Work on the Hawkesbury's historic 1830's era Thomas James Bridge on Settlers Road at Lower Macdonald is now complete – following a two-year journey to not only restore the convict-built bridge but also provide a resilient connection between Wisemans Ferry and the Macdonald Valley.
The bridge is located on the Traditional Ngurra (Country) of the Dharug and Darkinjung Peoples, surrounded by the Hawkesbury River to the south, the Macdonald River to the west and Dharug National Park to the north and east, is the oldest still in use on the Australian mainland.
It was damaged significantly during the floods in 2022, including the near total collapse of the eight-metre tall sandstone retaining walls supporting the bridge's abutments.
The extensive restoration required a tailor-made engineering solution designed in close consultation with heritage experts, including the excavation of the site down to the bedrock to install new steel and concrete footings and drainage that will be resilient in the face of future flooding and rain events.
Its hand-cut sandstone block retaining wall – erected by convict labour – had to be carefully disassembled with each block numbered, original position recorded and placed into storage until the wall could be reassembled. The timber bridge deck was also reinstated to maintain the historical significance and visual characteristics of the site.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather said the restoration of the bridge was a significant and unique achievement.
"This is the Australian mainland's oldest in-use land bridge. A restoration of this nature on a bridge this old has not been attempted or achieved in Australia before," Mayor Sheather said.
"Behind the original and iconic hand-cut sandstone retaining wall lies a carefully engineered and extremely robust foundation that means we won't see a repeat of the damage that threatened to cut off communities north of the bridge following the 2022 floods.
"This bridge stands as testament to our Council's commitment not just to our special history but also to the wellbeing of our residents living in and around the Macdonald Valley."
Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, said: "This has been an extraordinary engineering achievement to restore and preserve for the future the oldest in-use road bridge on the Australian mainland, part of the World Heritage Listed Old Great North Road.
"Unlike road damage from previous floods in other parts of the Hawkesbury, this restoration was done with a view to continuing to provide access for residents to the fullest extent possible, thanks to federal and state joint disaster recovery funding.
"I commend the contractors for their willingness to work closely with the community, recognising what a vital transport link it is for this community, and I thank the community for their patience in the years of this work being done."
NSW Minister for Roads and Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison said: "This project is a great example of what we can achieve when all levels of government work together with local communities. Rebuilding the Thomas James Bridge has been a careful, complex and deeply collaborative effort, and the result is something the whole region can be proud of.
"By combining local knowledge, heritage expertise and support from both the Australian and NSW Governments, we've been able to restore this historic bridge and strengthen it so it can withstand the challenges of future storms and floods.
"This bridge has connected communities for nearly two centuries, and thanks to this shared effort it will keep doing so for generations to come."
NSW Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin said: "This project shows what's possible when three levels of government work together to support a region's long-term recovery from disasters. We are building back better and more resilient communities.
"This bridge gives communities confidence that they can reach safety during a disaster and that emergency services can reach them when it matters most. It's a structure built to stand strong for generations to come."
Hawkesbury City Council managed the $23.5 million project with funding from Federal and State Government infrastructure recovery programs.
The bridge adjoins the world heritage-listed Old Great North Road which is historically significant for its role in connecting the Hunter Valley to Sydney, and as the first road to be constructed north of the Hawkesbury River. The restoration also includes new signage detailing this history of the site and bridge.
Concurrently, work also took place to clear and stabilise a significant 250 metre long rock slip between the bridge and the Wisemans Ferry crossing that partially buried Settlers Road. Working in partnership with Central Coast Council, as Settlers Road is the boundary between the two LGAs, this package of work was completed without further compromising access into or out of the valley.
History of the bridge and its namesake
Thomas James Bridge, which has been alternatively called Settlers Road Bridge, is one of eight surviving bridges on the Great North Road (of an original 22).
The simple single span timber bridge deck is supported by massive stone abutments, the stone for which was quarried from the surrounding hillside and worked on site. Some large stones lying at the head of the gully show evidence of the quarrying and splitting of stones. The stone was all quarried, cut and moved into place by hand, and forms a 16.3-metre-long channel along the banks of the creek.
It was built under the broad supervision of Percy Simpson – surveyor, engineer and administrator – who was instrumental in the design and oversight of the Great North Road. Thomas James, who was a ticket-of-leave convict, was the supervisor directly in charge of the No. 25 Road Party who built the bridge. He arrived in NSW in December 1819, aged 24, onboard the Recovery, with 187 other convicts, having been sentenced to life for an unknown crime.
By 1824, James was in the Bathurst Road Party stationed at Richmond, before being transferred to No. 25 Road Party at Wisemans Ferry, when the bridge was built. By 1837, he was living at Penrith and, in 1842, he obtained a conditional pardon.
