Historic Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track

View of the Knapsack Viaduct, Lapstone, NSW
Ffty years after the road over the Blue Mountains was built in 1815, a railway line across the Blue Mountains was constructed.
LAPSTONE HILL IN 1832. This picture, the original of which was made in the year following theestablishment of the 'Sydney Herald,' will appeal to the thousands ofmotorists who now ascend the well-known Lapstone Hill on their wayto the Blue Mountains. Convicts are shown at work on the road, andthe prisoners are guarded by soldiers dressed in the quaint uniforms ofthe period. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938)
Engineer-in-Chief for Railways NSW, John Whitton, had to design and construct a rail line for gradients as steep as 1 in 33 (3%) and curves as sharp as 8 chains (160m).

Whitton preferred tunnels to achieve the ascent of Lapstone Hill, but costs were prohibitive.

The Lapstone Zig Zag, the world's first Zig Zag railway, was built between Emu Plains and Blaxland stations.

The Knapsack Gully Viaduct is 40m tall, made of sandstone, designed by John Whitton and built by William Watkins. The viaduct carried the Main Western railway line across Knapsack Gully.
The Knapsack Viaduct was designed by and built under the direction of John Whitton, second Engineer-in-Chief for Railways. Its purpose was to carry the original Western Railway Line across Knapsack Gully at the head of Jamison Creek. It formed part of the Little Zig Zag, which climbed the eastern escarpment from Emu Plains to today's Glenbrook. No date, BML
On the 11th July 1867, the first official journey by train was made between Penrith and Weatherboard (Wentworth Falls).

The Lapstone Zig Zag walking track is around 3km return, that follows the old train line and historic sandstone arched viaduct called Knapsack Bridge. 
View of the Knapsack Viaduct, Lapstone, NSW. Dated: No date, Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection
Also along the track is the remains of Lucasville Station.

John Lucas was Minister for Mines in 1875-7, and bought land for a country house near the Lapstone ZigZag.

Lucas used his influence to have a railway station built on the Top Road of the ZigZag. The viaduct fell into disuse in 1913, after the completion of the Glenbrook Gorge Deviation, to the south of the zig-zag.
A New Mountain Road : The Lapstone Deviation Opened After the Opening Ceremony. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 27 October 1926 The walking track starts from the car park at the end of Knapsack Street in Glenbrook, NSW.  A large signpost is at the start of the walk at the end of Knapsack Street in Lapstone, NSW.

Visit the nearby Lennox Bridge - the the oldest stone arch bridge on mainland Australia.


Around The  Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track 


 Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track, NSW
 Along the track is the remains of Lucasville Station, Capstone, NSW
 Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track, NSW

Things To Do and Places To Go



Juniper Hall: Paddington, NSW


Juniper Hall, Paddington, one of Australia's oldest houses, was reportedly designed by Robert Cooper (Big Cooper), an emancipist gin distiller, who had it built circa 1824-5

"Paddington has been, in turn, a high class residential area graced by Georgian mansions built on wooded slopes and set among formal gardens, vine-yards and orchards; a working class suburb, treeless and scarred with serried rows of cheap terrace houses; a slum on the edge of Sydney’s underworld; and, to complete a full circle, today’s fashionable suburb..."

Hemisphere.Vol. 15 No. 10 (October 1971)

Juniper Hall, Paddington, one of Australia's oldest houses, was reportedly designed by Robert Cooper (Big Cooper), an emancipist gin distiller, who had it built circa 1824-5. Robert had been sentenced to
14 years transportation for smuggling.
Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Tuesday 6 March 1832,
Robert Cooper was a ship owner, inn keeper, timber merchant, auctioneer, pastoralist, manufacturer, baker, brewer and, more successfully, a gin distiller, which inspired the name of his home,
Maitland Daily Mercury (NSW : 1894 - 1939), Friday 13 November 1908,
Juniper Hall has been the residence for institutions including the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children, The Deaf Dumb and Blind Institute, several ladies’ colleges and the State Children’s Relief Board. (terminology of the times)

Juniper Hall was leased to Judge John Kinchela in 1831 — the colony’s first Attorney General, and Robert Cooper and his family moved to their George Street residence. Judge Kinchela then changed the name to Ormonde House.
Padding looking east from Oxford Square, NSW. Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 13 November 1912
Oxford-street, Paddington. NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 17 December 1913
In 1925, Juniper Hall was set to be demolished. But Paddington residents were outraged, which led to the building being divided into flats and named Hillside. 

A row of six shops were built in the front garden.
 
Juniper Hall was purchased by the National Trust in 1984, and this heritage-listed Georgian house was later restored.

In 1987, six adjoining shops opposite Paddington’s Town Hall in Oxford Street were demolished, revealing Juniper Hall.

The Moran family purchased Juniper Hall from the National Trust of Australia on a 99-year lease in 2012 for $4,551,000 to become the home of the Moran Arts Foundation.

Juniper Hall is now the permanent venue for the annual Moran Art Prizes exhibition.

After a walk around Juniper Hall, many visitors visit the cafe.

Interesting Facts

Oxford Street was also a walking track used by Aboriginal people.

A road through the future Paddington area was built by Governor Hunter to South Head as early as 1803. 

The first land grant in the Paddington area, of 100 acres (40.4 hectares), was made to Robert Cooper, James Underwood, and Francis Ewen Forbes by Governor Brisbane in 1823.

Victoria Barracks was constructed between 1841 and 1849.

In 1862 there were 535 houses at Paddington with 2,800 residents.

Sir Henry Parkes laid the foundation stone for the Paddington Town Hall in 1890.

The Paddington Reservoir in Oxford Street provided water to parts of Sydney between 1866 and 1899. 

White City Tennis Centre has been a big part of Australian Tennis since its opening in 1922.
 
Lost 

Barcom Glen, Darlinghurst, the historic home of the West family, is about to be effaced, in order to make way for a modern street. The old house, built solidly of stone, cut from the once splendid quarries on the estate, stands lonely now amidst surroundings, which have vastly changed since its foundations were laid scores of years ago. In 1804 a grant of 76 acres was made to Thomas West, and the estate stretched from Oxford-street to the waters of Rushcutter Bay. Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 8 February 1912

Some Paddington Historic Photos

Horse-drawn omnibus on Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW, 1895 BY MACPHERSON FAMILY, SLNSW
Paddington Town Hall in 1900, NSW, Woollahra Municipal Council

Rose, Shamrock & Thistle Hotel, 55 Oxford Street, Paddington, C. 1930s, by Sam Hood
THESE BRIGHT-FACED GIRLS, employees of the N.S.W. Engineering Works at 363 Oxford Street,Paddington, were not perturbed today when they had to make this' rather unusual entry to the works. The boss left the key at home. Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW : 1941 - 1955), Wednesday 19 February 1947
The first hotel was built on the intersection of Dowling and Oxford Sts. by Sgt. Armstrong of the Police Force. The first omnibus ran to Paddington and was called the Iron Duke. The track was rough and the fare was 1s each way.Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW : 1941 - 1955), Wednesday 18 January 1950,

Heritage Listings

1 Ormond Street, Juniper Hall
Engehurst 246 Oxford Street: 
1 Young Street: Paddington Substation
249 Oxford Street: Paddington Town Hall
255a Oxford Street: Paddington Reservoir
302–304 South Dowling Street: Saint Sophia's Cathedral, Sydney

The following sites are listed on other heritage registers

Paddington Court House, Jersey Road
Paddington Public School, 1870 and 1892 buildings, Oxford Street
Uniting Church and Parsonage, 1877, Oxford Street
St Matthias Church Group, 1859–1861, Oxford Street
St Matthias Former Rectory, 1873, 495 Oxford Street
St Matthias Church Hall, 1882, Oxford Street
Royal Hotel, 1885, Glenmore Road
Tabor Cottage, Jersey Road (formerly Paddington Watch House)

Around Paddington

Art display at Juniper Hall, Paddington, NSW
Paddington Reservoir Gardens at 251-255 Oxford St, Paddington.  The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed public park located at 255a Oxford Street in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Paddington
Centennial Park's Paddington Gates, located on the corner Oxford Street and Lang Road, Paddington, NSW (All eight sets of entrance gates into Centennial Park were built between 1887 and 1900)
Paddington Post Office built 1885. 246 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW
Heritage buildings, Paddington, NSW
Victoria Barracks in Paddington, NSW, built in 1841, of locally quarried sandstone (for the use of Defence Personnel)
The Superintendent's Residence, Parkes Dr, Centennial Park, Paddington, NSW, built from 1891
Former Paddington Watch House, now known as Taber Cottage (heritage-listed), Jersey Road Paddington, Sydney, NSW, Sardaka
A tiny house in Paddington, NSW
Paddington terraces, Paddington, NSW

Things To See

There are many private art galleries in Paddington

Juniper Hall: 250 Oxford St, Paddington 2021. Telephone: (02) 9357 5222 (Open Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Paddington Reservoir Gardens at 251-255 Oxford St, Paddington. The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed public park

Centennial Park's Paddington Gate. Entrance to Centennial Park located on the corner Oxford Street and Lang Road, providing access from the eastern suburb of Paddington.

Paddington Markets is a not-for-profit artisan market featuring local artists, bakers, chefs and fresh produce. Every Saturday from 10am Paddington Markets has been open since 1973

Project Space Gallery: Australian Centre for Photography. Venue. 72 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW

St Matthias Anglican Church, is located long Oxford Street, NSW

St Francis of Assisi Choir 9and church), Paddington, NSW

Paddington Library, 247 Oxford St, Paddington NSW

Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021

Macquarie Arms Hotel: Windsor, NSW, Opened in 1815

The heritage-listed Macquarie Arms Hotel opened in Windsor, NSW, in 1815.
Windsor is on the lands of the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug people 

Windsor, NSW, is the third-oldest place of British settlement on the Australian continent.

The heritage-listed Macquarie Arms Hotel opened in Windsor, NSW, in 1815. 

Emancipist Richard Fitzgerald constructed the hotel on orders from Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

The hotel, a two-storeyed stuccoed brick inn with an attic storey and cellar, is part of Thompson Square, a village square planned by Governor Macquarie in 1811 when the town of Windsor was known as Greenhills.

Thompson Square is named after Andrew Thompson, who, like Richard Fitzgerald, arrived in the colony as a convict in 1791.

Governor Hunter made Fitzgerald superintendent of Agriculture in Toongabbie in 1800. And Andrew Thompson became a respected chief constable, farmer and businessman. He also built the first bridge in the area in 1802. 

Around Thompson Square, there are a large number of Colonial Georgian buildings, such as the Doctor's House at 1–3 Thompson Square, completed in 1845, where a series of doctors resided. The first building on the site, is believed to have been an inn called The Lord Nelson (1819).
Thompson Square, Windsor, NSW, in the 1870s, Hawkesbury Library
Windsor Bridge (built 1874) - Looking north to south across Hawkesbury River. Source: State Library of NSW
There are a. great many other historic buildings around Windsor, and these can be seen by following a self-guided heritage walk.  There are various heritage precincts. See here

Some Buildings to See

Windsor Courthouse, built in the Georgian style, still has the original cedar joinery from 1822. The courthouse was commissioned by Governor Macquarie, was designed by a former convict, architect Francis Greenway, and built by William Cox, using convict labour.

On the corner of Catherine Street and Little Church Street, Windsor, John Primrose opened the Bell Inn in 1845. The building is now a private residence.

The waterwheel situated at the Baker Street end of the mall design is based on a waterwheel used by settlers James and Benjamin Singleton to power their grain mills in the 1800's at Wisemans Ferry.

The corner stone of St Matthews Anglican Church was laid by Governor Macquarie in October 1817. The church was also designed by Francis Greenway and built by convict labour. Samuel Marsden conducted the opening services 1822.
St Matthew's Church Windsor, NSW, in 1906
The Richmond Literary Institute was established in 1861, and in 1866, the foundation stone was laid. In the same year, The School of Arts, on the corner of West Market and March Streets, was officially opened by the Premier, Sir Henry Parkes on 27 August.

By 1895, frontier violence had broken out in the Hawkesbury region. The most significant scribe of the time, David Collins, recorded that "the natives at the river" attacked a man "who had been allowed to ply with a passage-boat between the port of Sydney and the river and wounded him (it was feared mortally) as he was going with his companion to the settlement.". (Stephen Gapps)

Settlers’ huts were attacked, robbed, and burnt down. Settlers and colonial authorities retaliated with violence. The New South Wales Corps were sent to the area.

Aboriginal people had their hunting, gathering and fishing way of life severely disrupted, and were devastated by diseases to which they had no immunity. 

Interesting Facts

In June 1789, Governor Arthur Phillip led a boat expedition north, which resulted in the discovery of the Hawkesbury River.

Yarramundi, a Boorooberongal Elder, met Governor Phillip on the banks of the Hawkesbury in 1791.

One of the earliest buildings at Windsor was Old Government House, which was constructed in 1791. Sadly the building was demolished in 1922.
Government Cottage also known as Old Government House was located at 41 George Street, North in the Peninsula area of Windsor, New South Wales.
The original Windsor Road, which opened in 1794, was the second main road built for the colony of Sydney to connect Parramatta and Windsor.

Windsor has the biggest network of gas lamps in Australia, with 24 of them in. The Mall.

Around Windsor

The heritage-listed Macquarie Arms Hotel opened in Windsor, NSW, in 1815.

Fairfield House, an 1830s Georgian mansion built by William Cox in Windsor, NSW
The waterwheel situated at the Baker Street end of the Windsor Mall, is based on a waterwheel used by settlers James and Benjamin Singleton to power their grain mills in the 1800's at Wisemans Ferry.
Windsor, NSW
House near Thompson Square, Windsor, NSW, which was set to be demolished with the historic bridge
The first Post Office in Windsor, NSW, opened in 1828 and was housed in a number of different private buildings, including The Doctors House in Thompson Square. This building designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet and built by Michael Leeds was opened in 1880
John Howe' house, Windsor, NSW. He was a, bridge builder, store-keeper, auctioneer, coroner, chief constable
Windsor Mall, NSW
The Doctor's House, Windsor, NSW, Built in 1840s. An inn called The Lord Nelson originally occupied this site

Things To Do



Hawkesbury Regional Museum. 8 Baker Street, Windsor NSW

Butterfly Farm and Museum 446 Wilberforce Rd. NSW 

Australiana Pioneer Village open-air museum at Rose Street, Wilberforce, City of Hawkesbury

Rouse Hill House and Farm

Rouse Hill House, NSW, built from 1813–1818
Rouse Hill area was on the lands of the Darug people.

Rouse Hill is a suburb of Sydney.

Rouse Hill House and farm, was the family home of Richard Rouse, the Colonial Superintendent of Public Works and Convicts at Parramatta. 

Built from 1813, in Australian Georgian style, the Rouse Hill homestead is now managed by Sydney Living Museums as a museum that is open to the public.

Richard Rouse arrived in the colony in 1801 and was given a grant of 450 acres, at an area known as Vinegar Hill.

Vinegar Hill was named after a place in County Wexford, Ireland, where Irish and English forces clashed in 1798.

This first rebellion in Australian history occurred on 4 March 1804 in Rouse Hill. The battle was between escaped Irish convicts who wanted to overthrow British rule in New South Wales and return to Ireland.

The New South Wales Governor Philip Gidley King declared martial law and Major George Johnston of the New South Wales Corps along with troops and civilian volunteers tried to get the rebels to surrender. 
The Irishmen responded with "death or liberty, and a ship to take us home".

Government forces fired on the convicts, killing 15. The remaining convicts ran into the bush, where the troops pursued them, killing about 15 more. Most of the convicts surrendered or were recaptured.
The Battle of Rouse Hill, Smith's Weekly (Sydney, NSW : 1919 - 1950)
The area became known as Vinegar Hill.

In 1805, New Windsor Road was built as an extension from Baulkham Hills to Windsor. The Hawkesbury Road then became known as "Old Windsor Road".
In 1810, James Harper began to build a public turnpike road from Cheer's Corner in Town of Sydney to the toll bridge at Hawkesbury. Toll gates were added at Windsor, Rouse Hill and Parramatta. 

Governor Macquarie changed the name of the locality to Rouse Hill.
Rouse Hill House and Farm, NSW, Farmer and Settler (Sydney, NSW : 1906 - 1955),
When a daily mail coach service began between Windsor and Sydney in 1831, horses were changed at the Rouse Hill Hotel. The publican at the time, John Booth, was known as "Crockery Bill".

Rouse died in 1852 and left the property to his son Edwin Rouse. Edwin's son Edwin Stephen Rouse, inherited the property when he died in 1862. In fact, six generations of this family have lived at Rouse Hill house and farm.
Rouse family and others, Rouse Hill House, NSW, 1859, SLNSW
Also part of the surrounding estate are the restored 1888 schoolhouse and the site of the 1804 "Vinegar Hill" convict rebellion.

Visit the estate and see memorabilia, artefacts, furnishings, buildings and gardens the Rouse family.

Also at Rouse Hill

The Royal Oak

The Royal Oak, a heritage-listed hotel on Windsor Road in Rouse Hill, was built 1826 -29. The hotel has been known as the Mean Fiddler Hotel, White Hart Inn and Queens Arms Inn. 
The Royal Oak, a heritage-listed hotel on Windsor Road in Rouse Hill, NSW, was built 1826 -29

Aberdoon House

Aberdoon House located in Clower Avenue, Rouse Hill, NSW
Aberdoon House, located in Clower Avenue, Rouse Hill, is an intact example of an old Colonial Georgian Cottage.

The land was granted to former convict Thomas Clower on 13 January 1818. 

Hugh Kelly, who later owned the property, was a well known early settler and landowner whose name is remembered in the township of Kellyville. 

Kelly bought the property in 1826. He also owned the nearby "Bird in the Hand" tavern, a heritage-listed inn at 87 Eldon Street, Pitt Town.

Kelly named the farm "Vinegar Hill Farm". 

Later, after 1841, Vinegar Hill Farm was sold to brothers William and Dr. Alexander Gamack, who subdivided the land, and called it Aberdour, after the village of their birth near Edinburgh, Scotland.

The date 1887, which appears above the lintel of the front door, is believed to be the date of a major renovation and not the original date of construction.

The Hunting Lodge

The Hunting Lodge at 58 The Water Lane in Rouse Hill, NSW, is on land granted by Governor King to Governor Bligh in 1806.
The Hunting Lodge at 58 The Water Lane in Rouse Hill is on land granted by Governor King to Governor Bligh in 1806. The building may have been constructed by Governor Bligh or the Terry family of Box Hill. Or one of their tenants who was a stonemason.

Mungerie House

Mungerie house is situated on land that was granted to Edward Robinson on 18 October 1809. 16 Bellcast Rd, Rouse Hill NSW
Mungerie house is situated on land that was granted to Edward Robinson on 18 October 1809. When Robinson died in 1820, his 15 year old son, Edward, inherited the property. A survey map from 1827 does not show the house on the property. It is believed that the house may have been built between 1866 and 1895.

Around Rouse Hill House and Farm

Rouse Hill House, NSW, built from 1813–1818
Rouse Hill House and farm, NSW
The stables at the Rouse Hill property, built around 1876, NSW
Rouse Hill House and farm, NSW
The dining room at Rouse Hill House and farm, NSW

Places To Go


The Fiddler Rouse Hill Royal Oak Inn (former)

Mungerie House (now a cafe/Restaurant)




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