Heritage Significance

An item of National heritage significance, the Great North Road has values under all relevant heritage assessment criteria, including historic, aesthetic, scientific and social significance. The Road also fulfils numerous assessment criteria as expressed by the Australian Heritage Commission. Whilst many heritage items will fulfil more than one value, the immense significance of the Great North Road is reflected in its possession of these multiple values at a number of levels.

Historically the Great North Road was the first made road north of the Hawkesbury, constructed by convict gangs between 1826 and 1836. It has historic associations with several notable colonial figures including Governor Darling and Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell. The Road is also tangible evidence of the development of the colony at Sydney, and of policies which saw convict gangs used to construct major public works during this period.

The Great North Road also provides a tangible record of convict labour. Many surviving structures and precincts indicate the quality of work achieved by convict artisans. Many precincts of the road also remain in relatively unspoilt settings which are evocative of the environment on the 'frontier' of the 1830s.

Other parts of the historic Great North Road (even if re-named) remain in use as an essential transport corridor and have thus carried European traffic continuously since the 1830s.

Other detailed Conservation plans and management strategies for individual sites continue to be developed:,

In 1999 the NPWS prepared a Conservation management Plan for the 16 km section of the Old Great North Road which forms the border of Dharug National Park.

A draft plan was prepared in 1999 by the NPWS for the Wisemans Ferry Historic site - a former convict camp-site just south of Wisemans Ferry - which is managed by the NPWS.

The RTA has undertaken an assessment of all the sites under its jurisdiction along the Road, and developed conservation policies to ensure they are not damaged during road maintenance.

A Conservation Management Plan has been developed for the Wisemans/Warners Well site at Wisemans Ferry. Although on private property this late 1820s structure is listed on the Register of the National Estate.