Some Achievements

With financial support and contributions from the NSW Heritage Office, and several Councils, the project has funding to employ a part time executive officer to co-ordinate the Project. To achieve its aims the project relies on the asset holders, the various councils, the RTA, and the NPWS, sponsorship to obtaining grant funding or voluntary assistance or the assistance of the Department of Corrective Services. Convict Trail Project has a number of different projects currently under way and lots more it would like to start. For some of these we are searching for sponsers, while others provide an opportunity for interested people to become involved in the Project.

Some of the achievements of the Convict Trail Project to date include:

  • The conservation ofthe central section of the southern abutment of Clares Bridge
  • Funding for work plans for conservation of other sites
  • Partial Reconstruction of Bucketty culvert
  • Installation of interpretative singage
  • Discovery of additional sections and sites
  • Designing a display of Convict Tools used in road building and displaying it at the Newcastle Regional Museum and at the Wine Tourist information Centre Cessnock.
  • Conservation and restoration projects at Murrays Run culvert near Wollombi, the Bucketty convict wall, Fernances Crossing culvert, Circuit Flat Bridge, St Albans Rd ramp, the Sawyers Gully precinct.
  • Preparation of a Conservation Management Plna for the entire length of the Great North Road
  • Gaining participation of the key organisations with a responsibility for the interest in the conservation, management and promotion of the Great north Road.
  • Publication of the annual journal The Pick of the Great North Road
  • Publication of a series of monographs about aspects of the Great North Road; a book based on interviews with "Road Scholars"; the production of a video; and a range of other publications and products
  • Publications of a monograph about the convict gang system 'Convict Road Gangs 1826 - 1836' by Ian Webb
  • A well respected Internet Web Site
  • Prepartion of a business plan, a tourism plan, and an interpretation plan
  • Participlation of teams of prisoners in conservation and maintenance projects
  • Development of a house style
  • Development of a database of information, materials and reports relating to the Great North Road
  • Establishing a data base of the names of the men who actually worked on the Road, and finding out about them by encouraging people to "adopt" them and research their background
  • Production of brochures and a full colour information leaflet on the Road and the Project
  • Production of self-guide tour information Exploring the Convict Trail - great North Road the booklet and reprinting it
  • Obtaining publicity about the Convict Trail through numerous television and radio appearances, newspapers and magazine articles, and talks to community groups
  • Transcription to computer format of 900 page thesis on the Great North Road, by historical archaeologist Grace Karskens
  • Organising various seminars, forums, workshops, site excursions, exhibitions

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