Great North Road bike hike: Bucketty Convict Wall to Wisemans Ferry

GREAT NORTH ROAD

BUCKETTY CONVICT WALL TO WISEMANS FERRY

WORDS JAMES LUTWYCHE PHOTOS GRACE LUTWYCHE

The Bucketty Convict Wall sounds intriguing. The kids are trying to guess what happened there, and rather than looking at history in a book or on the internet we decide to make it the starting point of our next adventure, an overnight bike hike from Bucketty to Wisemans Ferry via the Old Great North Road.

The road was constructed in the early 1800s by convict labour to give an overland route for horse riders, horse-drawn carriages (and bushrangers) from Sydney to the Central Coast and beyond. But after much deliberation and rerouting, it was later abandoned because of the steep gradients and lack of reliable water en route.

We have decided to use our MTBs (mountain bikes), and it’s the first time the kids have joined me on an extended ride carrying overnight gear. I am teaching them how to use topographic maps so no Strava for this trip.

We start at Bucketty and after having ridden steadily for an hour and travelling about 6 km, our first stop is at Circuit Flat Bridge, Mogo Creek.

Alternatively, you can also start your ride here, at the intersection of George Downes Drive and the Great North Road to St Albans, where you’ll find a large, abandoned loop with the convict-built culvert, bridge, and stone-packed road surface. The remnant stonework is intricate, detailed, and has stood the test of time. It is credited to the convicts under overseer William Barratt in the early 1830s, and its longevity is testament to their skills.

Just past the stone bridge on the high side of the track is an exposed sandstone slab where overnight rain has filled the many »

potholes in the rock. An Indigenous tracker and guide once told me how passing clans would always stop and clean out these holes when they were dry, leaving them ready for the next shower and thirsty visitor. I love this idea. How often do we walk with any regard for those who follow in our footsteps?

Back on the bikes, the section of trail in front of us varies from open gravel trails to washed out sections of track. Some parts had to be walked (or push biking as we called it) and, with our full panniers, some sections are quite difficult, so the challenge quickly becomes the adventure.

We pass through an area that was completely burnt out in the 2019 bushfires, and the Gymea lilies, (Doryanthes excelsa) and waratahs (Telopea speciossimia) are in full flower. Nature has an amazing way of restoring itself, and we feel dwarfed by the impressive flowering spears of the Gymeas.

We stop for lunch among the rocks and caves, and find a spot where we can boil a pot of tea and eat our packed lunch.

We have made great time, and after lunch we glide down the track single file into camp at Ten Mile Hollow. We covered just under 30 km in eight hours, including rest stops.

There are plenty of level grassed areas for large groups, and National Parks & Wildlife has provided a composting toilet, fireplace and a water tank. It’s an unreliable water source though, so we’re happy to cook and wash with the water we carried in.

With our tent up and firewood collected, we settle down to a cosy campfire, and roast our evening veggies in the coals and cook our steaks on a cast iron grill left at the site. We watch the sunset, while the fire dies to embers before we hit the sleeping bags. Life is good.

The next morning, we break camp by 8 am and it isn’t long before we realise that stopping at Ten Mile Hollow the previous afternoon was a clever idea before the first 2 km uphill ride. Thankfully it’s a regularly graded government road, and you can easily see the hand carved gutters, drains and culverts left behind by the convict gangs. At the top of the hill, we re-join the Great North Road and start the final decent to Wisemans Ferry. Loads of ‘push biking’ again as the trail is quite washed out in some sections, particularly the short uphill sections. This in an amazingly long ridge, and at one point we scramble on foot up to a rocky outcrop to get our bearings and cross reference our map.

By 10.30 we had completed most of the remaining 15 km track. We reach the end of the ridge and join the walking trail down Devines Hill, and check out the huge, buttressed convictbuilt walls built to support the roadway. Around us, on the surrounding cliffs, you can still see where they cut and blasted the sandstone blocks. We reach the end of the trail at 11 o’clock, and cross the river on the vehicular ferry, the kids proud they had completed another epic adventure. Next, hot chips at the kiosk.

This trail can also easily be completed as a three day bushwalk.

James Lutwyche is a horticulturalist, and a local and experienced bushwalker who has led or been part of expeditions in the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains, Kosciusko, Tasmania, New Zealand and Mongolia. He lives and works in Yarramalong and is married with four children. James is also the local Scout leader at Peats Ridge Scout Group and spends his time between work at Paradise Botanical Gardens and exploring and enjoying the great outdoors.