I'm now a young 55 year old living in Newcastle. I grew up in Sydney and travelled north to Taree many times to see relatives. Peats ridge hamburgers were always the best part of the trip.
@@garyreid9842 Yes, the thickshakes and chicken drumsticks. The OAKs at Peats Ridge was at the time about the half-way point between Port Stephens and Sydney.
I'm glad to see you liked the road signs. My father was the guillotine operator at the DMR workshop in Sydney. His job was to cut the signs to size from lengths of sheet metal.
You need to get further from Sydney. In rural NSW 100kmh is the normal speed limit on "quiet rural roads" even narrow ones without centrelines or side markings and gravel roads too. The only unusual thing about Peats Ridge Rd is that the divided sections are not 110kmh because that would be normal.
Spent the first half of the 70s travelling on this road, and all over Sydney and Newcastle, in a truck (before moving over to the west) .Thank you for all these stories that bring back so many memories.
Yep me too, but I was a kid at the time. My parents bought a cheap fibro weekender in Nelson Bay and we'd do the trip up north from Sydney frequently in the summer months. Of course in those days it was a proper day-trip of like 5 or 6 hours minimum just to get up to Port Stephens (not including the multiple stops along the way for fuel and ice cream; vinyl seats & no air-conditioning meant that sustained long distance car journeys in mid-summer were not very comfortable); nowadays you'd knock it off in less than half that time out of the peak commuting periods without a stop. I also remember all the construction work going on whilst they were building these new sections, including the extension at the southern end all the way down to the Pacific Highway and Pennant Hills Road junction at Wahroonga (the F3 previously began much further north up the Highway at Mt Colah).
I was nearly killed on the old Pacific Highway, around about 1960 or 1961. My family was returning from holidays in an old DeSoto van. In front of us, a big lorry carrying logs broke its axle; the load shifted and came out the back of the truck onto our DeSoto. Had we been in an ordinary car, we would surely have been killed: the logs would have come through the windscreen. As it was, they hit the van's radiator and engine. The hand brake - old style - was forced back, pinning my father to the seat but doing him no real harm. I hit my head on the dashboard - I was 4 or 5 years old at the time - and the shattered window glass caused a few minor cuts. My baby brother, asleep in the rear seat, slept through the whole smash. My mother, too, had just a few minor cuts. We were all picking little pieces of glass out of the corners of our eyes for a few days, though! The lorry went over the side, and down a steep embankment. The driver was thrown out one side, and his young son who was a passenger went out the other. Both got off with a few scratches. Seeing the chaos, the policeman attending was astonished that there were no fatalities. Guardian angels must have worked overtime, but the construction of the expressway was appreciated by us all ... we didn't want to have to rely on miracles another time! 😅
As someone who grew up in Newcastle in the 70s & 80s, the highlight of a trip to Sydney was stopping at the OAK Milk Bar at Peats Ridge. I can't believe it didn't get a mention. I always looked forward to a milkshake and a crumbed sausage. OAK, the local dairy co-operative, had a series of milk bars on the highway north of Sydney where drivers could take a break. In addition to Peats Ridge, there were also OAKs at Freemans Waterhole and Hexham. The one at Freemans Waterhole even had a small native animal zoo with kangaroos, emus and birds. And I seem to remember the one at Hexman had a surf boat on display. Leaving the OAK out on a video about travelling Peats Ridge road is almost criminal.
With the road alignment through peats ridge, as you mentioned there was meant to be a freeway that headed to Singleton. The reason for this is the route to Brisbane via the New England highway is what was planned to be upgraded to be the main route north rather than the pacific highway which is now the main route. Also no mention of the Oak Milkbar at Peats Ridge. It was an institution on that section of road.
Ah yes, I've been told it was quite the institution only since making the video. My age really shows when I make videos about the past, given I'd never heard of it!
Mmmm, the Oak. Every January coast holiday in the 1970s, we'd drive north out of Sydney along the slow roads heading for some exotic destination like Port Macquarie or South West Rocks, and make the traditional stop at the Oak. It marked a halfway point and a change ... last urban stop. After that it was all holiday towns.
I never realised that was meant to be a freeway to Singleton. We used to take George Downs Drive through to Wollombi and up to Warkworth, Denman and Muswellbrook as a back way to the Hunter Valley before the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway was completed. And yes we stopped at the Oak as well!
We used to do weekend trips between Sydney and Gosford and of course vice versa. Less frequently we took trips between Gosford and Avalon. We always stopped at Oak. I believe that was during the 70s with Mum and Dad. Then late 70s, early 80s the trips between Tamworth and Sydney involved the Singleton servo(on their hill) and Oak. My husband would later work for Oak in Tamworth. It’s a small world. Locals of the Gosford area said Ourimba like Or-im -bah. It sounded like a dance. I hope that’s useful to you. I can’t believe you mentioned Dog Trap Road. I knew someone who lived in that area. Mr Ted Parry. There was an old air strip at the end of it. There was a fly in that I attended in the early 70s I think. It was meant to raise money and interest to start returning the air strip into a useful strip for local small planes. That road was a death trap! I’m sure a 4 wheel drive would have made it feel a bit safer. It wasn’t even well graded. My Dad was a keen flyer. Funny what sparks memories. Thanks for the memories.
This presentation has been well researched. I spent a lot of the 70's travelling on this road between Sydney and Newcastle. I have also travelled on the old highway and the new expressway allignment. I also appreciate the other presentations that you have presented on the lost expressway around Sydney.
I remember travelling in the old man's 38 Chev going to Sydney to visit relatives.Near the roadworks they had signs telling you to switch of your car radio incase it set of the explosives they were using to blast through the rock.
As a truck driver who goes through the heavy vehicle station I've always wondered about that cutting under the bridge. I did read a few things but you cleared it up for me perfectly. Thanks👍subscribed
G'day John, This video brings back some long & very fond memories from when I was a kid growing-up in the 1960's, I now live in Perth but originally grew-up in Mayfield in Newcastle. Now for a bit of nostalgia & short story, back in the mid 60's we use to travel down to Hornsby every two or three weeks to visit my older brother who worked for the ANZ bank. Now back then driving down to Sydney was a major family outing & a (for the time) huge road trip, because back then you had a combination of the Pacific Hwy & only a bit of the newly constructed Express Way (Pacific Hwy being the longest section). Anyway we would get up at around 04:00 in the morning after having packed the old VW Kombi van the night before & hit the road at 05:00. Now try & think of this mate, to travel from Mayfield to Hornsby back in the day took just under 5 Hours, but if we got a good run without to many Semi's we could accomplish this feat in just over 4.5 hours. A highlight of our trip was that Dad would always stop at Peats Ridge going either direction because there was an OAK Roadhouse/Rest area there & they had the best fresh chicken sandwiches & chocolate milkshakes any side of the Black Stump. Sorry to dribble on but your video just brought back so many good memories of my childhood & those epic road trips. Thank's Mate, Steve.
I grew up on Parklands Rd at Mt Colah. I had a hustle as a kid in the early 60's of selling lemonade to all the folks at a literal standstill, playing cards on the bonnets of their cars, on Peats Ferry Rd/Pacific Highway, trying to get north for the weekend. The difference the F3 made was incredible. And I still occasionally take my bike for a fang along the now very quiet Peats Ridge Road Expressway.
Shame you had to stop at Ourimbah, you missed another section of "abandoned" freeway through Kangy Angy that runs alongside the M1 for local traffic. It was part of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway until 1997/98, and in hindsight you should've gotten a Heathbrae's pie for a late lunch because they built one on that very section of road haha.
You should check out the old Pacific Highway sections between Catherine Hill Bay and Swansea. There are still many km of very much intact road sitting unused in the bush east of the current road.
I was a very regular driver from Wollongong to central coast from 1964 and saw every step of the construction. I was originally referred to as the Calga Freeway and commenced at Calga travelling through to Ourimbah. The reason for the long route was Mooney Mooney Creek which would take the construction of the long multi lane bridge that followed much later around 1986. I do not drive the trip as often these days but the fastest run I ever had was around 1967....two hours ten minutes on one early Sunday morning.
Reminds me of what became of the former Eagle on the hill section of the Princes highway in the Adelaide hills before it was bypassed by the Heysen Tunnels in 2000 - once a busy highway carrying four lanes of interstate traffic up and down the steep winding section of the Adelaide hills, and is still a nice detour that is readily accessible at anytime, but is now practically deserted, a ghost of it's former self with little evidence to suggest that it was once a busy highway.
Thank you. I've ridden Peats Ridge road and Dog Trap road many times on the motorcycle and had no idea of its history. I always though that interchange with Peats Ridge road and the Old Pacific Hwy was over complicated.
Kind of missing the point a bit. The overwhelming majority of todays travellers from Newcastle to Sydney do not stop at Kulgera for fresh fruit or veggies or even know where you are talking about.
Thank you once again John/Sharath...your shenanigans are always greatly appreciated by those of us whom enjoy watching the lost and more less known "future" motorways and traffic corridors of Sydney and its surrounds...always a good watch and always...as usual...so informative and well researched...keep up the great work...and always looking forward to your next video!!!! Cheers from western Sydney!!!! and by the way...enjoy the Tassie trip!!!!
Awesome! I read about this road on OZ Roads, and watched the DMR archive videos. Then visited the Peats Ridge Road in 2018 where I stopped and took heaps of photos. You did an excellent job at explaining all the details, including the phantom Mt White interchange! I travelled thru that interchange many times from the 1990's to today, and It changed a lot in the early 2000's.
Very informative m8.. I love the m1 such a big job getting through the cliffs.. a true rd of the world.. peats ridge is very poorly maintained now witch is sad
Every time I drove down the old southbound carriageway - which, if memory serves me, meant reducing speed to 80km/h I think, on account of it narrowing to two lanes at this particular section and also being a bit too curvy and windy for 110 - I used to look down the gap in that rock and wonder what was originally planned. Way before the internet and OzRoads and RUclips, there were few readily available resources to help average Joe’s like me find the answers to questions like that. And now look at everything we have at our fingertips! Another fantastic video mate - keep it up! :)
Near the weigh station vicinity. Central M1 median, is the old run that was to head into Woy Woy region. Was to be dual carriageway as you can see by the cut. Maybe, just maybe, it could form that M12? run from NW Sydney (Windsor-Richmond) to Mt White region.
Came back from Newcastle today and we turned off the freeway at Ourimbah and traveled a fair bit of the old highway just for the fun of it. Our next planned trip is to follow the full length of the old highways from Hornsby to Newcastle.
Fascinating video. I worked on the M1 back around 1989 when major works were happening, which eliminate around 120+ bends. See Wootton Way formerly Pacific Highway near Bulahdelah. Probably the last most notoriously dangerous section of the highway. I would love to see a video showing the old highway route/alignment.
This video is exactly what I've needed. Been driving along Peats Ridge Road recently and being the traffic engineer I am noticed that abandoned interchange bits at the southern end and odd interchange with Wisemans Ferry Road. I was wondering what It had once been. This answered it perfectly thank you.
Thanks for covering the phantom interchange at Mount White heavy vehicle station...the drone footage put into perspective something I've been trying to get my head around for ages! How about a peek at the (now closed) Mooney Mooney bridge lookout from the drone? I always wanted dad to pull in there as a kid and now I'm old enough to do it myself it's closed :(
They closed the lookout as it unwittingly provided an access point for explorers to enter the inner chambers of the bridge spans. Bit of a security risk.
I’ve never go my head around the highway from Sydney to Newcastle. Every 10 years it seemed to radically change. My parents drove it in the 1960s and I’ve driven it sporadically for the last 5 decades. Never worked out a unified theory of what’s going on. I just follow the signs.
@@therock8224 it's changed heaps! It was 2 lanes for the majority of the road. And then over the course of 10 years it was winded to 3 lanes in both directions between Wahroonga and Gosford. Then Gosford to Tuggerah was made 3 lanes. And only in the last 5 years it's gone from 2 lanes to 3 from Tuggerah to Sparks Road (Wyong). Plus with the feeder roads from Wyong Road northbound and the Sparks Road northbound loops has changed the M1 drastically! So I'm really not sure why you think it hasn't changed in the last 30 years, because it has!
@@LCaddyStudios Yes, but it's a completely different road too. It bypasses almost every city now (except for a couple). Travel time is reduced by hours now. Plus the fatality rates have decreased significantly (every holiday there'd be someone killed at Wootton for instance). That new highway is fantastic and so needed.
Far from abandoned, far from quiet. A road linking mountain communities to each other and local industry to Sydney and Newcastle. Yes many people reside along this road and others adjoining it. Please enjoy the drive/ride but please be mindful of residents need for privacy and peace. Please turn your engines off if you choose to stop outside our homes, or there are many other places to stop where you can get refreshment, Drive and ride safely. .Walkabout Park at Calga on Peats Ridge road is a must. Generally a great listen. Thanks
It's up to you to make your own privacy, you cannot restrict public access. A long as people aren't dumping rubbish or doing doughnuts, they have a right to be there.
Great work young man , brought back some memories . From a New Yorker who was born & raised in Sydney i drove on these roads and now my fascination has shifted to traversing the Expressways of Long Island NY , the 5 boroughs of NYC and upstate New York . I love noticing the differences between New York state and New South Wales . At 1:59 in your video the sign says -SPEED LIMIT 65 . This was 65 Miles per hour .Not sure if you are aware but Australia did change from the Imperial System of measurements right across the board from the mid 60's including jumping from Miles as a measurement to Kilometres in July 1974 when the metric system came in . Cheers .
Man... algorithm doing its job. I'm guessing because I follow Not Just Bikes, City Beautiful & Unfinished London, algorithm realised I enjoy well researched & presented viewpoints on city planning & road design. Nice to get a local taste too. Thoroughly enjoyed this, and have subscribed for more. Have many childhood memories of travelling on narrow, windy, tracks called the Pacific Hwy (or the Hume, Monaro & Princes or Kings Hwys) and I forget how much road systems and bypasses and highway upgrades have changed the nature of driving to the coast for summer holidays since the 80s and 90s. Things like stopping at truck stops, fuel stops. Driving through tiny little towns or villages where the highway through town brought tourists and thus money. Modern multilane freeways and motorways are such a different experience.
Similar thing happened to me. The YT suggestion popped up, and I decided to watch for a just minute or two - but ended up watching it all the way through. I'd never have thought a 13-minute video essay about a road would be so interesting! He's earned another subscriber.
Thank you RUclips algorithm for suggesting this video, amazing and as for the Auto Shenanigans segments pure class. I'll look at your other content and expect to enjoy those too!
You will have to do another vid about "the Oak" at Peats Ridge & maybe the other OAK @ Hexham!! The only place to stop on the long gruelling trips back to Sydney ona Sunday afternoon/Night!
@@ianneill1400 Hungry Jacks was indeed there whilst the OAK was at Hexham. My first job was at Hungry Jacks at Hexham. I did 3 shifts then told them to shove it.
Great video Sharath, and have you had a good week? One constant about the road from Sydney to Newcastle while being developed was how it was always going to be built differently to last year’s plan. I reckon you’ve captured the highlights really well.
I remember there were alot of people killed at Calga and along that strech of hiway. Also remember Oak use to have a shop at Peats Ridge a popular stop with alot of people.
Love your Lisa Simpson and the Union Pacific moment at the beginning 😂 Great video, have always wondered about Peats Ridge Road as I pass by that numerous times. Well researched and I learned something new again!
Ummmmm.....if you get out of capital cities such as Sydney, you'll find that most "quiet country roads" do indeed have a speed limit of 100km/h -- or in Sth Australia's case, 110km/h. An interestesting story, John, and one that I wasn't aware of. A great doco!
Country roads are unlimited, that’s something learners are taught in Sydney. He also consistently misuses the word lay. And it’s funny the attempted professionalism with gesticulating and intonation in front of the camera, but then no post production dubbing to correct the loud winds and any other errors. I like his content but his execution feels like an alternate reality.
This is the first video I have seen of Building beautifully, you were was just so passionate, well spoken and just seemed extremely genuine about this video unlike some other creators. Loved it and it was greatly informative. I will be definitely watching more of your videos in the future. Thankyou RUclips algorithm!!!
I've been looking at this on google maps lately, I'm so glad you made this video, it's very interesting! Really looking forward for to your future metro proposal!
Oh my, I spent many an hour taking this road, and George Down Dr, to visit relatives in Kulnura in the 80s, some of whom still live there. I recall how it used to be bumper to bumper at Christmas, basically all the way from Sydney. Fun fact, back in 80s, at least, at the intersection of Peats Ridge Rd and George Down Dr, was the original Oak milk bar. My brother and I always begged dad to stop there when we were in the area, and every once in a while he relented for us to enjoy a milkshake.
I grow up in western Lake Macquarie in the 1970s/1980s and George Down Drive, Kulnura, Yarramalong, Wyong Creek and Hue Hue Road was the quickest route to Sydney.
Yes, people have mentioned that Oak Milk Bar, which I'd never heard of. My age really shows when I talk about old roads! Sounds like it was quite an institution.
This is the first video of yours that I've watched, and hearing your nod to John and Auto Shenanigans was an unexpected surprise. I swear RUclips inception is a real thing!
How good is this!!! Having enjoyed many motorbike rides on PRR I never thought of asking WHY is this dual carriageway so quiet! What a great piece of work mate - LOVE the history of the Mt White interchange too 👏👏👏
A friend of mine was an engineer with the DMR, as it was known back then. I asked him "why the long deviation via Peats Ridge when much shorter routes were possible?". He said he believed that someone either in the Govt. or high up in the Department had property there and wanted better road access. Take it for what it is worth but it is a plausible explanation for such a huge waste of money..
I remember back to when there was a toll gate I think where the RFS station is at Cowan. I stopped there in a bus in the 80's, they had long since stopped collecting the tolls, but the toll booths were still there, pushed to the side of the road.
I used to travel this road on a regular basis as I drove between Sydney and my parents home near Port Macquarie, back between 1967 and the mid 1970's. Good road and, at 300 AM very fast. :)
My family own a small farm plot in the Yarramalong Valley, north of Central Mangrove so I drive this route all the time as its about 20mins quicker than going via Tuggerah. Had no idea this was the history. Thanks!
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this video, I recently went for a motorbike ride out that way and took a wrong turn and was very confused you have answered a lot of the questions i had in my head.
This road was both confusing and surprising when I first discovered it riding north from Calga on a push bike. It was the host to the most famous of time trial courses for many years. Less used by cars but still very popular for cyclists
Thank you for your incredibly interesting uploads. I wish you success with your endeavours, the trouble you go to in presenting these is very much appreciated, once again thank you sincerely 👍
You inspired me to take the Peats Ridge Road trip yesterday from Calga to Somersby in my resto project BMW. I didn’t know it still existed, even though we would take that road to the mid-north coast when I was a kid in the 70’s. What an awesome drive! Back in the day there were Oak milkshake & ice cream bars along the route (Peats Ridge & Freeman’s Waterhole) which were styled like American freeway diners and they were a highlight of our summer holiday road trip up the coast! I really appreciate your vid’s & look forward to the proposed Metro map!!
This explains those mysterious grade-separated interchanges on Peats Ridge Rd. One thing tho: on 3:45, most country roads have a speed limit of 100 km/h. Many, especially in South Australia, have speed limits of 110 km/h.
Oh really? I always thought they were normally 80 km/h. I agree highways are usually 100 km/h, but "roads" I thought were 80 km/h. That's a distinction I could've made!
@@BuildingBeautifully the NSW default rural limit is 100 km/h, FWIW (this is the case with all states but WA, which has a default limit of 110 km/h along with the NT; JBT has no default limit, AFAIK). However, the mountainous terrain surrounding Sydney means that many country roads are 80 or 90 km/h. In saying that, there are always outliers, such as Menindee Rd, which has a speed limit of 110 km/h (it was at least the case when I went there last Dec)
The current NSW Speed Zoning Guidelines says that 110 is acceptable for "undivided rural roads...west of the Newell Highway" which seems to be the case in practice, whereas 100 is the general standard for rural roads unless other reasons mean that 80 is more acceptable: roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/nsw_sza.pdf
@@earthmurmurs8659 most motorways and dual carriageways in regional NSW have a speed limit of 110 km/h (even the short 9-km motorway-standard Barton Hwy). The main outlier is the Princes Motorway, which does have a 110 km/h limit, but only for a short 20-km section
I’ve always been fascinated by the abandoned on/off ramp of the western distributor, as well as the abandoned train tunnels underneath st james station.
Thanks for this video. I lived through all those changes. I recall sitting for hours in family car while blasting was happening on the new Hawkesbury freeway.
Indeed many many deaths occurred on that “expressway” I think on the section North of Calga. Seem to remember something about opposite camber on the road as you say the speed limit was too high for the condition of the road. Could this be the reason for the change of route? Brilliant channel by the way
I agree with my learned friend and presenter of this video and all that he has said and offer my personal stamp of approval, the value of which is measurable.
This is a legend channel. I love this stuff. It’s so fascinating. That bit in the F3 around the Mount White inspection stations must have a tale to tell to? Before the inspection station on the south side, there was an excavation that looked like a big mistake in the original construction of the freeway.
You should check out the "Great North Road" that used to link Sydney and Newcastle. Built with convict labour, it only operated for a few years before being abandoned. The section north of Wisemans Ferry is still there, often used by dirt bikes, but not passable by normal vehicles.
@@willam1992 yes but not as a toll road from what I understand, and so not maintained. (I could well be wrong, but that's my memory of the history). I was using it in the 1980's and 90's, so I didn't mean it wasn't used.
yes built by convict labour in 6 months with all convicts getting their ticket of leave. There is a nice section on the road at Bucketty at the start of the Great North Rd. its only 30 metres long but it was used to support the roadway. Shows a good bit of dry stone walls now over 150 years old. Also 2 well-preserved bridges [ or at least their abutments one at Circuit Flat. Not sure you can drive it it was drivable quite some time ago. it follows the road to St Albans but further east. All that work and literally abandoned in favour of a road closer to the coast a few years later.
Have you had a good week? Word up homie.
Glad you enjoyed it! There's a button specifically for that.
1:12 I LOLed so loud
A bit like the A5 in the midlands is an abandoned trunk route since opening M6 toll.
Auto shenanigans..the best.!
How's the road from Mumbi to Deli?
I'm now a young 55 year old living in Newcastle. I grew up in Sydney and travelled north to Taree many times to see relatives. Peats ridge hamburgers were always the best part of the trip.
The days of stopping at OAK at Peats Ridge was a part of a trip North
Used to love their thickshakes
@@garyreid9842 Yes, the thickshakes and chicken drumsticks. The OAKs at Peats Ridge was at the time about the half-way point between Port Stephens and Sydney.
A bit like a pub in the middle of the Simpson 😎
You mean south 😊
North and South.
Sydney to Belmont and then on the return@@allensutton5390
The "New" Freeway might officially be called the M1 but it was called the F3 before that n that's what I'll call it for the rest of my days!
I'm glad to see you liked the road signs. My father was the guillotine operator at the DMR workshop in Sydney. His job was to cut the signs to size from lengths of sheet metal.
You need to get further from Sydney. In rural NSW 100kmh is the normal speed limit on "quiet rural roads" even narrow ones without centrelines or side markings and gravel roads too. The only unusual thing about Peats Ridge Rd is that the divided sections are not 110kmh because that would be normal.
Came to say this - daily commute on a narrow, pothole ridden road out of town and it’s 100kmh almost the entire way through.
I drove on a road yesterday that was gravel with a 100kph speed limit
Spent the first half of the 70s travelling on this road, and all over Sydney and Newcastle, in a truck (before moving over to the west) .Thank you for all these stories that bring back so many memories.
Yep me too, but I was a kid at the time. My parents bought a cheap fibro weekender in Nelson Bay and we'd do the trip up north from Sydney frequently in the summer months. Of course in those days it was a proper day-trip of like 5 or 6 hours minimum just to get up to Port Stephens (not including the multiple stops along the way for fuel and ice cream; vinyl seats & no air-conditioning meant that sustained long distance car journeys in mid-summer were not very comfortable); nowadays you'd knock it off in less than half that time out of the peak commuting periods without a stop.
I also remember all the construction work going on whilst they were building these new sections, including the extension at the southern end all the way down to the Pacific Highway and Pennant Hills Road junction at Wahroonga (the F3 previously began much further north up the Highway at Mt Colah).
I was nearly killed on the old Pacific Highway, around about 1960 or 1961. My family was returning from holidays in an old DeSoto van. In front of us, a big lorry carrying logs broke its axle; the load shifted and came out the back of the truck onto our DeSoto. Had we been in an ordinary car, we would surely have been killed: the logs would have come through the windscreen. As it was, they hit the van's radiator and engine. The hand brake - old style - was forced back, pinning my father to the seat but doing him no real harm. I hit my head on the dashboard - I was 4 or 5 years old at the time - and the shattered window glass caused a few minor cuts. My baby brother, asleep in the rear seat, slept through the whole smash. My mother, too, had just a few minor cuts. We were all picking little pieces of glass out of the corners of our eyes for a few days, though! The lorry went over the side, and down a steep embankment. The driver was thrown out one side, and his young son who was a passenger went out the other. Both got off with a few scratches. Seeing the chaos, the policeman attending was astonished that there were no fatalities. Guardian angels must have worked overtime, but the construction of the expressway was appreciated by us all ... we didn't want to have to rely on miracles another time! 😅
Oh my...that sounds like quite a scary experience
😥 but also phew
Biggest fears unlocked.
As someone who grew up in Newcastle in the 70s & 80s, the highlight of a trip to Sydney was stopping at the OAK Milk Bar at Peats Ridge. I can't believe it didn't get a mention. I always looked forward to a milkshake and a crumbed sausage.
OAK, the local dairy co-operative, had a series of milk bars on the highway north of Sydney where drivers could take a break. In addition to Peats Ridge, there were also OAKs at Freemans Waterhole and Hexham. The one at Freemans Waterhole even had a small native animal zoo with kangaroos, emus and birds. And I seem to remember the one at Hexman had a surf boat on display.
Leaving the OAK out on a video about travelling Peats Ridge road is almost criminal.
OMG Yes! The Oak was a must visit back in the day.
I was going to ask the same question. The Oak factory at Hexham is still going.
@@stevenbeck5746 I think the quality has gone or that we are just not young anymore!!!
We broke down one very hot day in the 1970s going back to Sydney. We sat on the side of the ride at The Oak for hours!
Those milk bars are all gone now plus these videos are specifically about the roads and their design and purpose, not about things along the way.
With the road alignment through peats ridge, as you mentioned there was meant to be a freeway that headed to Singleton. The reason for this is the route to Brisbane via the New England highway is what was planned to be upgraded to be the main route north rather than the pacific highway which is now the main route.
Also no mention of the Oak Milkbar at Peats Ridge. It was an institution on that section of road.
Ah yes, I've been told it was quite the institution only since making the video. My age really shows when I make videos about the past, given I'd never heard of it!
And the memory of the hamburgers at the Kangy Angy Roadhouse
Mmmm, the Oak. Every January coast holiday in the 1970s, we'd drive north out of Sydney along the slow roads heading for some exotic destination like Port Macquarie or South West Rocks, and make the traditional stop at the Oak. It marked a halfway point and a change ... last urban stop. After that it was all holiday towns.
I never realised that was meant to be a freeway to Singleton. We used to take George Downs Drive through to Wollombi and up to Warkworth, Denman and Muswellbrook as a back way to the Hunter Valley before the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway was completed. And yes we stopped at the Oak as well!
We used to do weekend trips between Sydney and Gosford and of course vice versa. Less frequently we took trips between Gosford and Avalon. We always stopped at Oak. I believe that was during the 70s with Mum and Dad. Then late 70s, early 80s the trips between Tamworth and Sydney involved the Singleton servo(on their hill) and Oak. My husband would later work for Oak in Tamworth. It’s a small world.
Locals of the Gosford area said Ourimba like Or-im -bah. It sounded like a dance. I hope that’s useful to you.
I can’t believe you mentioned Dog Trap Road. I knew someone who lived in that area. Mr Ted Parry. There was an old air strip at the end of it. There was a fly in that I attended in the early 70s I think. It was meant to raise money and interest to start returning the air strip into a useful strip for local small planes. That road was a death trap! I’m sure a 4 wheel drive would have made it feel a bit safer. It wasn’t even well graded. My Dad was a keen flyer. Funny what sparks memories. Thanks for the memories.
This presentation has been well researched. I spent a lot of the 70's travelling on this road between Sydney and Newcastle. I have also travelled on the old highway and the new expressway allignment. I also appreciate the other presentations that you have presented on the lost expressway around Sydney.
Thank you so much!
I remember travelling in the old man's 38 Chev going to Sydney to visit relatives.Near the roadworks they had signs telling you to switch of your car radio incase it set of the explosives they were using to blast through the rock.
Imagine the radio announcer: "thanks for tuning in, next track is sure to be a BLAST!"
Geoff Marshall and Auto shenanigans on one channel what a great channel
As a truck driver who goes through the heavy vehicle station I've always wondered about that cutting under the bridge. I did read a few things but you cleared it up for me perfectly. Thanks👍subscribed
G'day John, This video brings back some long & very fond memories from when I was a kid growing-up in the 1960's, I now live in Perth but originally grew-up in Mayfield in
Newcastle. Now for a bit of nostalgia & short story, back in the mid 60's we use to travel down to Hornsby every two or three weeks to visit my older brother who worked for
the ANZ bank. Now back then driving down to Sydney was a major family outing & a (for the time) huge road trip, because back then you had a combination of the Pacific Hwy
& only a bit of the newly constructed Express Way (Pacific Hwy being the longest section). Anyway we would get up at around 04:00 in the morning after having packed the old
VW Kombi van the night before & hit the road at 05:00. Now try & think of this mate, to travel from Mayfield to Hornsby back in the day took just under 5 Hours, but if we got a
good run without to many Semi's we could accomplish this feat in just over 4.5 hours. A highlight of our trip was that Dad would always stop at Peats Ridge going either
direction because there was an OAK Roadhouse/Rest area there & they had the best fresh chicken sandwiches & chocolate milkshakes any side of the Black Stump.
Sorry to dribble on but your video just brought back so many good memories of my childhood & those epic road trips.
Thank's Mate, Steve.
Mmmm milkshake
I guess a place can really
🎶bring the boys to the yard
no denying the quality of Oak milkshakes. Same when there was one at the bridge over the Hunter just before Raymond Terrace
I grew up on Parklands Rd at Mt Colah. I had a hustle as a kid in the early 60's of selling lemonade to all the folks at a literal standstill, playing cards on the bonnets of their cars, on Peats Ferry Rd/Pacific Highway, trying to get north for the weekend. The difference the F3 made was incredible. And I still occasionally take my bike for a fang along the now very quiet Peats Ridge Road Expressway.
Audio mixing felt pretty good this episode. Background music wasn't too loud and your voice came through clear. Keep it up!
Yes, I've bought a mic which has produced a massive difference.
Shame you had to stop at Ourimbah, you missed another section of "abandoned" freeway through Kangy Angy that runs alongside the M1 for local traffic. It was part of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway until 1997/98, and in hindsight you should've gotten a Heathbrae's pie for a late lunch because they built one on that very section of road haha.
You should check out the old Pacific Highway sections between Catherine Hill Bay and Swansea. There are still many km of very much intact road sitting unused in the bush east of the current road.
I was a very regular driver from Wollongong to central coast from 1964 and saw every step of the construction. I was originally referred to as the Calga Freeway and commenced at Calga travelling through to Ourimbah. The reason for the long route was Mooney Mooney Creek which would take the construction of the long multi lane bridge that followed much later around 1986.
I do not drive the trip as often these days but the fastest run I ever had was around 1967....two hours ten minutes on one early Sunday morning.
Reminds me of what became of the former Eagle on the hill section of the Princes highway in the Adelaide hills before it was bypassed by the Heysen Tunnels in 2000 - once a busy highway carrying four lanes of interstate traffic up and down the steep winding section of the Adelaide hills, and is still a nice detour that is readily accessible at anytime, but is now practically deserted, a ghost of it's former self with little evidence to suggest that it was once a busy highway.
Still good for speed testing!!
Thank you. I've ridden Peats Ridge road and Dog Trap road many times on the motorcycle and had no idea of its history.
I always though that interchange with Peats Ridge road and the Old Pacific Hwy was over complicated.
I hope you do a series on abandoned/forgotten sections of the Pacific Hwy
I live at Berowra, awsome to see aerial views of these roads
Great information , i got no idea of this road was a high speed express way.
Hardly lost , we often go up there to get fresh fruit and veggies from the shops at Kulnura .
Kind of missing the point a bit. The overwhelming majority of todays travellers from Newcastle to Sydney do not stop at Kulgera for fresh fruit or veggies or even know where you are talking about.
Your channel keeps getting better, loving the humor you bring - keep it up!
Thank you once again John/Sharath...your shenanigans are always greatly appreciated by those of us whom enjoy watching the lost and more less known "future" motorways and traffic corridors of Sydney and its surrounds...always a good watch and always...as usual...so informative and well researched...keep up the great work...and always looking forward to your next video!!!!
Cheers from western Sydney!!!! and by the way...enjoy the Tassie trip!!!!
Thank you so much Tippo!
Awesome! I read about this road on OZ Roads, and watched the DMR archive videos. Then visited the Peats Ridge Road in 2018 where I stopped and took heaps of photos.
You did an excellent job at explaining all the details, including the phantom Mt White interchange!
I travelled thru that interchange many times from the 1990's to today, and It changed a lot in the early 2000's.
Still use it on occasion. Good drive
Very informative m8..
I love the m1 such a big job getting through the cliffs.. a true rd of the world.. peats ridge is very poorly maintained now witch is sad
Every time I drove down the old southbound carriageway - which, if memory serves me, meant reducing speed to 80km/h I think, on account of it narrowing to two lanes at this particular section and also being a bit too curvy and windy for 110 - I used to look down the gap in that rock and wonder what was originally planned. Way before the internet and OzRoads and RUclips, there were few readily available resources to help average Joe’s like me find the answers to questions like that. And now look at everything we have at our fingertips! Another fantastic video mate - keep it up! :)
Near the weigh station vicinity. Central M1 median, is the old run that was to head into Woy Woy region. Was to be dual carriageway as you can see by the cut.
Maybe, just maybe, it could form that M12? run from NW Sydney (Windsor-Richmond) to Mt White region.
Keep up the good old roads info 👍😎
Came back from Newcastle today and we turned off the freeway at Ourimbah and traveled a fair bit of the old highway just for the fun of it. Our next planned trip is to follow the full length of the old highways from Hornsby to Newcastle.
Fascinating video. I worked on the M1 back around 1989 when major works were happening, which eliminate around 120+ bends. See Wootton Way formerly Pacific Highway near Bulahdelah. Probably the last most notoriously dangerous section of the highway.
I would love to see a video showing the old highway route/alignment.
Thanx. I used to do a lot of riding around those roads, loved the desolate interchanges.
Thanks!
Following the old Hume Hwy to Mittagong would be very interesting. Lots of history
This video is exactly what I've needed. Been driving along Peats Ridge Road recently and being the traffic engineer I am noticed that abandoned interchange bits at the southern end and odd interchange with Wisemans Ferry Road. I was wondering what It had once been. This answered it perfectly thank you.
Such a blast from the past, been driving through that area since about 1973. Seems well researched.
Moved to Berowra back in 61. Should of seen the Pacific Highway then.
I am glad I stumbled on your channel. That was well researched, well documented and presented. Thank you.
Love the ‘bloopers’ you leave in the videos. Great content that could be dry but you make it interesting. Thank you!
Thanks
One of my favourite stretches of road in NSW. Thanks for the vid. 👍
Thanks for covering the phantom interchange at Mount White heavy vehicle station...the drone footage put into perspective something I've been trying to get my head around for ages!
How about a peek at the (now closed) Mooney Mooney bridge lookout from the drone? I always wanted dad to pull in there as a kid and now I'm old enough to do it myself it's closed :(
Occasionally I drive past and the gate is open, take your chances and you'll get in there one day 😊
They closed the lookout as it unwittingly provided an access point for explorers to enter the inner chambers of the bridge spans. Bit of a security risk.
I’ve never go my head around the highway from Sydney to Newcastle. Every 10 years it seemed to radically change. My parents drove it in the 1960s and I’ve driven it sporadically for the last 5 decades. Never worked out a unified theory of what’s going on. I just follow the signs.
Well the Sydney-Newcastle freeway or F3 has hardly changed since the 90s. Still has 3 lanes in each direction up to around Wyong then reduces to 2.
Funnily enough that also describes the entire Gold Coast to Newcastle stretch off highway, they’ve finally finished almost all the roadworks now
@@therock8224 it's changed heaps! It was 2 lanes for the majority of the road. And then over the course of 10 years it was winded to 3 lanes in both directions between Wahroonga and Gosford. Then Gosford to Tuggerah was made 3 lanes. And only in the last 5 years it's gone from 2 lanes to 3 from Tuggerah to Sparks Road (Wyong). Plus with the feeder roads from Wyong Road northbound and the Sparks Road northbound loops has changed the M1 drastically!
So I'm really not sure why you think it hasn't changed in the last 30 years, because it has!
@@LCaddyStudios Yes, but it's a completely different road too. It bypasses almost every city now (except for a couple). Travel time is reduced by hours now. Plus the fatality rates have decreased significantly (every holiday there'd be someone killed at Wootton for instance). That new highway is fantastic and so needed.
@@stoojinator I'm pretty sure it's been 3 lanes in each direction from Wahroonga to Gosford for much longer than 10 years.
been watching you for a while love the music you've chosen in this video, sound is a massive improvement.
I've ridden around there quite a bit an always wondered about the oddities at Peats Ridge. Thanks John.
great vid mate
Far from abandoned, far from quiet. A road linking mountain communities to each other and local industry to Sydney and Newcastle. Yes many people reside along this road and others adjoining it. Please enjoy the drive/ride but please be mindful of residents need for privacy and peace. Please turn your engines off if you choose to stop outside our homes, or there are many other places to stop where you can get refreshment, Drive and ride safely. .Walkabout Park at Calga on Peats Ridge road is a must. Generally a great listen. Thanks
It's up to you to make your own privacy, you cannot restrict public access. A long as people aren't dumping rubbish or doing doughnuts, they have a right to be there.
Great work young man , brought back some memories .
From a New Yorker who was born & raised in Sydney i drove on these roads and now my fascination has shifted to traversing the Expressways of Long Island NY , the 5 boroughs of NYC and upstate New York . I love noticing the differences between New York state and New South Wales .
At 1:59 in your video the sign says -SPEED LIMIT 65 . This was 65 Miles per hour .Not sure if you are aware but Australia did change from the Imperial System of measurements right across the board from the mid 60's including jumping from Miles as a measurement to Kilometres in July 1974 when the metric system came in . Cheers .
Good stuff Young Man . Living Modern History .
I loved the shout out to ‘Secrets of the motorway’ I’d love if someone could cover every Australian freeway/motorway/expressway in a series.
Might as well cover all the attached service centres at the same time. :)
Check out Philip Mallis' channel. He has done most planned/past/current victorian ones.
Man... algorithm doing its job. I'm guessing because I follow Not Just Bikes, City Beautiful & Unfinished London, algorithm realised I enjoy well researched & presented viewpoints on city planning & road design. Nice to get a local taste too. Thoroughly enjoyed this, and have subscribed for more.
Have many childhood memories of travelling on narrow, windy, tracks called the Pacific Hwy (or the Hume, Monaro & Princes or Kings Hwys) and I forget how much road systems and bypasses and highway upgrades have changed the nature of driving to the coast for summer holidays since the 80s and 90s. Things like stopping at truck stops, fuel stops. Driving through tiny little towns or villages where the highway through town brought tourists and thus money. Modern multilane freeways and motorways are such a different experience.
Ah, it was Not Just Bikes that got me here! Although somehow it figured I live in Newcastle as well.
Similar thing happened to me. The YT suggestion popped up, and I decided to watch for a just minute or two - but ended up watching it all the way through. I'd never have thought a 13-minute video essay about a road would be so interesting! He's earned another subscriber.
Thank you RUclips algorithm for suggesting this video, amazing and as for the Auto Shenanigans segments pure class. I'll look at your other content and expect to enjoy those too!
I've always wondered about this stretch of road since I found it on a random bike ride.
Enjoy Tassie
You will have to do another vid about "the Oak" at Peats Ridge & maybe the other OAK @ Hexham!! The only place to stop on the long gruelling trips back to Sydney ona Sunday afternoon/Night!
Yes a oak milkshake and hungry jacks (unfortunately now closed) was awesome
@@nolesy34 Hungry Jacks wasn't even invented then!! :)
@@ianneill1400 Hungry Jacks was indeed there whilst the OAK was at Hexham. My first job was at Hungry Jacks at Hexham.
I did 3 shifts then told them to shove it.
@@YuckFoutube-e1z What year was that?
Great video Sharath, and have you had a good week? One constant about the road from Sydney to Newcastle while being developed was how it was always going to be built differently to last year’s plan. I reckon you’ve captured the highlights really well.
I remember there were alot of people killed at Calga and along that strech of hiway. Also remember Oak use to have a shop at Peats Ridge a popular stop with alot of people.
Love your Lisa Simpson and the Union Pacific moment at the beginning 😂
Great video, have always wondered about Peats Ridge Road as I pass by that numerous times. Well researched and I learned something new again!
Thank you!!
Great work, John.
Really glad you are making videos on these topics
Ummmmm.....if you get out of capital cities such as Sydney, you'll find that most "quiet country roads" do indeed have a speed limit of 100km/h -- or in Sth Australia's case, 110km/h.
An interestesting story, John, and one that I wasn't aware of. A great doco!
Country roads are unlimited, that’s something learners are taught in Sydney. He also consistently misuses the word lay. And it’s funny the attempted professionalism with gesticulating and intonation in front of the camera, but then no post production dubbing to correct the loud winds and any other errors. I like his content but his execution feels like an alternate reality.
This is the first video I have seen of Building beautifully, you were was just so passionate, well spoken and just seemed extremely genuine about this video unlike some other creators. Loved it and it was greatly informative. I will be definitely watching more of your videos in the future. Thankyou RUclips algorithm!!!
I've been looking at this on google maps lately, I'm so glad you made this video, it's very interesting! Really looking forward for to your future metro proposal!
keep up the great work. Im enjoying your stories more and more. everyone is better than the last. thankyou for all your hard work you put into these.
Another great video John, Well done !!
Oh my, I spent many an hour taking this road, and George Down Dr, to visit relatives in Kulnura in the 80s, some of whom still live there. I recall how it used to be bumper to bumper at Christmas, basically all the way from Sydney. Fun fact, back in 80s, at least, at the intersection of Peats Ridge Rd and George Down Dr, was the original Oak milk bar. My brother and I always begged dad to stop there when we were in the area, and every once in a while he relented for us to enjoy a milkshake.
I grow up in western Lake Macquarie in the 1970s/1980s and George Down Drive, Kulnura, Yarramalong, Wyong Creek and Hue Hue Road was the quickest route to Sydney.
Ah! I have fond memories of the Oak Milk Bar
@@tomshaw9065 The Oak Milk bar was a regular stopping point for us. I can remember the one at Freeman’s Waterhole as well.
Yes, people have mentioned that Oak Milk Bar, which I'd never heard of. My age really shows when I talk about old roads! Sounds like it was quite an institution.
@@BuildingBeautifully there is still one of the originals at Freemans Waterhole, near Lake Macquarie, if you wanted to check it out.
Great vid. Looking forward to the metro one!
This is the first video of yours that I've watched, and hearing your nod to John and Auto Shenanigans was an unexpected surprise. I swear RUclips inception is a real thing!
Love watching your presentations. Quirky and interesting.
Looking forward to seeing your take on Sydney's future rail!
Only recently found your channel and it is already up there with my favourites.
Love your work.
Great video. Well done. Carry on!
Greetings from Scotland thanks for the wonderful video 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
How good is this!!! Having enjoyed many motorbike rides on PRR I never thought of asking WHY is this dual carriageway so quiet! What a great piece of work mate - LOVE the history of the Mt White interchange too 👏👏👏
Each to their own but obviously you never used to do it enough then and I know time and money are key factors.
@@chuckbeggles8858 ummmm …. sorry? 🤔
A friend of mine was an engineer with the DMR, as it was known back then. I asked him "why the long deviation via Peats Ridge when much shorter routes were possible?". He said he believed that someone either in the Govt. or high up in the Department had property there and wanted better road access.
Take it for what it is worth but it is a plausible explanation for such a huge waste of money..
I remember back to when there was a toll gate I think where the RFS station is at Cowan. I stopped there in a bus in the 80's, they had long since stopped collecting the tolls, but the toll booths were still there, pushed to the side of the road.
I used to travel this road on a regular basis as I drove between Sydney and my parents home near Port Macquarie, back between 1967 and the mid 1970's. Good road and, at 300 AM very fast. :)
Childhood memories of pulling in to the Oak Milkbar after a long trip down from Armidale through the Broke Road .
My family own a small farm plot in the Yarramalong Valley, north of Central Mangrove so I drive this route all the time as its about 20mins quicker than going via Tuggerah. Had no idea this was the history. Thanks!
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this video, I recently went for a motorbike ride out that way and took a wrong turn and was very confused you have answered a lot of the questions i had in my head.
I love the concept that Auto Shenanigans could host "Secrets of the Motorway/Highway/Autobah" from other countries
I love reading Ozroads and about infrastructure! This is right up my alley, thanks for the content! Subbed.
Ive traveled those roads in the past and always wondered why they were built like that.
Now you have solved that. Thanks.
This road was both confusing and surprising when I first discovered it riding north from Calga on a push bike. It was the host to the most famous of time trial courses for many years. Less used by cars but still very popular for cyclists
Thank you for your incredibly interesting uploads. I wish you success with your endeavours, the trouble you go to in presenting these is very much appreciated, once again thank you sincerely 👍
You inspired me to take the Peats Ridge Road trip yesterday from Calga to Somersby in my resto project BMW. I didn’t know it still existed, even though we would take that road to the mid-north coast when I was a kid in the 70’s. What an awesome drive! Back in the day there were Oak milkshake & ice cream bars along the route (Peats Ridge & Freeman’s Waterhole) which were styled like American freeway diners and they were a highlight of our summer holiday road trip up the coast! I really appreciate your vid’s & look forward to the proposed Metro map!!
Thats right there is still a couple up there frequented by motorcyclists
This explains those mysterious grade-separated interchanges on Peats Ridge Rd.
One thing tho: on 3:45, most country roads have a speed limit of 100 km/h. Many, especially in South Australia, have speed limits of 110 km/h.
Oh really? I always thought they were normally 80 km/h. I agree highways are usually 100 km/h, but "roads" I thought were 80 km/h. That's a distinction I could've made!
@@BuildingBeautifully the NSW default rural limit is 100 km/h, FWIW (this is the case with all states but WA, which has a default limit of 110 km/h along with the NT; JBT has no default limit, AFAIK). However, the mountainous terrain surrounding Sydney means that many country roads are 80 or 90 km/h. In saying that, there are always outliers, such as Menindee Rd, which has a speed limit of 110 km/h (it was at least the case when I went there last Dec)
The current NSW Speed Zoning Guidelines says that 110 is acceptable for "undivided rural roads...west of the Newell Highway" which seems to be the case in practice, whereas 100 is the general standard for rural roads unless other reasons mean that 80 is more acceptable: roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/nsw_sza.pdf
@@earthmurmurs8659 most motorways and dual carriageways in regional NSW have a speed limit of 110 km/h (even the short 9-km motorway-standard Barton Hwy). The main outlier is the Princes Motorway, which does have a 110 km/h limit, but only for a short 20-km section
I’ve always been fascinated by the abandoned on/off ramp of the western distributor, as well as the abandoned train tunnels underneath st james station.
The part where the eastern distributor dipped down near the botanic gardens always fascinated me
Great video! I had no clue this whole thing existed!
I always wondered about why Peats Ridge road had 4 lanes towards Calga as well as the unusual interchanges. This is very informative. Thank you!
Thanks for this video. I lived through all those changes. I recall sitting for hours in family car while blasting was happening on the new Hawkesbury freeway.
Awesome, have gotten on it a couple of times by mistake. Like the other old tollways in NSW, it is like a beautiful time warp when on them.
I remember that in the 60s/70s the 'Calga-Ourimbah Expressway' was a notoriously deadly accident black spot.
Indeed many many deaths occurred on that “expressway” I think on the section North of Calga.
Seem to remember something about opposite camber on the road as you say the speed limit was too high for the condition of the road.
Could this be the reason for the change of route?
Brilliant channel by the way
I agree with my learned friend and presenter of this video and all that he has said and offer my personal stamp of approval, the value of which is measurable.
This is a legend channel. I love this stuff. It’s so fascinating. That bit in the F3 around the Mount White inspection stations must have a tale to tell to? Before the inspection station on the south side, there was an excavation that looked like a big mistake in the original construction of the freeway.
You should check out the "Great North Road" that used to link Sydney and Newcastle. Built with convict labour, it only operated for a few years before being abandoned. The section north of Wisemans Ferry is still there, often used by dirt bikes, but not passable by normal vehicles.
There is also the convict section from Cowan to Brooklyn
Actually it was used up untill the 1920s and 30s
@@willam1992 yes but not as a toll road from what I understand, and so not maintained. (I could well be wrong, but that's my memory of the history). I was using it in the 1980's and 90's, so I didn't mean it wasn't used.
yes built by convict labour in 6 months with all convicts getting their ticket of leave. There is a nice section on the road at Bucketty at the start of the Great North Rd. its only 30 metres long but it was used to support the roadway. Shows a good bit of dry stone walls now over 150 years old. Also 2 well-preserved bridges [ or at least their abutments one at Circuit Flat. Not sure you can drive it it was drivable quite some time ago. it follows the road to St Albans but further east.
All that work and literally abandoned in favour of a road closer to the coast a few years later.