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HERITAGE NEWSLETTER OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS ASSOCIATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE ORGANISATIONS INC. NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2013 ISSUE No. 30 An alternative crossing: Bells Line of Road Part 1: Alexander Bell junior by Ian Jack Introduction THROUGHOUT 2013 there has been a bicentennial preoccupation with the genesis of the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains. The development of a viable road along the high ridges south of the Grose River to the plains beyond had powerful consequences which were gradually realised over the decades following 1813. The recent and continuing commemorations of Blaxland, Lawson, Wentworth, Evans, Cox and Macquarie have contributed to a welcome appraisal of the events of 1813 to 1815. Ian Jack in this image of the Grose River gorge from Bells Line It is worthwhile, however, to recall captures the immensity of the dividing line between the two roads the that another ridgeway to the north of Bells Line of Road to the north and to the south the Great Western the Grose gorge had also been Highway as the routes are know today. explored by Europeans and was upper Hawkesbury adjacent to surveyed as a viable road in 1823. North Richmond, climbed the Aboriginal and early escarpment through Kurrajong to European knowledge Bells Line of Road was a real Kurrajong Heights with deviations The Kurrajong hills had been enough alternative to the Western over the years, then descended Road, although, for a variety of familiar to Europeans since the onto a singularly equable ridgeline earliest days of the colony. Captain reasons, it has always played until the great obstacle of Mount second fiddle to the southern route. Watkin Tench, Lieutenant William Tomah presented generations of Dawes and Sergeant Isaac Knight road-users and road-makers with were the first Europeans known to But when Archibald Bell and Robert dangers and dilemmas. Hoddle created the alternative road have climbed the Kurrajong foothills. in 1823, the descent from Mount Once over Mount Tomah, the road York was still a challenge for the followed the only practicable They had no Aboriginal people with traveller on the Western Road and ridgeline until it turned south at the Thomas Mitchell had not yet arrived them. ‘Stopped by a mountainous Darling Causeway, where the Grose country’, they ended their foray on in the colony to make autocratic River had its source. determinations about the best lines top of Kurrajong Heights (or just possibly Bowen Mountain) which for all three main roads, north, Halfway down the Darling Tench and Dawes named Knight Hill south and west. Causeway it turned west again in May 1791 in honour of the down a viable creek gully into sergeant of marines.1 Mount Tomah proved to be Bell’s Hartley Vale (the route still in use Mount York, but in 1823 the today as Hartley Vale Road). northern route promised much. Continued page 3 (For figure 1 see page 3) Once safely down in Hartley Vale, it Whereas the southern route ran passed the inn that Pierce Colletts from the lower Nepean at Emu had established in 1821 and joined Plains, the new route started on the the Western Road (Figure 1). HERITAGE 1 November - December 2013 Contents......... An opinion from the editor....... HERITAGE November - December Bushfires’ ferocity 2013 touched the region’s *P1 Alternate crossing: Bells Line of Road by Ian Jack heritage *P2 Opinion - Bushfires’ ferocity touched the The devastating bushfires which Not so lucky was the Zig Zag region’s heritage by John ripped through parts of the Blue Railway where members had been Leary Mountains and Lithgow areas working tirelessly for some time to *P6 A breathtaking floral destroying more than 200 urban satisfy the Rail Safety Regulator display of purple haze by homes is in itself a piece of history and had genuine hopes of John Leary which students of cultural heritage resuming passenger services *P9 Woodford Academy in the future will ponder particularly towards the end of this year. The launches bicentenary as to the effect on the community fire brought devastation mainly to schools program at large. the Bottom Points depot complex *P9 Bicentenary tribute to where the destruction of the Evans and Cox The destructive force of the fires workshop facility and office *P10 The Gully, officialy and the heroic efforts of those occurred. However, the society opened volunteers and professionals who still has enough rolling stock to *P10 British campaign ends fought the fires often at danger to resume passenger operations in gallery’s bid to buy historic themselves, has been well the future while the three stations animal art recorded in the media and it is not buildings were not touched by the *P11 The making of a possum the intention to comment other fire. skin cloak by Jan than to add to the overwhelming Koperberg chorus of appreciation which has Clearly, it is a time for all *P11 All about Evans rightly been showered upon these museums and heritage properties *P12 Historic sharing culture -- men and women. to look to bush fire survival plans, Aboriginal because inevitable bushfire is one commemoration walk Closer to home, a number of of the prices we pay for living and Jummangunda those associated with BMACHO working in such a beautiful Ngunninga by Jan were under real threat and to them environment. Koperberg go our sincere hopes that like *P13 Retrospection and Phoenix they will rise from the continuity - the Cox’s ashes. Particularly our sympathy CONGRATULATIONS road journey by Joan Kent goes out to former president of Mt All too often the outstanding and *P14 Historian with song writing Victoria & District Historical dedicated work of our volunteers to his credit becomes Society, Robert Cameron who was and those professionals with president at Kurrajong one of those to lose his home to whom they work , is overlooked. *P15 Persistence wins museum the flames. In the pages of this edition of a grant HERITAGE is recorded the awards *P16 Move to form Friends of the With fire within two kilometers of to a number of these people. Paragon the Valley Heights Locomotive *P16 New strategy for Australian Depot Museum wise precautions Firstly those individuals and heritage were taken to move off site and organisations who have worked *P17 Sandstone the making of away from the district some tirelessly for the success of the the Blue Mountains valuable paintings housed in the bicentenary celebration of the *P18 ‘Our Jan’ honoured for work complex. Members also took Western Crossing have been on Western Crossings appropriate action, rolling out fire honoured by the Blue Mountains, *P18 National Trust honours fighting hoses to ensure the site Oberon and Lithgow Tourism. awards 2013 was adequately covered should an Secondly we have the National *P19 Blue Mountains new plan outbreak of fire occur. Trust awards where 5 out of the goes on exhibition total of 20 awards this year have *P19 NSW govt withdraws A little further west at come to the Blue Mountains. controversial planning bill Faulconbridge, up to 10 fire trucks *P20 Blue Mountains History surrounded the historic National BMACHO warmly congratulates Journal No. 4 now online Trust property of Norman Lindsay those who have been recognised *P22 St Stephens Parish Gallery where priceless art works with an award and thanks both Registers 1861 - 1902 were carefully packed up and organisations for realising the *P23 ANZAC centenary grants moved off the Mountains. The worth of the volunteers and the *P23 New heritage network decision to move the treasures professionals who work alongside *P24 Utzon’s Opera House despite on-site fireproof storeroom them in the heritage sector John Leary, OAM - *P24 Landmarks was made because of the ferocity President, Blue Mountains *P25 Rome’s gigantic waste of the fires and the weather Association of Cultural Heritage disposal site conditions. Organisations Inc. HERITAGE 2 November - December 2013 Macquarie rode up to Kurrajong Heights Continued from page 1 Aborigines and a group from Pipers ‘The Aboriginal natives never lived With the development of farming in Flat near Wallerawang, who had in [that part of] the mountains, but the Hawkesbury Valley from 1794 crossed the Mountains via there was a tribe who wandered onwards and the granting of land on Springwood, led to the abduction of over the neighbouring lowlands [i.e. both sides of the river, there was a six Belmont women: the plateau between Kurrajong natural likelihood of further early Heights and Mount Tomah] and exploration. ‘In about six days one of the gins occasionally paid me a visit.’7 returned alone, but from a different The only written account to survive direction than by the way she was The evidence strongly suggests that from these first years is by Matthew taken off: and when questioned as the Darug people had some Everingham, a First-Fleet convict, to how she came back, she pointed knowledge of the area as far as who set out from his Hawkesbury to the Big Hill (Kurrajong Heights), Mount Tomah, but that no regular farm in 1795 with two other saying, “that feller”. Aboriginal thoroughfare from the Europeans ‘to cross the blue Bathurst Plains to the Cumberland mountains of this country’, climbed ‘This event caused some surprise, Plains existed immediately to the up to Kurrajong Heights as Tench not only to the Bells, but to the north of the Grose River. had done, though his exact route is blacks also, as it was thought there uncertain, and then went beyond as was no other way over the Archibald Bell junior and his far as the eminences of Mount mountains than by Springwood.’6 three expeditions in 1823 Wilson/Irvine or Mount Tomah.2 Archibald Bell junior spent almost This story does not imply that local his entire early life in the Kurrajong In 1804 the naturalist George Caley Aboriginal people did not know how district.

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