Ten Mile Hollow and Simpsons Track

Called Twelve Mile Hollow until the road was shortened by two miles after the Devines Hill ascent was built, this fertile little valley 10 miles (16 km) north of Wisemans Ferry then became Ten Mile Hollow. Several futile attempts were made to establish a small settlement here but all that remains now is a Bhuddist retreat nestled in the bush.

When the route for the Great North Road was being developed, an alternative, shorter route was discovered by convict John Macdonald. It headed east, across Mangrove Creek and then into the Yarramalong Valley, on its way to Cooranbong, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Percy Simpson preferred this route - he had a property at Cooranbong - and although a road was developed, it was never built to Great North Road standard. It became known as Simpsons Track. A road later branched from Simpsons Track to access the Central Coast.

The section of the Great North Road between Wisemans Ferry and Ten Mile Hollow remained in use as the main road to the Central Coast until the Pacific Highway opened in 1930. It took as long as twelve hours to drive from Sydney to Gosford in the days of the T-Model Ford. From Ten Mile Hollow traffic followed Simpsons Track down to Mangrove Creek and then went down to Pembertons wharf. The road up the hill from Pembertons was so steep some early cars had to use reverse gear and drive up backwards. The road through Mangrove Mountain then went to Gosford and the Central Coast.

In 1860 the northern telegraph line was opened, following the Great North Road. One single span of wire was initially installed to transmit morse-code telegraph messages to settlements north of Sydney. For the next century workers regularly used the Road, even the sections which had largely been abandoned, to maintain the telegraph line.

Although the 42 km section of the original road north of the Hawkesbury to Mt Manning is closed to vehicular traffic, visitors can follow the road north through St Albans, which traffic began using in the 1830s, and was formally upgraded to become the main road north in the 1860s. Most of this road is unsealed.

For those wishing to follow a sealed route, turn right at the ferry crossing, and follow the Hawkesbury to Spencer where the road turns to follow Mangrove Creek and then to Mangrove Mountain and Central Mangrove. Here you can turn left to follow George Downes Drive, and joins the original convict road at Bucketty, or turn right and go through Peats Ridge to rejoin the Expressway.