The Convict Trail Project
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      • 1. Five Dock to Epping
      • 2. Epping To Wisemans Ferry
      • 3. Wisemans Ferry to Clares Bridge
      • 4. Bucketty to Mt Manning
      • 5. Bucketty through Wollombi to Broke
      • 6. Bucketty through Wollombi to Newcastle
    • Walking and Cycle Tours >
      • 1. Circuit Flat Bridge and Sampsons Pass
      • 2. Devines Hill
      • 3. Finchs Line
      • 4. Shepherds Gully
      • 5. Ten Mile Hollow
      • 6. Simpsons Track
      • 7. Old Great North Road
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    • The Grand Vision
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    • Which Way North?
    • Which Route North?
    • Usage and Decline
    • Time Lines
    • Key People >
      • Sir Thomas Mitchell
      • Heneage Finch
      • Lieutenant Simpson
      • Ben Singleton
      • John Howe
      • John Blaxland
      • John MacDonald
      • William Parr
      • Solomon Wiseman
      • Lieutenant Warner
      • Journal Entries
  • Convict Life
    • Conditions
    • In The Hills
    • Hunter Valley
    • Freedom Earned
    • Medical Care
    • Road Gangs
    • Gangs Time Line
  • Construction
    • Clear, Blaze and Survey
    • British Ordnance Survey
    • Formation
    • Quarrying, Walls and Fills
    • Drains, Culverts and Races
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    • Convict Database
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Convict  Trail  Project

​ Caring for the Great North Road​​
​
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The Great North Road interpretation road signs are proudly supported by a grant from the NSW Government Office of Environment and Heritage under the Community Heritage category of the NSW Heritage Grants Program.  

Media Menu
Our online media are now all grouped together in the one convenient menu.
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Online Store
We now have a form on our website for ordering maps, books and volumes of our journal, "The Pick".
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Convict database
We have recently enabled an extensive database of convicts​. Search now...
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A Monument to Convict Engineering 

Modern Australia was founded as a convict settlement. Banished from their homeland,  men and women found themselves in a totally new environment – harsh, hot, dry and decidedly less fertile than the land they left behind. For many, the new colony provided an opportunity to become enterprising individuals who laid the foundation for a great nation. As the settlement grew, convicts were sent to build infrastructure such as roads and bridges and to open new industries. The Convict Trail is a monument to these former felons, and a tribute to their work.


Between 1804 and 1822 convicts who committed another crime after arriving in the Colony had been banished to the penal settlement at Newcastle, then only accessible by sea. In 1826 re-offending convicts were put to work on one of 19th century’s greatest engineering feats in Australia – the Great North Road.
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Devines Hill
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Cartoscope Map

Download map here:

The NEW and updated map of the Great North Road is available in visitor information centres and is also available for download here.

Cartoscope Map Download 
Like the header image on this page? This is Fernances Crossing Culvert, which is located about half way between Bucketty and Laguna.

What is the Great North Road?

Extending north from Sydney to the Hunter Valley, the Convict Trail follows the route of the 240 km Great North Road, built between 1826 and 1836. Most of this road continues to be used today, offering an alternative, slower paced scenic route between Sydney and the Hunter, where one can explore the brilliant engineering works created by hundreds of convicts – many working in leg-irons.

Relics such as stone retaining walls, wharves, culverts, bridges and buttresses can still be seen along the entire length of the Great North Road – in Sydney suburbs like Epping and Gladesville, at Wisemans Ferry or Wollombi, Bucketty or Broke, or when walking in Dharug and Yengo National Parks.​

The Devines Hill and Finches Line part of the Great North Road is one of the 11 Australian Convict Sites that are World Heritage Listed as a group listing.

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Convict Trail Project​ Inc.
ABN: 25853768228

7 Coolabah Close
Thornleigh NSW 2120

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  • Home
  • Visiting
    • Trail Itinerary >
      • 1. Five Dock to Epping
      • 2. Epping To Wisemans Ferry
      • 3. Wisemans Ferry to Clares Bridge
      • 4. Bucketty to Mt Manning
      • 5. Bucketty through Wollombi to Broke
      • 6. Bucketty through Wollombi to Newcastle
    • Walking and Cycle Tours >
      • 1. Circuit Flat Bridge and Sampsons Pass
      • 2. Devines Hill
      • 3. Finchs Line
      • 4. Shepherds Gully
      • 5. Ten Mile Hollow
      • 6. Simpsons Track
      • 7. Old Great North Road
    • Other Attractions
    • Visitor Information Services
    • Useful Links
    • Location Details
  • History
    • The Grand Vision
    • The Road Begins
    • Which Way North?
    • Which Route North?
    • Usage and Decline
    • Time Lines
    • Key People >
      • Sir Thomas Mitchell
      • Heneage Finch
      • Lieutenant Simpson
      • Ben Singleton
      • John Howe
      • John Blaxland
      • John MacDonald
      • William Parr
      • Solomon Wiseman
      • Lieutenant Warner
      • Journal Entries
  • Convict Life
    • Conditions
    • In The Hills
    • Hunter Valley
    • Freedom Earned
    • Medical Care
    • Road Gangs
    • Gangs Time Line
  • Construction
    • Clear, Blaze and Survey
    • British Ordnance Survey
    • Formation
    • Quarrying, Walls and Fills
    • Drains, Culverts and Races
  • Media
    • Videos >
      • Extras
    • The Pick
    • Convict Database
  • Store
  • Donations
  • About Us
    • Updates >
      • Latest News
      • Newsletters
      • Australian Heritage Festival
      • CTP >
        • Annual Report
        • Membership
        • Supporters
    • Contact
    • FAQ