulli discovered the Bulli Pass road route, although a road from Tom Uglys on the Georges River via Bulli Pass to Wollongong did not eventuate until 1868.

Around 1939 Lennox built a stone arch bridge over the Parramatta River at Parramatta to replace the 1802 bridge. The bridge remains in Church Street although it was strengthened in 1901-02 and widened in 1912 and 1934-35.

A regular ferry service across the Sydney Harbour began in Augugust, 1842, from Dawes Point to Blues Point. The charge was 3 pence a passenger, 1/- a horse and 2/6 for a carriage or cart.