Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill
Download & Print Map and Notes2 hrs
4 km One way
257 m
Moderate track
Wisemans Ferry
Wisemans Ferry village is on the banks of the Hawkesbury river, NSW. The town, and nearby car ferry, is named after Solomon Wiseman, a former convict who received a land grant in the area and established the ferry service. The town is a popular day trip and weekend destination from Sydney. There are several good spots to eat in town, including bistros at the Wisemans Ferry Inn and the Wisemans Ferry Bowling club, and takeaway food from Bush Bites cafe. The Riverbend Restaurant can be found in the ‘Retreat at Wisemans’ for finer dining. The area has some great walking and interesting history surrounding the convict built Old Great North Road. More info.
Old Great North Road
The historic Great North Road was built using convict labour between 1826 and 1836 (this section south of Wollombi was completed in 1832). The road formed a link between Sydney and the Hunter Valley, including Newcastle. There are visible remnants of the original work in bridges, retaining walls and other structures along the way. The ‘Convict Trail Project’ has member groups involved in the conservation of historical remnants along the road. The Convict Trail Project and the NPWS have erected information signs at various points to illustrate the history. The Convict Trail Project has an excellent website for further reading. More info.
(0km) Int of Settlers Rd and Shepherds Gully Rd → Int of OGNR and Shepherds Gully Rd
2.1 km
47 mins
196m
-48m
Moderate track
From the signposted track head on Settlers Rd, marked with a “Shepherd’s Gully Road” Convict Trail signpost (about 9km from Wisemans Ferry crossing), the walk passes the ‘Yengo National Park’ signpost and follows the management trail gently up the hill. After a short distance the walk passes an information sign and goes around a gate. The walk then continues to wind up along the valley for a long while, initially through very moist forest but getting drier as it climbs. Keep an eye out on the other side of the gully for remnants of the rock retaining walls of the earlier lines of the road. There are also some areas of beautiful scenery with lots of boulders, ferns and grasstrees. The walk eventually arrives at a signposted intersection beside a gate.
Devines Hill
Devines Hill is a historically significant area on the Old Great North Road, near present day Wisemans Ferry, NSW. There are substantial remnants visible here, including cuttings, retaining walls and quarry sites. There were 3 main road lines built at different times to climb the hills just north of Wisemans Ferry, starting with Finchs Line to the east, followed by the Devines Hill ascent and then Shepherds Gully, to the west. Information signs in the area provide some interesting historical background and the ‘Convict Trail Project’ has an excellent website for further reading. More info.
(2.15km) Int of OGNR and Shepherds Gully Rd → Hangmans Rock
720 m
18 mins
12m
-69m
Moderate track
Veer right: From the intersection, the walk passes around a gate and follows the management trail gently down the hill. This section of the walk zigzags a little, passing an information sign indicating the probable site of a stockade to hold the “more troublesome convicts”, and continuing further to reach “Hangman’s Rock”.
Hangmans Rock
Hangmans Rock is beside the historic Old Great North Road, near Wisemans Ferry, NSW. This beautiful sandstone cave/overhang has some steps and a bench seat cut into it and is part of the history of the convict built OGNR. It is uncertain what purpose the spot served, but stories that convicts were hanged through the hole in the roof of the cave appear unlikely to be true, despite giving a name to the atmospheric spot. More info.
(2.87km) Hangmans Rock → Int of Wisemans Ferry Rd and OGNR
1.1 km
31 mins
49m
-127m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From Hangman’s Rock, the walk follows the old Great North Road gently down the hill. This section of the walk winds down the hill, passing numerous cuttings and retaining walls built with convict labour. There are several information signs on the way, making the walk more interesting. The walk then passes around a gate to arrive at the intersection with Wisemans Ferry Rd and car park (about 500m west of the car ferry).
Thomas James Bridge
The historic Thomas James Bridge is on Wisemans Ferry Rd, NSW. This is the oldest in-use bridge on mainland Australia (Tasmania has older bridges) and is one of several convict built bridges along the Old Great North Road. The bridge was built during 1830 (the timber deck is more recent) and was named after the overseer of ‘Road Party 25’ which built the bridge. More info.
Maps for the Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill walk
You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.
Lower Portland | 1:25 000 Map Series | 90312S LOWER PORTLAND | NSW-90312S |
St Albans | 1:25 000 Map Series | 90312N ST ALBANS | NSW-90312N |
St Albans | 1:100 000 Map Series | 9031 ST ALBANS | 9031 |
Cross sectional view of the Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill bushwalking track
Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill
Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001
Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.
Length | 4 km | ||
Time | 2 hrs | ||
. | |||
Grade 3/6 Moderate track |
AS 2156.1 | Gradient | Short steep hills (3/6) |
Quality of track | Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6) | ||
Signs | Clearly signposted (1/6) | ||
Experience Required | No experience required (1/6) | ||
Weather | Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6) | ||
Infrastructure | Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6) |
Some more details of this walks Grading
Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk
Gradient
This whole walk, 4km has short steep hills.
Quality of track
Around 2.1km of this walk follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles, whilst the remaining 1.8km follows a clear and well formed track or trail.
Signs
This whole walk, 4km is clearly signposted.
Experience Required
This whole walk, 4km requires no previous bushwalking experience.
weather
This whole walk, 4km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).
Infrastructure
This whole walk, 4km has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced).
Similar walks
Other Nearby walks
Plan your trip to and from the walk here
The Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill walk starts at the Int of Settlers Rd and Shepherds Gully Rd (gps: -33.355691, 150.98268)Your transport options to Int of Settlers Rd and Shepherds Gully Rd are by;
Bus. Wisemans Ferry Dialacar provides a taxi style mini-bus service based in Wisemans Ferry. The cost is typically about per km (ex Wisemans Ferry). They will pick-up and drop-off from Sydney or the Central Coast and will happily drop walkers off or pick them up from tracks in the area. The cost for a pick-up from Gosford and drop off near Wisemans Ferry would be approximately 0 (please call for up-to-date pricing) and the minivan can carry up to 13 passengers. Phone: 0448 122 374 (get details)
Car. There is free parking available.
(get details)
The Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill ends at the Int of Wisemans Ferry Rd and OGNR (gps: -33.375218, 150.98486)
Your transport options to Int of Wisemans Ferry Rd and OGNR are by;
Bus. Wisemans Ferry Dialacar provides a taxi style mini-bus service based in Wisemans Ferry. The cost is typically about per km (ex Wisemans Ferry). They will pick-up and drop-off from Sydney or the Central Coast and will happily drop walkers off or pick them up from tracks in the area. The cost for a pick-up near Wisemans Ferry and drop off at Gosford would be approximately 0 (please call for up-to-date pricing) and the minivan can carry up to 13 passengers. Phone: 0448 122 374 (get details)
Car. There is free parking available.
(get details)
Fire Danger
Each park may have its own fire ban, this rating is only valid for today and is based on information from the RFS Please check the RFS Website for more information.Weather Forest
This walk starts in the Hunter weather district always check the formal BOM forecast or pdf before starting your walk.Forecast snapshot
Park Information & Alerts
Short URL = http://wild.tl/sgadh
Gallery images
There are other downloads I am still working on.
You will probably need to login to access these — still all free.
* KML (google earth file)
* GPX (GPS file)
Special Maps/ brochures
* A3 topo maps
* PDF with Lands Topo map base
* PDF with arial image (and map overlay)
I wanted to get the main site live first, this extra stuff will come in time.
Happy walking
Matt 🙂
Comments