www.coxsroad.com

At least since the 1960s it has been acknowledged that there are significant remnants of the original colonial Cox’s Road all along the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains and in the Lithgow and Bathurst Local government areas. Very little of the alignment has been recognized for its significance by any of the relevant local government bodies.

The Cox’s Road Steering Committee was formed in July 2006 to look at long term objectives and mechanisms to preserve the 1814 Cox’s Road alignment between Emu Plains and the Blue Mountains and Bathurst. The Committee was formed with delegates from the Lithgow, Blue Mountains and Bathurst Branches of the National Trust, and operates under the auspices of the Trust as an informal committee. The Committee will look to eventually establish a heritage walk or trail over parts of this route through some of the most beautiful countryside in Australia, and is currently seeking to have the road listed on the State Heritage Register.

The Committee originally sought input from various persons who had carried out research work on the Cox’s Road including Alan Cary and Kevin Boole (Lands Dept), Siobhan Lavelle (NSW Heritage Office), Grace Karskens(Cox’s Road Trust) and Bill Evans (RTA). These people still have associations with the Committee. The Committee’s main objective is to facilitate the identification, conservation and management of the Cox’s Road. Other objectives include:

1.To develop the structure to carry forward the aims and objectives of the Cox’s Road Project under the auspices of the National Trust;
2.To identify and collate available information about Cox’s Road;
3.To establish the key stakeholders and beneficiaries;
4.To establish network linkages with other interested bodies;
5.To identify all the available studies and information available;
6.To identify and take action in relation to key strategic issues such as access to the Road, protection of the Road from inappropriate development and maintaining existing relevant road reserves;
7.To investigate potential sources of funding to further the Project;
8.To establish a communication strategy for the Committee, the individual National Trust Committees, the heritage community and the general public;
9.To establish a logo for the Committee.

There are a number of other similar projects throughout Australia (www.railtrails.org.au ) which have outstanding support, and which provide long term benefits for local government and the community with a historical, educational, research and tourism resource, along with opportunities to bring together communities to work towards a common goal. The Steering Committee has sourced support from the Blue Mountains, Lithgow, Oberon and Bathurst Regional Councils in enlisting their support for the Project, to consider inclusion of the Cox’s Road for heritage listing in future reviews of the various Councils’ Local Environmental Plans, and referral to the Steering Committee of any development applications or other proposals in the three LGAs, so that the Committee may make comment in the context of the Project objectives.
In 2008 the Committee became the Cox’s Road Project Committee.
To date the preparation of the application for State Heritage Register listing has been a priority. This has been a major task, with considerable and comprehensive information required to justify the listing to the Heritage Council for consideration. This included the presentation of a description of the features remaining on the ground within each precinct along the route, the preparation of a statement of significance for each precinct, and the collection of photographs of the elements which remain eg. culverts, walls, pavements etc. The application culminates in the formulation of an overall Statement of Significance, setting the Road into its historical context at local, state and national levels. The application was lodged in April 2010, with the Dept of Planning (NSW Heritage Council).
In April 2011 the Dept responded with a preliminary listing of the road, subject to the identification of the most significant portions.

The assessment process has highlighted many features of the establishment of the heritage trail, which provide challenges to inception and management of each site, and present restrictive criteria upon which to base future site interpretation. This includes the fact that many sites are on private land, and on-going access is all but non-existent.  Sites on public land are the most obvious ones to be exploited by the project, but must be in accordance with local and state agency liability restrictions and safety of the public, at the same time making the sites available and able to be interpreted by future generations, with minimal agency management.

Numerous aspects of the assessment which have been highlighted relate to the risks of damage, deterioration and vandalism which might affect the retention of the remaining Road features. These include grazing of stock; creating of contour channels; subdivision and the construction of new access roads and fencing; land clearing; road widening; overuse of existing active alignment remains by walkers, bike riders and vehicles; inappropriate uses; natural forces such as tree growth and fall, drainage and erosion (wind and water); lack of management strategies where the Road has public access; graffiti and dumping of rubbish.

The assessment has resulted in the recognition of a number of development opportunities, such as the exploitation of the Road as being a part of a significant recreational industry; educational opportunities in regard to the social significance of the Road; research and recording of nineteenth century colonial road making technology, and research into archaeological remains of the Road.

The Committee has made a number of recommendations in regard to the future of the Cox’s Road. These relate to the management of the remaining physical features, (drainage, erosion control and other track protection measures); improved interpretation of each site through signage; increased negotiation with private landholders in regard to access and covenants; seeking sources of funding; seeking appropriate heritage listings; development of full photographic records, and compilation of a library of documentation – books, studies, maps and brochures.

The Committee has also noted the need for the social and economic history of the road to be documented, and the importance of telling the story behind the construction of the road, not just to describe the existing remaining features.

Although the Committee becomes the driving force behind the establishment of these trails, the ultimate management of the sites would be up to the landowner, private or public. Funding sourced from local and/or state government to establish interpretive signage, brochures, stabilization works etc would enable the establishment of the trail to the point where each stakeholder can take on the management of their section in a sustainable, low cost and low maintenance manner. Ultimately, the Committee may continue in an advisory role alongside future site management.

Parallel with the preparation of the SHR application, the various Branches of the National Trust have undertaken educational projects to provide the wider community with information in regard to the existence of the Cox’s Road and its significance in the history of the colony. This includes the preparation of informative brochures and maps, the erection of interpretive signage along the route in places where funding has been available, speakers at community heritage functions and the operation of guided tours of sections the route.

Local government involvement has been variable, with Bathurst Regional Council being very interested in the project, but having few remaining physical road features in their LGA. The Oberon Council has been responsible for the erection of signage near the various features in their LGA. The Lithgow Council has acknowledged the project through the referral of development applications adjacent to the road alignment being referred to the Committee for comment. The Blue Mountains City Council has indicated that it will review the remaining portions of the Road and look at potential listing on Council’s Heritage Register.

A number of sources have been invaluable in the researching of the Cox’s Road, in particular the following:

• Cox’s Way – A Bicentennial Project 1987
• Cox’s Way – Cox’s Road Trust, G. Karskens 1988
• Research by Alan Carey undertaken in conjunction with a Cox’s Way walking track proposal 1988
• Ongoing research by Kevin Boole, Dept of Lands
• Cox’s Diary 1814/15 – the making of the road
• Antill Diary 1815 – Macquarie’s trip along the road
• Lewin sketches of scenes along the road
• Mitchell Library and National Library archives

Committee activities since inception have included the following:

• The Committee has investigated and will develop a mechanism to establish a Cox’s Road archive repository for any Cox’s Road documentation, and a location for that repository.
• The Committee through Kevin Boole, has sought to establish the ownership of the remaining sections of the route, as to whether they are private or public land;
• The Committee has sought opportunities for obtaining access to privately held sections of the road, for interpretive purposes;
• The Committee has obtained assurances from the Dept of Lands that they will reference the Cox’s Road Committee in determining any application for crown road purchase, to attempt to retain existing relevant road reserves where there are remnants of the Cox’s Road;
• The Committee has written to each Council to request the Cox’s Road be included in any future LEP heritage listing, to protect the Road from inappropriate development. Councils are referring applications in the vicinity of the route to the Committee for comment;
• The Committee has carried out side inspections of as many of the sites as have been reasonably accessible;
• The Committee has addressed functions such as “The Making of a Nation”, and other events in regard to the Committee and its activities;
• The Committee has set about networking with various people and organizations:

1. The Committee has established alliances with a number of private landholders who value the existence of the Cox’s Road on their properties;
2. The Committee originally met with members of the Great North Road project and other similar activities to discuss the way forward for the Cox’s Road project;
3. The Committee has liaised with the Roads and Traffic Authority to seek support for the project, and has worked with the RTA on community education projects;
4. The Committee has had discussions with a company seeking to make a film, “The Road”, about the Cox’s Road, based on the diaries of Major Antill and other research material;
5. The Committee has had discussions with the Macquarie Bicentennial 2010-2021 Committee;
6. The Committee has sought and received interest from descendents of William Cox;
7. The Committee has had discussions with members of the Heritage Trail Project;
8. The Committee has liaised with various State and Federal MPs including the Hon Peter Garrett and the Hon Bob Debus.

• A web site has been set up which currently contains some limited information www.coxsroad.com and will be enhanced as the project progresses;
• The Committee has worked on a Committee Newsletter;
• A logo/letterhead, as seen at the commencement of this narrative, has been created to enhance correspondence and documents that are identified as having been issued by the Committee;
• The preparation of the application for listing on the State Heritage Register;
• Other sources of funding from National Trust grants, National Heritage Investment grants, Sustainable Heritage Development grants, grants to Voluntary Events and Heritage Organizations, and grants to commemorate Historic Events and Famous Persons, have been investigated;
• The Committee acknowledges the assistance of a large number of people, without whose assistance the research, actions and outcomes could not be achieved. These include: Kevin Boole, Grace Karskens, Alan Carey, Col Roberts, Leonie Knapman, Siobhan Lavelle, Kevin Webb and Lyn Wood, Kerry Bartlett, Bill Evans, Alan Bardsley, Bill Evans.

The following pages provide some idea of the substantial remains of our most important early road.

Woodford area

Descent of Mt York

Fish River crossing

The following site also provides information about Coxs Road

• Glenroy Cottages (extensive pages on history of road contained on internal pages)
  http://www.glenroycottages.com/GlenroyHistory.html