Tuesday, May 13, 2003 at 22:04
Wisemans Ferry area is great - on the northern side of the river approx 1Km to the west is the Old Great North Road - this is closed, but a short walk up this section approx 600m or so you will see some great examples of convict workmanship with some of the best engineering feats of early European road building with huge stone walls and culverts. Road was closed due to some unthinking 4Wders grabbing convict stone work out from the walls to place in difficult sections of the track to enable them to get up - so to save the
heritage it was closed. Also you got people stealing
the rock for their own uses - bastards. Parr State Conservation Area across the other ferry(Webbs Ck) at
Wisemans Ferry has some good trails between here and Colo Heights.
Elsewhere heading west from Wisemans to
St Albans and towards
Wollombi you will find trails into Yengo NP. Here good trails are along the Mt Simpson trail, Boree track, Yango track, Finchley track. Follow the Yango track right thru to the
Putty Rd - turn right and go approx 2.4 km up the
Putty Rd and you will find on the right the Old Settler Rd (Convict trail) and this will take you thru to Paynes Crossing (there will be a
creek crossing here that varies between knee to waist deep depends which way you go) just north of
Wollombi. Another spot which has just started to be opened for public access by the NPWS is Big Yango (see photo of my rig - one of the
views from Big Yango). Big Yango is along the Yango track and NPWS have a permit system operating and permits 4WD access along a number of very scenic trails. In addition the Gosford NPWS also run a very cheap guided tour system called 'Discovery' - you can book on one of there 4WD tours or if you have a group ask them to cater for your needs. For details on any of these trails etc contact 43 204200.
PS. NPWS have also just upgraded there web site so go have a look.
PPS. Did you go to Mill Ck east along the
Wisemans ferry Rd once you cross onto the northern side of the river - nice camping, fire wood and gas BBQ's.
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