This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Hume and Hovell expedition - an epic journey of discovery that carved out the modern route between Sydney and Melbourne, our two biggest cities and one of our busiest transport corridors.
Of course, back in 1824 the country was already criss-crossed with paths and trade routes, created by Aboriginal people who had travelled the land for tens of thousands of years before European settlement.
However, as detailed in his must-read 2017 biography Hamilton Hume: Our Greatest Explorer (Hachette Australia), Robert Macklin states "and on the way they [Hume & Hovell] saw what no white man had ever seen: a countryside that stretched in glory from one end of the horizon to the other; fertile land, virgin plains big enough to run a million sheep and cattle, broad enough to support 10,000 farms, rich enough to found a nation".
While others far fitter than me will mark the 200th anniversary by trekking along the Hume & Hovell Trail which follows the route of the explorers from Cooma Cottage in Yass, 440 kilometres to the Victorian border, today I'd like to highlight another legacy of their trip - the old Hume Highway, particularly its bridges.
One of the biggest hurdles the explorers faced were the many waterways they had to cross. It wouldn't have been easy with their carts, dogs, horses and bullocks. Can you imagine attempting to travel today's Hume Highway without any bridges?
While at Little River near the Murray, Hume and Hovell were lucky enough to find what Hovell referred to as "an immense tree that lay extended from bank to bank, and which, with a rope extending along it as a hand rope, formed a tolerably good bridge", just about every other river crossing was a challenge.
In fact, several weeks earlier, to cross the Murrumbidgee River the party resorted to wrapping a large tarpaulin around the body of one of their carts to convert it into a makeshift punt. Hume and convict guide Thomas Boyd then swam across the river with a rope gripped in their teeth, allowing the punt to be pulled back and forth to transport the equipment, provisions and, of course, the non-swimmers.
Soon after the expedition, with the Colony of NSW wanting to open up those fertile lands, road gangs began to toil away on the Great South Road and engineers began to work wonders. Initially bridges were created using convict labour. Many of these relics are long gone; demolished or replaced, but there are still some to marvel at, if you know where to look.
Here are my favourite historic bridges on the old Hume Highway, all within a two-hour drive of Canberra.
Black Bobs Creek, Mackey VC, near Sutton Forest
Hidden from prying eyes just behind this popular rest area on the Hume Highway near Sutton Forest is arguably the most photogenic publicly accessible site on the old Hume Highway - an old convict bridge that traverses a rocky part of Black Bobs Creek.
First built as a timber beam structure supported by sandstone abutments just 12 years after Hume and Hovell passed through the area, in 1896 it was replaced by a concrete arch supported by the original sandstone abutments and retaining walls.
If you want to check it out, park at the Mackey VC rest area (located just north of the Illawarra Highway junction) and walk about 100 metres north along the track at the rear of the rest area. Take care on the slippery flight of steps carved into the rock that precariously leads down to a waterhole on Black Bobs Creek that would have been a reliable water source for thirsty horses and later, overheating car engines.
Derrick VC Rest Area, near Goulburn
If you normally zoom past this rest area when heading south towards Canberra, then you are missing out. A short wander beyond the toilet facilities is one of the oldest convict bridges in Australia.
Built of dressed coursed sandstone, the bridge boasts an impressive segmental arch and if you look closely, you can just make out '1839' etched into the keystone, which was the year the David Lennox-designed bridge was completed by a team of convicts based at the nearby Towrang Stockade.
Little Harbour Bridge, Hillas Creek near Tarcutta
Over a century after the Hume and Hovell expedition, in the 1920s and the 1930s reinforced concrete became the favoured construction material for bridges.
Of these, one of the best-known and much-loved is the Hillas Creek Bridge, which due to its likeness to Australia's most famous bridge, was nick-named Little (Sydney) Harbour Bridge.
Regular reader of this column, Craig Collins of Coombs, recently measured the width of the narrow bridge which carried all the traffic of the busy Hume between 1938 and 1986.
"It's almost exactly six metres curb to curb," he exclaims. "I know a semi-trailer driver who said the protocol was for truckies to keep in contact via CB radio, and the southbound truck would slow down so there would only be one truck on the bridge at any one time. I bet there were some scary moments".
Sadly, a plaque attached the bridge in 1988, noting its unique design, has been pilfered but you can catch a glimpse of the landmark when travelling on the northbound lanes of the Hume Highway, which traverses Hillas Creek just a couple of hundred metres to the east of the old bridge.
Chance to check out Hume's old digs
A road of many names: The old Hume Highway has been known by several different names over the years. It was first known as the Great South Road in parts of New South Wales, and Sydney Road in Victoria. It was only in 1928 that both state governments agreed to rename the entire inland route between Sydney and Melbourne the Hume Highway after Hamilton Hume.
Don't miss: On October 18, 1824, Hume and Hovell and their six fellow travellers camped overnight on the site of what was later to become Cooma Cottage and Hume's home from 1839 until his death in 1873. To mark the 200th anniversary of the expedition, the property - which has been managed by the National Trust since the 1970s - will be the location of an open day featuring live music, stalls and guided tours. Some of the descendants of the convicts who accompanied the explorers on their historic journey will also be in attendance. Saturday, October 12, 10am-3pm. Entry $5, guided tours $5. More info here. Note: Cooma Cottage is in Yass (756 Yass Valley Way), not Cooma.
Frypan Fight: It's no secret that Australian-born Hamilton Hume and Captain William Hovell, a former British sea captain, weren't the best of mates. They saw themselves as rivals and quarrelled for much of their journey. Just south of Yass, after Hume and Hovell fiercely argued about their route, the party split and divided all their provisions. Robert Macklin writes in Hamilton Hume: Our Greatest Explorer, that, "... as both lay claim to the single tent, they were on the point of cutting it in half when Hume realised the futility of the act and let Hovell have it". The pair even famously fought over a frying pan, which broke apart in their hands. Hovell, realising his navigation error, eventually rejoined Hume for the journey south.
WHERE IN CANBERRA?
Rating: Medium
Cryptic Clue: Take 2
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to tym@iinet.net.au The first correct email received after 10am, Saturday September 28 wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.
Last week: Congratulations to Jason Klose of Waramanga who was the first reader to identify the location as the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin near the Water Police HQ in Yarralumla.
I must confess to a somewhat unhealthy obsession with photographing abandoned or defunct street and park furniture. It all began about 10 years ago when during a trip to Queensland I visited a lookout with a friend at Coolangatta from where you can look north and see the full stretch of the Gold Coast.
However, on this visit the bushes in front of the seat had grown and we couldn't see more than two metres. Such a disappointment.
DON'T MISS
This column's 2023 exposé on Richlands Estate near Taralga (5264 Taralga Rd) prompted several readers at the time to ask if they could visit the historic property, first established as an outstation for the Macarthur pastoral dynasty more than 180 years ago . Well, good news, custodians Stephen and Rosanna Horn will be throwing the gates of the property open between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, October 5.
There will be guided and self-guided tours of house and grounds and a talk by Stephen about Richland's various occupants. You might even steal a peek into the property's rare underground silos. Morning and afternoon tea provided at nominal charge. BYO picnic lunch or call in at the Taralga Historical Society (Orchard Street) where they are hosting a sausage sizzle as part of a gala day to re-open their sheds. More: 0406 375 160 (before September 30) or 02 4843 8157 (after September 30).
SPRINGBANK MEMORIES
I've been besieged with memories of parties, weddings, pranks, picnics and more on Springbank Island (A Small Island with a Big Story to Tell, September 21). I'll feature a selection of these in an upcoming column. Watch this space.
- CONTACT TIM: Email: tym@iinet.net.au/ or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, GPO Box 606, Civic, ACT, 2601
