DISCLAIMER:  The information on this page almost certainly does contain

errors.  It is largely of DRAFT quality intended for private study, by

members of a cooperative for the study of the Lachlan/Sydney/Hunter

regions.  If you would like to join this cooperation and/or contribute

information, please contact LachlanHunter at john.mail@ozemail.com.au

or telephone (Sydney) 02 9747 3701.

 

 

 

 

 

GALSTON

 

Diatreme in Cabbage Tree Hollow, in Hawkesbury Sandstone, close to Gilligans Road.

 

Fagans Park - Arcadia Road.  Mittagong Formation should comprise plateau surfaces at northern end of Fagans Park but little outcrop can be found.  A small clay pit and brick kiln existed in this vicinity (not visited).

 

 

 

GLADESVILLE

 

Mooreview Brickworks  -  14 Tennyson Road.  (A heritage study on the former Mooreview Brickworks has been done, in 2007,  by Tony Prescott ("History Works" series). 

 

 

 

GLEBE

 

Cardigan Street

 

 

Cardigan Street in Glebe appears to have been constructed with locally extracted sandstone

blocks, as are now exposed between Darghan Street and Darling Street.  Now regarded

as heritage stonework and is to be preserved.  (Photo: Tony Carr)

 

Blackwattle Bay and the Wentworth Park infill.   Wentworth Park is an infill of the upper part of Blackwattle Bay.  Although the original creek there may have had some brick clay extraction along it (?'kiln' marked alongside it on one early map) this is unconfirmed.  Local historian Max Solling (pers. comm.) also suggested there was brick making along the Blackwattle Bay side of Glebe (as well as a likely very early kiln somewhere in Forest Lodge).  Geoff Ford's Encyclopaedia of Australian Potter's Marks locates Enoch Fowler in Queen Street, Glebe from 1847 to 1854 and in Bay St, Glebe from 1854 to 1863 (pers. comm. Tony Carr).   Both those streets could be considered as Blackwattle Bay environs.   

 

The swamp began to be infilled in 1876.  A number of compartments were created with seawalls and dykes, and these were eventually filled in.  The filling largely consisted of dredgings form Sydney Harbour.  Some residual lakes remained unfilled as late as 1910.  The park  served as one of the camps for the American Army in Sydney during WWII.  Post-1939 it has contained a dog racing track.

 

Franklyn Street - Brickyard.  This street is where historian Max Solling locates one of the early Glebe brickyards.

 

MINERAL INDUSTRY "FIRSTS" and the Tipple Smith brothers:  The operations of Thomas Tipple Smith, builder, at Blackwattle Swamp included the construction of a jetty to receive timber and shells for lime from coastal vessels, the manufacture of bricks at his Glebe yard, and quarrying of stone for his own building work and for sale (fide Max Solling - "Glebe's industrial history", Glebe Society Bulletin, No. 3, 2006).   Tipple Smith was one of the originators of iron smelting in Australia.  Thomas Tipple Smith, his brother and two other Sydney businessmen built the blast furnace at the Fitzroy Iron Works at Mittagong.  In 1848-1854 a syndicate comprising John Thomas Neale, William Tipple Smith, Thomas Tipple Smith and Thomas Holmes began smelting there. 

Some also believe that William Tipple Smith was the discoverer of the first payable gold in Australia (in 1848).

[A  quartz gold specimen, a few tattered, fragmented letters and an old death notice.  These seemingly unrelated clues were the vital links in the solution which has put an end to the long-standing myth  that Edward Hammond Hargraves was the discoverer of gold in Australia. In 1847, mineralogist William Tipple Smith ventured into the rugged hill country near Bathurst, New South Wales and discovered payable gold. After additional successful exploration, he informed the government of his discovery. The apathy, lies and cover-up which followed form the basis of an intriguing tale of mismanagement, buck-passing and official ineptitude. Smith's discovery resulted for him, not in fame and fortune, but in defamation, ruin and untimely death.  The government and Edward Hammond Hargraves, were so effective in the systematic destruction of Smith that the true story has remained untold for almost one hundred and forty years. Persistent detective work by the author, whose belief that an innocent man was the tragic victim of political expediency, enabled her too succeed where others have failed,  resulting in a totally new interpretation of a fascinating aspect of Australian history. The story of William Tipple Smith is the story of one man's fight for justice and recognition long overdue. The large number of illustrations and a comprehensive document appendix make A Fool's Gold? a valuable reference work on the history of early gold discoveries in New South Wales.  "A Fool's Gold? - William Tipple Smith's challenge to the Hargraves myth" by Lynette Ramsay Silver. ] (William Tipple Smith, owner of a lapidary and jeweller's shop in George Street, Sydney, is also reputed to have found gold west of Bathurst. No doubt he was encouraged by the McGregor specimens exhibited in Cohen's shop which was very near his own business. In February 1848, Smith wrote to Sir Roderick Murchison, enclosing gold samples and an indication of their origin. Murchison contacted the Secretary of State, Earl Grey, informing him of the letter and suggesting a mineral survey of the region be carried out. Grey's decision, however, was negative, as he feared that a goldrush would have a dire effect on the colony's main financial resource, wool-growing. Smith persisted and finally met with the Colonial Secretary, Edward Deas Thomson, in January 1849, taking with him a 3?-ounce specimen of gold, the origin of which would only be disclosed upon payment of a reward. When Governor Fitzroy was shown the nugget and made aware of Smith's claims, the matter was dropped.]

In Lynette Ramsay Silver's "A Fool's Gold"  the information about Thomas Tipple Smith buidling a jetty to receive timber and shells for lime, manufacturing bricks and quarrying of stone came from evidence he gave to an enquiry re the Building Act (Votes and Proceedings of the NSW Legistlative Council, 1838, part 2, p.21).  She reports William Tipple Smith as living and dying in Glebe, however no specific addresses are as yet gathered for where this was.  

 

 

 

GLEN DAVIS

 

It's off the beaten path a bit, but don't forget to visit Glen Davis - say the tourism promoters.  And those who take the trip usually find it an interesting place.   The former oil shale mining town lies at the end of the spectacular escarpments of the Capertee Valley, stated to be the largest enclosed valley in the southern hemisphere.   Glen Davis has perhaps the largest seam of high grade oil shale in the world.  In its heyday about 2,500 people lived in the township.  Vertical sandstone cliffs now stand guard over the crumbling vegetation-covered structures lending a surreal impression.

 

 

 

Glen Davis is one of the many known oil shale areas (Torbane, Mt Airly, Glen Alice, Glen Davis, Newnes, Marangaroo, Hartley Vale, Joadja, etc.) that have been exploited for oil distillation from the mineral (torbanite).   Glen Davis was the latest and greatest of these limited life enterprises.    The shale-to-liquids industry has operated in numerous countries around the world, and its beginnings go back as far as 1694 when shale oil was first produced in Scotland.  Today, commercial oil shale industries are active in China, Estonia and Brazil.

In the Sydney Basin, oil shale occurs as high grade torbanite beds.   The torbanite yields approximately 300 litres of oil per tonne.  Torbanite deposits in the upper part of the Late Permian coal measures have been exploited along the western margin of the Sydney Basin, in the Illawara area, and also in the Gunnedah Basin.  The best-known deposits are Joadja in the south, Newnes and Glen Davis in the central west, and Baerami in the southern Gunnedah Basin.  Some deposits have also been recorded in the Greta Coal Measures of the Hunter Valley.

Oil Shale mining has been carried out in New South Wales between 1860 and 1952.  In the earlier years the industry was generally to produce a kerosene could be used for lighting purposes.  However during World War II petrol was refined at Glen Davis. One tonne of Glen Davis oil shale had an average yield of 203-550 litres of crude oil, which then gave approximately half this amount of refined petrol.

Between 1939 and 1952 National Oil Proprietary Limited (NOP) extracted oil from shale at the Glen Davis works.  The plant was built using much equipment salvaged from the closed Newnes shale oil works nearby. Although regarded as strategic for Australia's wartime oil supply, the venture was plagued by technical, financial and political difficulties.  The anticipated production was never fully realised.

 

 

 

Former buildings at plant, 1940.    Photo overlooks power station and workshop from the surge bin line.  (Photo:  M. Davis collection)

 

 

View in the opposite direction.   The refinery and retorts are in the foreground and the mine is seen on the hillslope bench above.

Circa 1951.   (Photo:  Earth Exchange, Sydney)

Today there are only ruins to remind the curious of the very considerable size of the plant there when in was in production.

 

 

 

Glen Davis retorts  (Photos:  Philip Johnson) 

"Gradually nature is reclaiming the buildings as we watch Australia's history disapear….why?"   PJ

Glen Davis retorts  (Photo:  Mary Thirwall) 

 

The retorts bank.   (Photo:  Brian Ayling)

 

 

Later news concerning the ruins: 

 

"""""

ABC News:  Wednesday, September  11, 2002:. Posted: 09:12:03 (AEDT)

 

Steps taken to protect ruins

The Member for Bathurst, Gerard Martin, says work is being done to ensure the heritage-listed oil shale ruins at Glen Davis, near Lithgow, are protected when land in the region is auctioned this Saturday.

More than 150 lots of land at Glen Davis and Newnes are to be auctioned by Lithgow City Council this Saturday.    Mr Martin says the ruins are from a village which was built during the Second World War under a special Act of Parliament.

Lithgow City Council says rates on 150 lots of land at Glen Davis and Newnes have not been paid for more than 30 years.  Mr Martin says if the Act was overturned the council would not need to sell the land.

"Well, council wouldn't be in a position of having all these unknown owners with outstanding rates, they'd be wiped off the books, so there wouldn't be any sale of land for undue rates and the land could be resumed by the government of the day," he said.

Mr Martin says while the National Parks and Wildlife Service is not in a position to buy the land at auction, it is keen to work with the new owners to provide public access to the site.   "The reality is that to a private owner, they are something of a liability because they are in a dilapidated condition, they need restoration and that's probably something that's best carried out by Government agencies, so they don't enhance the value of the property from a private owners' point of view I wouldn't think," he said.

Mr Martin says there is no time to overturn the Act before the auction, but he will continue to work with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to see what can be done.

"""""

 

Key facts and literature: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 G.J. Taylor.  Glen Davis Story - History of the Capertee Valley Shale Oil Project 1938 - 1952.  Megalong Books.

Leonie Knapman is also understood (2009) to be writing a book on Glen Davis.  She previously wrote an excellent book on the Joadja (Joadja Creek) oil shale mining enterprise.   Leonie was raised at Glen Davis and left in 1954 after the Government doomed the township by closure of the NOP plant.   The plant was auctioned off and the area became a ghost town.  It was not until years later Leonie returned and wrote that memories of her home town crashed around her feet as she walked amongst the ruins, the forgotten and empty streets and the vacant block that was once the site of her home.  Glen Davis was as if, she thought, it was stripped of its town status, and as if the Government had tried to wipe it off the face of the earth.   Most of the hard times of the town's residents passed over the heads of their children and it is only now whilst writing the history of Glen Davis that Leonie appreciates the frustration of her parents and those who lost their jobs and homes, after there was no work once the NOP plant had closed.   Leonie's father had the coal mine at Glen Davis, which had to close once t he NOP no longer needed its coal.

For her book on Glen Davis, Leonie set her task as being not to determine who or what caused the downfall and destruction of NOP.  But rather to show the tenacity and strength of those who lived and worked there from 1938 to 1954, after which everyone left with little or nothing to show for all their hard work.

Was Glen Davis a suceess or failure?   It was never a startling success but as a wartime precautionary measure it can be considered a wise venture.   Hutton and Knapman (1998 and 2002) have reviewed such questions.  Certainly the refining of the petroleum products from oil shale at Glen Davis in N.S.W. from 1940 to 1952 was one of Australia's more " interesting" industrial and mining ventures.   The enterprise was scarcely an overwhelming technical or mining success but it did provide  employment in a recession as well as supply petroleum products to the war economy. Several innovations in mining and electric tramway traction were trialled at Glen Davis and it well deserves a special place in Australian history.

The decision that was taken in 1937 to establish National Oil Pty Ltd, to produce petrol from kerosene shale at Glen Davis, was an Australian Commonwealth Government decision. With the threat of World War II, and the possible interruption of overseas petroleum supplies, it appeared that Glen Davis could provide a vital and much-needed resource for a sea-locked country at war.

The process does wok but it is costly.   Hence after the war, Glen Davis was living on borrowed time.  Production expectations were well less than economically ideal maximum and many other factors appeared to work against the venture.  Glen Davis could not succeed in the long term.

Glen Davis was a follow-on from Newnes.   Newnes was one of the larger and more successful of the early oil shale mines and refineries, and it operated from 1906 to 1934. The Newnes oil distillation works was very much an on-off operation.  The Newnes works opened and closed repeatedly due to competition from imports, mining difficulties and capital shortages.

After the works at Newnes closed down in the early 1920s agitation increased for a reopening of the Capertee works as it was the only source of oil in Australia.  The Federal Government undertook support for the Newnes works from 1931, as both an employment creation measure and as encouragement for domestic oil production.  The government supported the new owners, the Shale Oil Development Committee Limited, but by March 1932 this company had failed.   A committee was set up in 1933 to investigate the feasibility of continuing operations in the area.  The government then called for new tenders in April 1932 but nothing eventuated.   Then in May 1936 the Federal Government announced it would take over the Newnes operation and, together with the New South Wales state government, inject new capital into a joint enterprise with private industry.   To that end Sir Herbert Gepp, as a consultant acting for the government, approached many industrialists about the scheme, including Mr George Davis (the founder of Davis Gelatine Pty Ltd. Davis).   

A proposal by Davis was accepted, and ratified by Federal Parliament in 1937, with the formation of a new company, National Oil Pty Ltd (NOP).   Davis provided £166,667 and the Commonwealth  £334,000.  The NSW government provided  £166,000 to be secured by

debentures.   The agreement was for a plant to be in extensive production by 1940.   The Commonwealth guaranteed the Company's petrol a tariff preference of 7.4 pence per gallon for up to 25 years, and the NSW government promised favourable railway freight and other concessions.

Although the the Commonwealth committee had recommended re-establishing the Newnes works, the other option was eventually chosen - to use the old oil shale tunnel established in 1881 at the eastern rim of the Capertee Valley (i.e., Glen Davis).  Oil shale had been first discovered in the northern side of the Capertee Valley around 1865, by local grazier Mr. B.R. McLean.  An early  shale oil lease was granted there in 1891 to MPI Mining Development, which later abandoned it.

Twenty-five tons of the oil shale was shipped to Estonia for retorting by NOP and it yielded twenty barrels of oil which was then 

sent to the U.S.A. for refining.  The oil proved very most satisfactory for the production of petrol.   The decision was made by NOP to establish a new plant and refinery not at Newnes but on the opposite side of the plateau neck underlain by the oil shale deposit, in the Capertee Valley.   The new town and works was named Glen Davis after the Davis company which had the major share-holding in the venture.   A pipeline was built so that products could be pumped to storage tanks at Newnes Junction.  The pipeline followed the route of the Newnes railway line which was removed in the 1940s.  In 1940 the first oil was produced and in 1941 some 4,273,315 gallons were produced.

 

Some 170 miners were employed and it was initially planned to mine the oil shale seam by Longwall.  Two cutter units were acquired.   Difficulty was had in controlling the roof and after a bad fall in December Bord and Pillar working was adopted.  The pillars were 40 yards by 21 yards, and bords were 8 yards in width.

Initially life was hard at the new town of Glen Davis but by 1947 a hotel, barracks, staff cottages and permanent housing had been built. The town working population was then 1,600 and the general population rose to around 2,500.  They had a school, post office, hall, cinema, bank, chemist, butcher and general stores.

Glen Davis today has a picnic-barbecue-camping area with an amenities block and a privately run museum with displays relating to the town and shale mining history. It is usually only open on weekends and entry is free.

REFERENCES:

Hutton, A.C. and Knapman, L., 2002.  Mining of Kerosene shale at Glen Davis: was it a success or a costly failure? Transactions Multi-disciplinary Engineering, Australia, GE26, 49-58.

Hutton, A. and Knapman, L., 1998.  Mining of oil shale at Joadja Creek and Glen Davis. Proceedings 9th National Conference on Engineering Heritage, Ballarat Victoria, 15th-18th March, The Institute of Engineers, 181-186.

 

 

 

GLENBROOK  ( .. the upstream home of the Great Lost River)

 

SOME REFERENCES TO THE GLENBROOK AREA: 

Bishop P., Hunt P. & Schmidt P. W. 1982. Limits to the age of the Lapstone Monocline, N.S.W. -  a palaeomagnetic study. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 29, 319–326.

Blue Mountains City Council, 2007.  Knapsack Reserve Plan of Management.  126 pp.

Branagan D. F. & Pedram H. 1990. The Lapstone Structural Complex, New South Wales. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 37, 23–36.

Branagan D. F. & Pedram H. 1997. Engineering geology of a sandstone escarpment: the Blue Mountains. Sydney Basin NSW. In: McNally G. ed. Collected Case Studies in Engineering Geology, Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology. Third Series, pp. 38–52. Environmental, Engineering and Hydrogeology Specialist Group, Geological Society of Australia and Conference Publications.

Clarke N. R. & Jones D. C. eds. 1991. Penrith 1:100 000 Geological Sheet 9030. New South Wales Geological Survey, Sydney.

David, T.W.E., 1897. Summary of our present knowledge of the structure and origin of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. In "Anniversary Address". Royal Society of New South Wales, Journal and Proceedings, 30, 33-69.

Herbert C. 1989. The Lapstone Monocline-Nepean Fault – a high angle reverse fault system. Advances in the study of the Sydney Basin. Proceedings of the 23^rd Symposium, University of Newcastle, Department of Geology, 179- 186.

Pickett J. W. & Bishop P. 1992. Aspects of landscape evolution in the Lapstone Monocline area, New South Wales. Australian Journal of Earth Science, 39, 21–28.

Schmidt P. W., Lackie M. A. & Anderson J. C. 1995. Palaeomagnetic evidence for the age of the Lapstone Monocline, NSW. Australian Coal Geology 10, 13–22.

van der Beek P., Pulford A. & Braun J. 2001. Cenozoic landscape development in the Blue Mountains (SE Australia): lithological and tectonic controls on rifted margin morphology. Journal of Geology 109, 35–56.

Developing LachlanHunter member interest in the Glenbrook area has to large extent been a westwards osmosis of the much longer standing attempted detailed seeking of information on the Penrith area (especially the sand and gravel deposits of Emu Plains to Upper Castlereagh and their extractive history) which has been ongoing for some years.   Besides published references like the above, there should also exist lease and other documentation for any extractive sites.   It was sought from the Department of Primary Industries (incorporating  the former mines department) what any file/plan numbers are re the small number of ?exploratory diggings in  the district (shafts at Euroka clearing and at upstream side of Knapsack Viaduct on Lapstone, and also how one might search for references for any extractive sites or tenements that have existed within the area around (say 10 km area) Glenbrook/Penrith, additional to using the on-line search methods like DIGS.  No 'simple' way of doing this was learned of by 2009.   However, DPI did advise that it had carried out some funding of work to make the Knapsack Gully shaft safe, at the request of Council.  The work itself was probably done by the Soils Conservation Service as in the past such work has been contracted to the Service.   Further enquiry on the shafts and for any other extractive sites, or known interesting geological sites was also made to Council in early 2009.   According to DPI response, it was thought that Council had "found some details on the former mining title of the site" (however DPI itself had not at that time obtained copy of BMCC may have found). 

Late last century excursions conducted by university lecturer David Branagan and others had been attended along the Lapstone Structural Zone.   This zone is pivotal (no pun intended) to understanding the starkly contrasting  mountains/plains coupling which is the main westwards-viewed landscape framing for most Sydneysiders.  In "westwards-ho"-ing up Lapstone Hill and beyond from Penrith in quest of interesting sites information,  the Glenbrook Historical Society, other locals, and the Blue Mountains City Council were contacted to ask about any sites of possible interest - anything to do with nature, geology, mining/quarrying extraction, or earliest inhabitation (Aboriginal) and arrival of Europeans, etc.    Locals generally responded that theirs was a most historic area as the start of the route across the mountains etc., but no particular spots were suggested.  Likewise Council at first responded that it knew of nothing significant.  Council, however, must know of or have records of "Aboriginal mounds and fireplaces" described in a 1975 newspaper article (see below) which states that the Deputy Town Clerk Mr G.K. Porter told a planning committee that a complete survey had been made of the area.   Council was contacted seeking to see this survey, however as of January 2009 it is still being looked for.  There was local awareness of a shaft on the face of Lapstone Hill,  in Knapsack Gully on the upstream side of Knapsack Viaduct, which was thought to be a "coal shaft" (sunk in search of coal?).   Council had not indicated knowing of this shaft when general enquiries were made in 2008, however in 2009 it was noted that Council did in fact know of it since it is referred to in the BMCC 2007 (see above).  Council was then contacted again to enquire more specifically about this curious shaft.   Learning of the shaft was surprising because there is a Department of Mines (Mineral Resources) map of the area which delineated features in some detail (post-Triassic sediments) along the Lapstone Structural Zone there but fails to show any shaft ( .. hence the geologist who did this mapping likely missed finding it).   It was surprising to learn that this shaft existed and seems to have been previously overlooked by geologiists, and that locals thought it had been sunk for coal.  Seeing the coal is so deep there, one would not anticipate that anybody would sensibly do that.  However, local opinion did not think it could have been a water well since water is apparently otherwise easily obtainable.  

 

Re "Aboriginal" stone mounds (not yet relocated).   These have been reported upon in the past but where the site referred to is has not yet been relocated.   The report (noted by this writer in 2008) is in a Penrith newspaper of 1975, saying the features were believed to be of Aboriginal origin, and had been excavated by archaeologists with material taken away for examination.  The results, it was stated, might not be available for years.   In quest of where the results might be enquiries were begun in May 2008 to the Blue Mountains Council, the local historical society, the local NPWS staff at Glenbrook office; and thence to some previous employees who had since left the area, and continuing into 2009 with DECC head office and elsewhere.   Nobody enquired to thus far has had any knowledge or recall of the matter at all.  

 

 

The above Glenbrook mounds article was published in the newspaper "Penrith Press",  on

26 March 1975, on page 27.   (This cutting is preserved in Penrith Library.)

 

Transcript of above newspaper article:  OLD ABORIGINAL AREA ON FILM

 

Details of Aboriginal mounds and fire places in Glenbrook have been photographed and plotted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.   The mounds and fire places are on land for which a subdivision application has been lodged with Blue Mountains City Council.  The original application was made three years ago.  But because of the mounds and fireplaces permission to subdivide was withheld.  The applicants were told the wildlilfe service was aware of Aboriginal relics on the land, and wished to investigate the area.  A service archaeologist located a number of stone mounds which were believed to be Aboriginal, as well as a group of five fire places.  One of the groups of mounds was in an area to be zoned for park and playground use.   Deputy Town Clerk, Mr G. K. Porter told council's last works and town planning committee meeting that a complete survey had now been made of the area.  All the ceremonial mounds and fire places had been photographed, and their locations plotted.  Excavations had also been made.  Materials needed for research had been removed, he said.  It would be many years before the results of the investigations were known.  But the service had no objection to the subdivision being approved, subject to the relocation of some of the fire places.  Mr Porter said the developer's surveyor had known of the existence of the relics.  He had complied with the law which made it an offence to destroy, damage or deface a relic without the written permission of the Director of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.  He recommended the developer be informed of the present position.   Council agreed. 

 

Gravels and the "Great Lost River":

 

 

Where can the lost river be?   (Verandah of the old Lapstone Hill Hotel ; now RAAF Officers'  Mess).

LachlanHunter members John B and Tessa C arranged to meet the base officer in charge

(executive officer) Squadron Leader Brett Dockett on Thursday 8 May 2008 to look

over the base for exposures of river gravel.

 

 

Walking the way of the lost river (Glenbrook trip, 2008).   Photo from alongside the old Lapstone Hotel

building looking northeasterly.   View is over the Cumberland Plain to the Hornsby plateau rise in the

far distance.   The lost river flowed from here to Maroota at the left/nortern end of the distant rise.

 

The "Great Lost River" is a 'vague' but evocative name used to refer to the river that once flowed through the Lapstone Hill area.

 

Ancient river gravel has been long known at Lapstone/Glenbrook to geologists and others.   David (1897, p.55)  wrote that the gravel "follows the bends of the monoclinal folds in such a way as to prove the fold did not exist when this gravel deposit was formed".    What he could have meant by "follows the bends of" is unclear(?).   The earliest concept was almost certainly that a meridional monocline caused the present elevation of the Blue Mountains.  Later writers introduced a range of futher complexities - that the Lapstone Structural Zone (as some later called it as its exact nature grew more uncertain) is over a possible significant growth fault feature of basinal deposition that may be as old as Permian, and that the strongly east-west elongation of Jurassic diatreme material near Wallacia (Nortons Basin diatreme) is suggestive that the broad monoclinal devlopment is pre-Jurassic, with faulting along the same zone being the mode of younger movement.   

 

The name "Lapstone Hill" dates from at least the 1820s.  In 1822, Thomas Hawkins crossed the Blue Mountains to take up the possition of commissariat storekeeper at Bathurst.  He travelled with his wife Elizabeth, eight children and his seventy year old mother-in-law.  Bathurst is 137 miles from Sydney and they were eighteen days on the road to reach it.  Mrs Elizabeth Hawkins, made a written account of the trip: "We now began our ascent up the first Lapstone Hill, so called from all the stones being like a cobbler's lapstone".   The party made only one and a half miles that day but presumably got to the top where they pitched camp.  This road had been started in 1814 by William Cox with a convict gang of 28 men, 2 artificers and a guard of 8 soldiers.  Traces of the road are said to exist 'behind' the RAAF base (but not seen on one short visit to date). 

 

 

Improved road later on; Mitchell's Pass.  (S.T. Gill, 1850s).   A bit further down,

an around beyond the bend the sulky is approaching, the old rive gravel

may be seen at the toe of dipping Lapstone Monocline strata.

 

 

Which is the original "Lapstone Hill".  Modern maps mark Lapstone Hill as being at Marges Lookout or just north of there on the northern side of the Mitchell's Pass road (see map below).   But the original must be somewhere with river cobbles.   The RAAF base seems a likely contender.   The original Cox's road ascended almost straight up the escarpment and bending north to pass around the northern end of the base area, thence on past Glenbrook Lagoon similar as the present highway.   The second road, now called Old Bathurst Road, was built in 1826.  It lies considerably further north but it too was said to ascend Lapstone Hill.   Mitchell's new road of 1830-1834, between the other two, was also said to be up Lapstone Hill.   All three roads converged at Pilgrim Inn to the west. 

 

The ancient river that left its deposits at Lapstone Hill may have flowed northeasterly, no doubt headed towards the sea, and possibly through Maroota where there is also evidence of a great ancient river having flowed (its deposits now form the Maroota hill or the Trig hill there - viz.  http://maroota.sands.googlepages.com ).   This river probably flowed over tens of millions of years ago, in the early Tertiary period, and possibly has never really stopped flowing and still flows today under the name of Nepean (the Nepean-Hawkesbury system).  However much more needs to be investigated about the Great Lost River before it could be confidently assumed that after a very long history of twists and turns it still flows today as the Nepean. 

 

 

Great Western Highway at Glenbrook, at entrance to RAAF base at Knapsack Street.  Left of the two cars is remnant of a partially filled-in railway entrenchment cutting.   A seeming paleaeochannel filled with the Tertiary gravel is well exposed in this cutting.   There is also an undercutting under the highway here which would have cut through the gravel, and gravel can be seen at its sides where it emerges alongside Knapsack Street.   At the opposite side of this street  the gravel is also weakly exposed for some distance along the flank of the highway, betweeen the highway and the parking lot.   (Source:  Google Maps, viewed 2008)

 

Opposite RAAF entrance, Lapstone Hill.  The rise up the front of the Blue Mountains plateau edge between Emu Plains to Glenbrook is loosely named 'Lapstone Hill' although it is just one segment of plateau front, not a free standing hill.  At the top of the rise, ascending westwards, is the entrance to a RAAF base.  A light coloured building with rounded corners used to mark the main entrance but signage has diminished over the years.  On the opposite (southern side) of this point, remnant of an old railway cutting is found, which is part of the abandonned Lapstone Zig Zag system that was the first method trains employed for ascending the eastern face of the Blue Mountains plateau.  In the cutting there is good exposure of a former (Tertiary) channel of the Great Lost River (possible precursor of the present Nepean-Hawkesbury system?), cut down into Hawkesbury Sandstone.  Large water-warn cobbles are found in the channel fill.  About 40% of the clasts are igneous rocks, and quartzites make up much of the remainder.  Cobbles and pebbles, presumably from the former erosion of such deposits are also found in the soil of the vicinity.

 

Lapstone hill may be so named after its cobbles.  Cobblers formerly held cobbles between their knees to beat (lap) leather against, and it is thought that this is why the hill was named Lapstone.   Access to this RAAF land to look for cobbles was disallowed under the Howard government, citing security concerns.  After the change in government to the Rudd government, a re-application to visit the place was readily allowed.

 

 

 

Further east, and down, on the escarpment face.  At this point there is Tertiary gravel at east side of the highway and the sandstone outcrop to the west looks like steep drag on reverse faulting.  The Tertiary here overlies the Mittagong Formation whereas at the RAAF Base entrance it is entrenched into the Hawkesbury Sandstone.   This suggests that the old river course was probably not greatly disrupted during the earliest phase of Blue Mountains uplift.  

 

 

 

Heavy blue dots above, in a NNE line, link the main gravel exposures.   This however is not necessarily the course of the Great Lost River.   The gravel tract presumably had greater width.   The Great Western Highway at the junction with Knapsack Street may be where a channel base lay.   Any further to the west of there may now be lost to erosion?   Gravel is also seen as small exposures  elsewhere, as along the old highway course north of Knapsack Viaduct  and at the lower course of Mitchells Pass between Marges Lookout and Lapstone Hill.   Considering those remants too puts the asumed old river trend as more northerly or NNE  (NB: The grid on this map is not N-S).

 

 

Same joined-points line as the one shown in blue above, here in yellow, considered for testing where gravel might be expected at the RAAF base.  The former old Lapstone Hotel building (now officers' mess) is the dark roofed complex near the centre of this view.   It is not known if the construction of that substantial building encountered gravel but it likely would have.  A visit to look along this line found minor gravel where the line crosses the slope break that runs N-S along the eastern edge of the RAAF land.  Here some pebbles, but no really large cobbles, were seen at poor exposure where there is a small light patch seen here on the escarpment edge, just east of the RAAF perimeter fence and just to the south of yellow dotted line.   The base check point entry is where the blue "balloon" with the black dot in it is.   A little further NE of there, along the line of dots, lies a large rectangular administration building with a water tower at its northeastern corner.   This was built in 1980 and constructing it exposed up to 5m depth of gravel at its southern side  (see detail of this in the belos sketch by Bill Chesnut).

 

Sketch of the excavation hole for the admin building in 1980 by William S. Chesnut (GS 1980/473).  

Note the gravel is up to 5m thick on the southern side and there is higher sandstone on the northern

 side, consistent with a northeasterly channel trend.  Chesnut noted "All rock types have been altered

during chemical weathering", however at the edge of the escarpment (photo below) at what seems

to be an outcrop area (not artificial fill) we noted on 8 May 2008 one perfectly fresh cobble

of coarse dark coloured igneous rock (cf. dioritic).  At this excavation Chesnut noted

sedimentary structures indicative of eastwards flow.

 

 

Area where the trend line crosses the N-S escarpment edge.   The small light

coloured bare patch just outside the base fence shows gravel and weakly

cemented sand.  Walking north from here along the base perimeter fence

 at the escarpment edge clearly shows the gradually northwards

rise of the sandstone, presumably the rising palaeovalley side

although there is no direct proof of that possible.

 

At the RAAF base, and the exposures at the highway near its entrance, the gravels lie atop Hawkesbury Sandstone and/or thin shale which could be within Hawkesbury Sandstone or else may be a very thin remnant of Mittagong Formation.   The nearby gravel exposures now at somewhat lower elevation on the 'face of the Blue Mountains plateau', on the current highway and at Mitchells Pass both lie very close east of strongly inclination seen in Hawkesbury Sandstone but sitting above a much greater preserved section of relatively low dip Mittagong Formation.   The exact relationship of the ancient river and the growth of the 'Lapstone Monocline' structure to yield that situation is very curious, and is still being considered. 

 

 

 

Google Earth view tilted, looking westwards over the RAAF base.  The northern end of the base's land is

sandstone and notice how the sandstone rises still higher further to the north, on the other side of

Knapsack Gully.  (Faulting could be responsible in part for this, but does not seem likely within

the extent of the base itself, where a northwards rising sandstone surface seems evident.

 

 

Topography, showing higher land north of Knapsack Gully.  If there is also further

west-side uplift on another N-S fault hereabouts (as Chesnut suspected,

GS 1980/473) such may have lead to removal of any southwesterly

extension of gravel remnants (?)

 

 

Southwest of Glenbrook the land rises to 200m but nothing unusual is

outstanding on on satellite images.  The road shown ending above

200m contour is the Red Hands Cave road.

 

 

Area around Red Hands Cave.  Hill tops to the south are sandstone but

above the 200m contour some areas look like the Sandstone may be

covered by Mittagong Formation or younger remnants.

 

 

The above considerations, plus contacting NPWS staff familiar with the area south of Glenbrook suggest that the apparent NNE trend at the RAAF base cannot be fruitfully projected to any high ground further southwards ini search for more gravel remnants.   Rather, it is suggested there has been further gravel east of Lucasville Road and the palaeochannel uprstream from the RAAF base might swing around entirely southwesterly to southeastely and connect to gravel reported to be at Mt Portal lookout.    This is to be considered further.   Nothing along Explorers Road was noted consistent with that, but the topography there may be too low for anything to be preserved.

 

 

GLENBROOK (East from, towards Penrith) 

 

[ See also Emu Plains, Emu Plains to Glenbrook, and Penrith, herein in "geo-sites" pages; and search the web for "Lapstone Structural Zone" or "Lapstone Monocline". ]

 

This, the eastern face of the Blue Mountains plateau is a very significant strip geologically, and is also the "face" of the Mountains that most of the population sees from many places or high buildings around Sydney, looking westwards.   The face of the Mountains is geologically the trend of the Lapstone Structural Zone or Lapstone Monocline.  This was first generally known as the Lapstone Monocline but later on when extensive new roadworks revealed the face of the mountains ascending was not a simple monocline topographically reflected, as most had previously thought - and that the chief structural feature at Lapstone might be a thrust reather than a monocline - the whole structural situation was realised to be much more complex and renamed a 'Zone'.   Elsewhere along the zone, as to the south

towards Wallacia, the face of the Mountains may indeed be a monocline, but seemingly not so at the 'type area' of the structure, Lapstone Hill.   The Lapstone Structural Zone is about 160 km long and runs N-S or slightly to the east of north.   It is crossed west of Sydney by several routes, old historic routes and new roads alike, and by the main western railway line which originally had both a zig-zag ascent west of Emu Plains (the 'Little Zig Zag') and also a zig-zag descent from the mountains plateau into the Lithgow valley (the 'Great Zig Zag').  

 

By parking at the Knapsack Gully viaduct (very limited parking at the main highway - more extensive parking at the old abandoned main road north of the viaduct) the main structural feature of the area, a narrow zone of steeply east dipping sandstone beds, may be examined.   Large rock bolts are seen anchored in the dipping beds, to lessen chance of dislodgements.  The nature of the zone of steeply inclined sandstone beds has been subject of geological theorising, and disagreement.  The theories on what it is have ranged, for well over a hundred years, from monocline to fault to other interpretations (e.g. drag zone on the western side of a steep reverse thrust). 

 

Knapsack Gully, its historic viaduct and a mysterious shaft

 

 

Routes westwards from Penrith.   This shows the railway line (unlabelled with medial line), north of which

runs westwards the "Old Bathurst Road" (once the main road to Bathurst), the "Great Western Highway"

route lying south of the railway line, and furthest  south the present main route, the M4 motorway  which

crosses the Nepean River at a more recent bridge near Leonay.  The re-routing of most traffic along

 this southernmost route by-passed use of the historic the Knapsack Gully viaduct.   Also the

construction of this road revealed that the subsurface structure of the face of the Mountains

here, long termed the Lapstone Monocline, is actually not any marked monocline at all,

and the new road cut mostly through gently dipping Mittagong Formation.

 

 

The Knapsack Gully viaduct is at "5" above.

 

 

       

 

   

 

A painting in "Full Steam Ahead Across the Mountains" by P. Belbin and D. Burke, 1981

 

 

Detail of the sandstone work, and showing  the later-added cantilever (extension decking).

 

The Knapsack Gully viaduct before and after it was completed in 1865, and an early train ascending.  This viaduct is held in high esteem by railway history buffs and the wider community, with widespread appreciation of its historic, aesthetic and technical qualities (prime workmanship, excellent stonemasonry).  The Railway Guide of New South Wales, 1879 described ascending via this viaduct as follows:  "You have by this time  arrived at the Knapsack Gully Viaduct - boldly erected across a steep and stony gorge by the genius of the Engineer in Chief, John Whitton. This admirable and imposing structure (which Imperial Rome might have been proud to claim) consists of seven successive arches".

The viaduct has 7 arches and the piers are up to 38 m high, above the creek bed.   It remains one of the largest and most impressive stone arch viaducts in NSW.   The viaduct was built to carry the railway line across the gully.   The sandstone viaduct was constructed 5.5m in width, sufficient only  to carry a single line of rail (it not being envisaged that communication over the mountains would ever demand more than this). The contract for its construction was let to W. Watkins in March 1863 and the work was completed in 1865.   It was used for the railway until 1913 when the railway was diverted to the current bridge.   In 1926 the viaduct was adapted to carry the main western highway, the Great Western Highway, up Lapstone Hill.  The deck was widened to 9.1 m in 1939 by means of a reinforced concrete cantilevered deck.  The highway was moved to align with the path of the M4 Motorway in 1993.   Since then the road over the viaduct has been abandonned and it now forms a convenient tourist walking trail along the face of this escarpment.

Where  the sandstone for the viaduct was quarried has not yet been determined but it thought not have been very distant.

The Great Zig Zag line above Lithgow was carried over three similar fine stone viaducts with 30-foot

semi-circular arches, similar as the Knapsack Gully viaduct.  ( Photo:  J. Payne )

 

The Knapsack Gully shaft (long viewed locally as something of a mystery - was if for coal exploration?)

A deep shaft occurs almost alongside the Knapsack Gully stone railway bridge, on the upstream side.    Is it possibly a well connected with early railway construction?    Or is it a mine shaft.   Local opinion has mostly regarded it as a coal or oil-shale seeking shaft.

The alternative to the mine shaft idea is that it might be that it was dug for water.  The construction of the railway up the face of Lapstone Hill could have brought hundreds of people to Lapstone, and the workers to large extent may have lived around a camp near their work sites, even with their families (as was commonplace for railway navies in the early years).  However, no location of any such camp seems to be known (REF: Aston, Nell, 1988.  "Rails, Roads and Ridges. History of Lapstone Hill-Glenbrook" [written for the Glenbrook Public School Centenary] ).

Doubtless many men worked on building the viaduct and rail line up Lapstone Hill.

In 2007 the Blue Mountains Council completed a draft management plan for Knapsack Reserve and considered the cost of fencing this shaft or otherwise making it safer against anyone accidentally falling in.

Doing such a plan of management is required under the Crown Lands Act for Crown reserves entrusted to local government Councils and such is integrated with the Local Government Act and other relevant legislation.   Funding for proposed works, however, is often in question.

In reviewing Knapsack Reserve, Council staff found that there are 39 heritage sites within the study area, three of which are on the register of the national estate, and considered that there was a general lack or insufficiency of interpretation available for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal heritage sites there.

The Glenbrook & District Historical Society became interested in the reviewing of the Reserve area and facilitated observation visits and walks in the area.   Council formed a Community Liaison Group for the area consisting of: 

- Interested residents;

- Glenbrook – Blaxland Cricket Club;

- Blue Mountains Soccer Club;

- Blue Mountains Dog Training Club;

- Glenbrook & District Historical Society;

- Western Sydney Mountain Bike Club;

- Western & Hills Orienteering Club;

- Knapsack Creek Gully Bushcare;

- Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council (DLALC);

- Darug Tribal Aboriginal Council (DTAC);

- Gundungarra Tribal Aboriginal Council (GTC);

- Councillors; and Blue Mountains City Council staff.

 

Submissions considered in regard to reserve management included the making safe of the shaft.   An earlier (1993) management plan for the Lapstone Hill area has been learned of, but it is not known yet if that includes awareness aware of the shaft or not.   Local residents have been aware of it for a long time.

 

Early local mention of the shaft is found in the Nepean Times in 1890:

 

1890

Knapsack Gully.

---------

One of the most beautiful pictures of Australian rural scenery can be obtained from Knapsack Gully.  Though rather a long walk from Penrith it is well worth the trouble of visiting to anyone having an eye to the beautiful.  Descending the gully and climbing part of the way up on the southern side the whole of Emu Plains lies spread out, its white houses peeping out from orchards and ornamental trees, its farms, paddocks and roads of all shades of colour bounded by the river winding about it like a broad silver ribband, while in the distance, the town of Penrith, edged by verdure clad hills make a finished picture of surpassing loveliness.  All this seen through the tall arches of the viaduct which rise from the valley, framing the view into a series of landscapes, each worth the pencil of a master hand.

We would advise anyone who has not yet been to the gully to take the first convenient opportunity of going there.  On second thought we withdraw that last sentence, for under present conditions we fancy that the trip would be rather dangerous.  When we visited the gully some time ago we were climbing up the side to obtain a more complete view of the town, when, on forcing our way through a small clump of bushes on the track leading to the top, we suddenly found ourselves on the verge of an old shaft.   Having recovered from the start we received at thus finding ourselves on the brink of the hereafter we examined the place to see if there were any diamonds or nuggets lying around loose, and not finding any came to the conclusion that someone had been sinking for coal (which surmise we afterwards found was correct.)   The shaft is entirely unprotected, and it struck us that there might be a dead body or two down there so we threw in some heavy rocks.  Receiving no reply, and as we could not catch the sound of stone as it reached the bottom, we came to the conclusion that the hole had no bottom (this surmise we found was not correct), but that the rocks were on their way through to England or somewhere.

It is perhaps the business of nobody in particular to see into such a case as this, but without doubt this shaft should be enclosed to prevent accidents.

 

Source:  The Nepean Times, 1 February 1890

A reference to this shaft also occurs in this "MOUNTAIN MURDER STORY?":  "Sunday saw the whole country studded with willing and anxious volunteers.  Inspector Latimer, and two other Parramatta police resumed the search.  Ropes were secured and after much difficulty, the immense shaft at the Knapsack was spanned by saplings felled in the vicinity, and the gully scoured from one end to the other.  This immense shaft proved to be only 130 feet deep, and Mr John Howlett was quickly lowered, but there was nothing on the bottom.  While engaged in getting this timber Mr J Vine had two of his fingers smashed.  After this search the party again went to the lagoon, and proceeded with the search".

From local obtained information it is thought the would have been formerly on private land belonging to the Want family (part of the still earlier John Lucas estate for which the small railway siding "Lucasville" had been built).   It may be on property once belonging to Randoph Want, a Sydney solicitor, and it is suspected it was he who had it sunk, apparently for oil shale.   The shaft is about 75 metres up the gully to the west of Knapsack viaduct.   Just as in the 1890 account people have in much later years continued throwing stones into it, large and small, to try and hear any noise of them hitting bottom - but apparently no noise was ever heard when that was done.   The fact  that the above ?nameless correspondent to the newspaper corrected initial surmise that the hole was bottomless, and thought they had learned it was for coal,  suggests that someone they enquired to must have then known details - like the approximate depth or history of it.   However this article unfortunately did not add in any such details or say who knew of the shaft.

In 2009 Mr Ted Matthews informed the writer that many years ago a group of cavers learned of this shaft and descended it.   They found it to be about a hundred feet deep and with neither water nor bad air at the base.

Also in 2009 the Glenbrook & District Historical Society Inc. sent the follow information which they had on the "Knapsack Gully Mineshaft":

 

""""""

During July 2006 an archaeological and heritage assessment was carried out on this area.  The mine shaft was included in that report.

 

Ownership history:   On 19th May 1885 Randolph Charles Want purchased 2 acres, 5 roods and 6 perches of land directly north of John Lucas' 45 acre grant and Lucasville.  The grant included the right to search, obtain and remove minerals in and under the land.  Parish maps also indicate that Want leased a further 20 acres directly north of Lucas' property.  The mining lease extended from the viaduct directly west along Knapsack Gully. ....  His purchase of allotment 41 and its mineral resources resulted in the attempt to find high quality shale [oil shale] - as evidenced by the mine shaft situated near Knapsack Creek.   On 19th February 1886, Want sold the land and mineral rights to Thomas Fisher of Sydney, Esquire.

 

""""""

 

 

Learned about in May 2010

 

By 2009 information on this shaft as possible coal exporation had been sought from mines department (now within Primary Industry department) with no result, nor could anything be learned about it from enquiry to Council.   All information so far has come via individuals.  

 

Information in 2009 that the shaft had been found to be about a hundred feet deep and with no water at the base, plus that mines department could not identify it, then had this writer thinking perhaps it was a failed attempt to procure a local water supply for when the first railway construction works were going on thereabouts.   

 

The above published piece by Mr G. Bunyan returns one firmly back to thinking this is a mining venture shaft.   But there are still now two versions to be checked - the Bunyan version that a Newcastle syndicate sunk the shaft about 1870 looking for coal, and another one that interests associated with Randolph Charles Want ca. 1885 began it for oil shale.    Subsequent to learning about this piece of writing on the shaft by Mr Bunyan, the following was also found in which Mr Bunyan added some more about it. 

 

""""""""""""""""

Public School Historical Excursion     Nepean Times August ?1950s (Need to check the year)

On Saturday August 16 a party of children from the Penrith Public School in charge of Mr A W Street set off  for Mr George Bunyan’s home at Emu Plains.  The bikes were stacked at his residence then the party  set off into the bush.   Mr Bunyan was the guide and many interesting spots were seen.

COAL SHAFT

In an isolated part of the bush just below the railway bridge across the Knapsack Gully, Mr Bunyan showed the site of a general store that had been constructed during the building of the railway across the Blue Mountain in the late 1860s.   From this spot the party had a tough climb under the two bridges across the Knapsack Gully, searching for the one and only shaft put down for coal in the district.

Mystery surrounds this venture, but Mr Bunyan supplied some facts which should help to lead to further information.  A company from Newcastle , wishing to eliminate some of the shareholders, commenced this shaft in the hope of losing some capital and thus causing a scare among the smaller shareholders.   The engineer in charge was told not to find coal, and having sunk the shaft for 700 ft decided that the drilling machinery was no good.  He ceased operations, although on good authority coal might have been found within another short distance.  However, the hole is still there and is about 400 feet deep, and caused no amount of anxiety until the party was well on its way to the old Zigzag railway.

LUCASVILLE

The remains of the station of Lucasville were still to be seen, and the party walked along the old line down to the present railway line.  En route, the magazine used by the workers was visited and appears to be very well preserved.

A piece of formed road, unknown to Mr Bunyan, was observed, and as it is on the site of Cox’s original road, there is much speculation as to whether a part of this once-famous road is at last to be found and marked as such.   Much research will have to be done, especially with the public relations officer of the Railway Department.

The party then proceeded to Edin Glassie Creek, which has always been a favourite spot with the children.  Here the usual cooked meals were soon underway and the pangs of hunger soon satisfied.

A very pleasant afternoon just scrambling through the bush and up gullies filled in the time.  The party returned along the overhead railway route to Mr Bunyan’s residence, where they sorted out their bikes and returned to Penrith.

""""""""""""""""

 

More -   For more developments, and information on additional aspects of Glenbrook area see glenbrook.htm  

 

 

 

 

GLENBROOK (South from)

 

The Red Hand Stencils (a.k.a. Red Hands Cave)

 

The Red Hands Caves is a smooth cave wall in Hawkesbury Sandstone, with some ironstone banding.   There have been found traces of occupation dating from 500-1600 BP or earlier.  It contains a prolific gallery of hand stencils in red ochre.   Some grinding grooves are also present nearby.

 

This large assemblage of colourful hand stencils is a well known and popular tourist destination.  It is said to have been located by a party on horseback in 1913 who were looking for a lost child at the time.  The site suffered some vandalism in or before 1934 and was later on heavily protected by caging, with a perspex viewing window.

 

 

 

 

 

Hand stencils at Red Hands Cave or Hands Cave near Glenbrook.    (Photo:  Angie Kaspere)

   

 

 

 

Similar hands may be seen on the other side of the world, at shown here at Cueva Manos Copia in Patagonia.

This illustrates what was locally said in 1924 (see article below) about such things being world-wide.

 

[ For some more red hands in the Sydney region see "An Aboriginal Cave near Woy Woy" by Anthony Dunk - http://adunk.ozehosting.com/redhandscavewoywoy/redhandscave.html - Also near Penrith, the Nepean

Times later reported (on 24/5/1930) "A little while ago Mr G Bunyan came across a cave at the bottom of

a gully in Staples Estate on the wall of which were red hand markings similar to those discovered by him

a few years ago in a cave in Glenbrook.   The anthropologist from the Museum came out and found

remains from native habitation such as stone axes and knives, which he took back with him. There

were 3 distinct aboriginal camping grounds at Emu - one in what is now Hollier's property, one on

the site of Mr Innes's, and the third where Mr Cashen has his orchard". ]

 

 

 

The below article appeared within a local newspaper, the "Nepean Times",  published at Penrith, on Saturday, 5th April, 1924:

 

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

1924

The Stencilled Hands

---------

Interesting Investigations at Glenbrook

-----------------

An Ancient Talismanic Rite

---------------

There is a cave at Glenbrook that will help to unfold to the investigator the story of the aboriginal race.  It has much of interest, not only to the ethnologist, but almost to any visitor.

 The cave faces due north, and is about four miles south by west from Glenbrook railway station.  It has on various occasions of late been visited by some local gentlemen, who found so much of interest in it, particularly the stenciled hands on the wall, that it was resolved to bring the matter within official cognizance.

 The prime mover in this matter was Mr G E Bunyan, of Emu Plains.  On more than one occasion he had made careful investigations in the cave, and, believing that it was worthy of scientific examination, communicated with the Director of the Australian Museum, and it was arranged that representatives of the Museum should journey to Glenbrook and visit the cave with some local folk who had taken the matter up.

 Accordingly on the 17^th  ult. R.W. W. Thorpe, ethnologist, and Mr. G. C. Clutton, photographer, from the Museum, travelled to Glenbrook, and there met a party comprising Messrs G E Bunyan, T Cornell, J Dunn, G K Bunyan, A. S. Gates (Penrith) and the representative of the ‘Nepean Times’.

The trip from station to cave was very strenuous, perilous climbs up and down the precipitous sides of gullies having to be negotiated.  It was a very rough ordeal for those of the party who had been more used to treading on velvet, but there were a couple of good bushmen in the party, to whom it presented no difficulties.  Jim Dunn, for instance, is a master at this kind of adventure, having roved mountain and dell on many occasions.  It is claimed that he was the discoverer of the cave the subject of this exploration, and on the wall there is an inscription which records the fact that he found the cave on 10/8/’13.  The enthusiasm of promoter G.E. Bunyan was also a welcome factor.

However, though bones were severely shaken, none was broken, and after about 1 ½ hours rough-tracking the cave was reached.  It is on the southern side of the third gully on the trip out.  It is 38 feet long, and has an inside depth of 11ft. 5 in.

On drawing close to the cave one’s interest was immediately aroused by the sight of a number of hand impressions on the wall, which are illustrated herewith.  Upwards of 45 hands are represented.

The party were fortunate in having among their number the two museum representatives, Messrs Thorpe and Clutton.  They have carried out some fine research work for the Museum, and recently returned from a trip to Lord Howe Island .  

Mr. Clutton took several photographs and Mr Thorpe imparted much valuable information on the discovery made.  To him we are indebted for the facts embodied in the following observations.

Let us first deal with the matter of the stencilled hands, those found in this cave being consistent with those found at various times in other parts of Australia.

Hand marks are usually produced by stenciling in the following manner:-  The extended hand is placed against a smooth moistened rock, and powdered material is blown from the mouth violently along the outline of the outstretched palm, when the space between the fingers and elsewhere around becomes covered with pigment.  Powdered charcoal produces black stencilled hands, while ochre or human blood makes the region of the hand quite ruddy.  The fact that the colour goes right through the rock has puzzled may observers, but the tint is that of the stone, and not the hand, as the above description proves.

The existence of the symbolical hand on rocks and caves in all parts of Australia has attracted great attention.  The hand is always in an uplifted position, and never horizontal, and in many places (as at Glenbrook) a large series is portrayed.

When questioned on the subject the aboriginal is evasive, or declares entire ignorance, but it is believed that they place them in the caves coloured white to ward off death, and red to protect them from the ‘evil eye’.  In this connection an analogous custom obtained amongst the blacks of Gippsland , Victoria.   The severed hand of a dead man was worn suspended under the armpit, and was said to warn the wearer of any danger by immediate pressure on the ribs.

The Cult of the Red Hand, either stencilled or impressed, is (or was), world-wide.  It occurs in Egypt , The Holy Land, Arabia, India , Babylonia , Phoenicia, and amongst the ruins of Mexico and Central America .  Speaking generally it is supposed to record some mysterious ceremony, or to symbolize some ancient deity.  Amongst the Red Indians it denoted supplication to the Great Spirit, and in Mexico it was a symbol of power and strength.  It occurs as far south as Peru.  In parts of Southern India it is placed on Brahmin houses to ward off the ‘evil eye’, and is variously styled the protecting or beneficent hand.  Amongst the Semitic people it typifies Divine Might and in Ancient Ireland was known as the ‘Lann Dergerina’ or Red Hand.

In the manner of the scientist Mr Thorpe pried into matters, and within the cave found many pieces of evidence of aboriginal customs.  Specimens of a ferruginious sandstone, from which the pigment that is used for blowing round the hand is obtained, were picked up.  By raking the floor of the cave several discoveries were made.  Small pieces of siliceous stone, harder than steel, were found.  These had been sharpened on one edge and used for flaking purposes – sort of primitive ‘pocket knives’ (if the association of a pocket with the uncivilized aborigine may be overlooked), by which probably possum-skinning and such work was carried out.  The stone of which they are made is foreign to this part of the country, so it is quite evident that it was brought from elsewhere.  The same may be said of the pigment.  A kind of stone pick-axe was found, also a flat-surface stone on which, with the use of the pick-axe the pigment was evidently ground.

Tomahawks of Nepean metal had previously been found in the vicinity.  Mr. G. E. Bunyan brought a particularly good one with him that had been lent by Mr. Jack Curry, of Emu Plains.  It has been in the possession of the latter’s family for about 100 years, but it is of a harder substance than the Nepean metal, and evidently came from the New England district.  About three months ago Mr. Bunyan found a broken tomahawk in the cave.

Pieces of wood that had quite obviously been chipped with native axes further interested the investigators.  Evidences of a fire were found in the cave, ad this prompts one to remark that the blackfellow’s idea of making a camp fire was somewhat different to the white man’s.  To quote the dark man: ‘White man make big fire, him get away from it.  Plenty smoke.  Blackfellow makes little fire, sleep round it.’  A couple of sticks at a time is sufficient for Jimmy’s blaze.

Black substance was found in the earth, and this was identified as burnt bones.  Maybe they were the remains of an original Australian who is even ore dead than Captain Cook – or maybe they were merely the last of a beast of the forest.

Mr. Thorpe expressed the opinion that this was not a permanent abiding place of the blacks, as there would be very little food to be got roundabout – only, perhaps, a few wallabies or badgers.  More likely this was a temporary abode en route to some more congenial home.

It was a day profitably spent from the point of view of research, and it is intended to pursue the matter further, for it is believed that other relics may yet be discovered in the locality.  It is an important matter from an ethnological point of view, and the suggestion is made that something be done to preserve the cave against the depradation of the vandal.

Mr. Bunyan has received official information that four of the relics discovered have been placed on exhibition in the Museum.

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[ Attention was drawn  to the above article by Mrs Patricia Curry - a member of the Glenbrook historical society and also related to persons mentioned in the article ..... viz. how Mr Bunyan had an inferred-from-New England axe loaned to him by a Mr Jack Curry.   Mr Bunyan was brother of the grandmother of Mrs Pat Curry's husband.   Pat Curry believes the "Jack" Curry referred to in the newspaper article is John Henry Curry.  As his family only came to Australia in 1840, and to Emu Plains around 1860, the  tomahawk might not have been in that Curry family's possession for 100 years in 1924 ("It has been in the possession of the latter’s family for about 100 years").  This might be just ' a good story' - unless perhaps it was found by a very early settler family around Emu Plains which 'Jack' Curry's family had married with and tallied as Jack's family.   If truly found about a hundred years previously then it means stone axes began being found in the area (then called the Castlereagh/Emu/Evan area before Penrith arose) about 1813, in the decade following first European settlement of this area. ]

""""""""""""""""""

 

 

Mr William Walford Thorpe referred to in the above article, and who contributed much to its composition, was the Australian Museum's first full-time ethnologist.  He was inducted and instructed in his position at the Museum  by Robert Etheridge Jnr. who was the first to publish on anthropological matters at the Museum.   Robert Etheridge Jnr. in was an Assistant in Palaeontology, eight years later a Curator, and in 1917 became the Director of the Museum.    In 1900 W.W. Thorpe, who had been labourer, watchman and gallery attendant, became assistant to Etheridge.  Then in 1906 a separate department of Ethnology was created with Thorpe, aged 26 years old, as its head. He received all his training from Etheridge (himself not an anthropologist or archaeologist) and stayed up until his death in 1932.   After seeing Red Hands Cave, Thorpe wrote on “Stencilled handmarks” in the Australian Museum Magazine, 1925, 2(7), pages: 253–254.

 

 

 

 

Some typical web comments on this rock art site.   (Photo:  Jeannie Fletcher ; copy of 

Jeannie's photo has also been archived by the National Library of Australia ).   

 

 

Late diagenetic or weathering-generated ferruginous banding in Hawkesbury Sandstone, 

near Red Hands Cave, Glenbrook.     (Photo:  Angie Kasler) 

 

 

Euroka clearing.  Diatreme.  Once Euroka Farm.  This is an equant area of about 12 ha, largely cleared and about 400m in diameter.  It is a very popular picnic area and has toilet and camping facilities.  Most evenings kangaroos converge on the clearing to graze the grass.  NPWS signposting saying this is a diatreme site, and had also been 'mined' (prospected) unsuccessfully for coal (small shaft sunk on an inclusion of coal in the breccia) and for diamonds.  Weathered breccia, some with concentric or onion-skin weathering, may be seen in the eastern bank of the creek on the south side of the clearing adjacent to Appletree Flat campsite.  David (1896. Royal Society of New South Wales, Journal and Proceedings, 30, 33-69) described the discovery of a coal seam here in 1895 and the sinking of a 12 foot shaft upon it, which showed the coal as narrow and lenticular and cutting out after a depth of about 6 feet.   According to David's sketch the coal was contained within a body of fine grained carbonaceous greenish grey sandstone located at the northern margin of the diatreme.  Such material, including coal and individual coalified trees (as at Hornsby diatreme) has generally been regarded as younger Mesozoic sediments which have subsided down the vent. 

 

Mount Portal Lookout.  This is a lookout over the Nepean River and the gorge of Glenbrook Creek which joins the river north of the lookout.  Atop of the hill at the lookout cobbles can be found showing that there is Tertiary gravel thereabouts (not visited, pers. comm. local information).  Also, just near the pillar at the lookout itself there is reported to be a good exposure of ripple marks on top of one of the beds of sandstone.  Distinct ripple marks are generally hard to find in the Hawkesbury Sandstone.   They are perhaps best known from towards the top of the formation.

 

 

 

GLENORIE

 

Maroota Forest - Shale, and possibly sandstone extracted in southern Maroota Forest (formerly Maroota State Forest - now transferred to Aboriginal ownership), Glenorie.  This area is accessed via Neich Road, and the quarrying was possibly active up into the 1970s (local infromation).  This was possibly at a site marked on the Wilberforce 1:25K map as "sandstone outcrop" with a large star on it (significance of which is unknown as a star symbol like this does not appear in the map legend).   The area is now overgrown and disused, located off to the NNW beyond the sealed end of Neich Road.  

 

    

 

Shale lens (bottom at left, top at right) at quarry face off Neich Road.

(Photos:  Tessa Corkill)

 

Following an information request to Baulkam Hills Shire Council in 2007, which was not successful in locating any knowledge of the quarrying, the above photos were obtained in March 2008 to better help locate and specify the sites.  Two shale quarries were found in a visit to the area off the end of Neich Road.   The time since abandonment could be gauged by the height of the young trees on the quarry floor.  The shale lens exploited is up to 7-8m thick.  The quarry face photographed is at GPS grid reference E311595 N6282570 (AMG map reference, Zone 65; on the Wilberforce 1:25K map sheet).  Another abandoned quarry noted is about 1 km to the southwest along another track and is probably at about the same elevation (ca. 100m ASL) and might possibly be the same shale lens.  The tracks to the quarries are shown on the 1:25K map.  Some of the shale lenses of the Hornsby Plateau area are thought to possibly extend over large areas; others are distinctly lenticular - there are no markers known to easily track continuity with.

 

Hidden Valley - At Hidden Valley, Glenorie, soil extraction in the 1980s (e.g. on the O'Donnell) property had legal action taken to curb it by Baulkham Hills Council, as part of that Council's general campaign against what it then termed "illegal and unapproved extractive industries" in the Shire.  

 

Halcrows Road - A small flagging stone quarry stone quarry was early established at Lot 1, DP 839228.  This was operated by Australian Sandstone Merchants; Jaclac P/L (Tony Francis).    This was later on also expanded into a source for block and cut stone.

 

Smallwood Road (off Halcrows Road) - Quarrying at Lot 11 DP630938 and  Lot 23 DP1002468 has been ongoing since 1943.  Early product was flagging stone from a ca. 6 m thick unit of planar cross-bedded sandstone.  Later on block dimension stone was produced from a massive unit.    Worked by Positive Earthmoving company.

 

 

GOSFORD

 

Gosford area is rich in quarries and is likely to expand in quarrying as the Somersby Plateau has been recognised as containing a very major sand resource useful for local and Sydney/Newcastle markets.   Local historians are thanked for providing some of the detail hereunder, especially Bob Pankurst who says "Quarries?  We've got a million of them".

 

Gosford is well known for SANDSTONE - paving, crushed stone and dimension stone (large cut blocks for construction, or slabbing):

 

Dimensional sandstone quarries near Gosford include the following:

 

The land covered by Permissive Occupancies Nos 55/113 Gosford, and 88/10 Gosford (Wondabyne), Gosford Quarries. 
The land covered by Permissive Occupancy No 66/91, Gosford (Somersby), Gosford Quarries. 
The land covered by Permissive Occupancy No 54/54, Gosford (Piles Creek), Gosford Quarries. 
Lots 11, 12, 13 and 14, DP 618324, Somersby, Tydds Quarry. 
Lot 1, DP 522099, Somersby, Melocco Quarries. 
The land covered by Permissive Occupancy No 79/104, Gosford (Mount White), Gosford Quarries. 
The land covered by Special Lease 1988/2 Gosford, (Somersby), Sandstones of Australia. 
The land covered by Special Lease 1973/7 (Lot 173, DP 755246), Quarry Road, Somersby, Gosford Quarries. 
( http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/srepn9i21995640/sch1.html )

 

Until these are sorted out to Lot/DP detail the records compiled as below may be a little in doubt as to precise localities.

 

Gosford quarry - Sawn sandstone quarry at John Whiteway Drive.   This quarry closed in 1974, after commencing in 1922.  It was for long the most highly mechanised sandstone quarry in Australia (MR3872).  Some of the cut faces remain and housing units now occupy the quarry floor are.   Henry Parry ran the company for 35 years or more.   By the 1950s the company had four operating sites around Gosford.    One (Wondabyne) railed stone blocks to Sydney for treatment and the others trucked cut stone blocks to the works at their first quarry immediately south of Gosford.   Later on the main works was transferred to Somersby at the junction of Acacia and Debenham Roads, Somersby.

 

 

(Photo: Spike)

 

Quarrying commenced in 1922 and the company was early known as "The Hawkesbury Sandstone Co."    The stone was first marketed as "Gosford Grey" brand sandstone.   Quarrying perhaps began at the northern end of the quarries area, near where the court house now stands at the corner of Henry Parry Drive and Donnison Street.  Manager Mr. A.K. Margin, engineer Mr. Douglas, and Mr. C.J. Parry foreman, in the 1960s.  About 1961 Gosford Quarries also began cutting stone at Maroubra, Sydney and later on it would seek to expand Australia-wide (this will not be covered here).   A corporate change occurred in ca. 1974 with Gosford Quarries Pty Ltd changing to Gosford Quarryinng Co. Pty. Ltd., manager Mr. L. Merenyi.   This change was short lived and in 1975 operations reverted to the older company name of Gosford Quarries Pty. Ltd., manager Mr. B. Holcroft.

 

By the 1950s the company employed up to 77 men at this site.   Some six electric cranes across the quarry transferred cut blocks across the quarry from the cutting faces to the gang saws.   After WWII the company supplied slabbed sandstone to Lae for soldier grave headstones.   By the 1960s quarrying at the main quarry had diminished, employing only six men and one 10 ton electric crane; as satellite operations expanded and replaced the main quarry which had limited expansion potential.  Besides the usual wire cutting of stone from the face, a new hydraulic stone splitting technique was trialled in early 1960s.   Sandstone crushing was also commenced and was yielding considerable product in the 1960s, mainly for road base use.   The initial crushing plant was installed at the main quarry in Gosford, and used for crushing overburden material.  In the 1970s some concrete plant operations were also installed at the main Gosford site as active quarrying there diminished (this plant was mainly fabricating concrete panels for building facings).  All quarrying had ceased at the "main quarry" by 1975..  

 

Cappers Gully quarry -  Opened or acquired by Gosford quarries.   Up to seven men, J. Robertson foreman, employed cutting blocks for the saws at Gosford.  Fide Bob Pankhurst, Cappers Gully is the next gully round from the original Gosford Quarries site in Gosford.  It is where Radio Station 2GO now has its buildings.  It was another quarry site which was also used as a rifle range.  The Gosford Small bore Rifle club had its range there till about 1950 (after that they moved from there to another quarry at Gosford below Batley Street which is now also built over. They then moved to the Gosford Brick Tile and Pipe quarry at West Gosford).

 

Piles Creek quarry - Opened or acquired by Gosford quarries as a satellite operation, about six miles from Gosford along the Pacific Highway towards Sydney.   Up to fourteen men employed in the 1950s-60s, producing as much as 5,000 cubic feet of sawn out blocks per month.    Three electric cranes in use at the quarry, and gang saws installed there, by late 1950s.  Mr W. Clark was manager, retiring due to ill health in 1960 and replaced by Mr. George Griggs.   Sawing was commenced at site, with two saws operating by early 1960s; one gang saw and one channelling machine in operation in 1965.   Three workmen and one caretaker were at Piles Creek in the 1970s.  "Sandstone from the Piles Creek quarry has been quarried and sought after for nearly 50 years because of the oxidizing characteristic of the deposit. The ‘cream’ range is lightly oxidizing and the ‘guinea gold’ is similar to the oxidizing sandstones of the Sydney ‘Yellow Block” region. The percentage composition of iron oxides and siderite is proportional to the degree of oxidization" Gosford Quarries..

 

Wondabyne quarry - Situated adjacent to Wondabyne station at Mullet Creek.   Gosford Quarries purchased this from Hawkesbury Sandstone Quarries Pty Ltd in 1956.   Quarrying was over a face 60 ft high, with seven employees, Mr S. Fry foreman.   Cut blocks were railed to the processing works at Johnson Street, Annandale; and gang sawing perhaps commenced there by 1959.  Operations continued into the 1960s with 3-4 men working there; one gang saw and one channelling machine in operation in 1964  (QR 88, Mines Department annual reports).    Wondabyne had ceased working in 1967, and was prepared for re-opening in 1977.

 

Somersby quarry/Tydds quarry/Kariong quarry - There are separate sites but at the moment many old records/mentions to 'Gosford Quarries' operations are so vague as to exact location that separate what was where, as referred to, remains difficult.   The main 'Somersby' site as referred to today is between Quarry Road and Pacific Highway, this being the current (2010) local head office and main factory site of Gosford Quarries.  However that site was formerly owned by "Sandstones of Australia" company.   Hence older references to the activities of Gosford Quarries at 'Somersby' would not refer to there.  Gosford Quarries began cutting blocks at 'Somersby', about two miles from their Piles Creek quarry, closer to Gosford, in 1959.   In the early 1960s three to four men were employed here cutting sandstone blocks.  One electric crane of 100 ft jib was erected and the cut out blocks transported to Gosford for sawing.   In 1964 a "Somersby No. 2" quarry was opened half a mile east of the first site, and employing five men by 1966.   Four men working at Somersby in 1974, by which time it had been decided to transfer there all of the company's operations from the main Gosford quarry site (stone cutting and sawing, rock crushing and concrete slab casting).   The company by mid 1970s owned 4 hectares of land here.   The sandstone crushing plant from Gosford was transferred to this site in late 1974.   By 1975 the sawing equipment from Gosford had been transferred here, and by then the site had four men quarrying, six on the saws, four others in workshops, and one manager.   After mid 1970s the 'Somersby' and 'Karyong' quarries are seen separately referred to (exact localities not yet sorted out).  The Somersby quarry is also referred to as Acacia Road; and in the 1980s as "Tydd's quarry" or ex-Tydd's.    The 'Kariong' quarry by 1981 was apparently being used only for crushed sandstone.

 

Laterite quarry, Somersby -  Situated at Henson's Road and held under P.L.L. 3463 (1906) by D.C. Pfeiffer (Royalty records).   Worked for road materials, scraped up by bulldozer.

 

 

Hawkesbury Sandstone concretions - 

 

There appear to be few references to concretions in the Triassic sandstones of the Sydney Basin.  Good examples have been found at Wondabyne quarry, which is in the upper Narrabeen Group; and a horizon rich in concretions that are likely more weathered or leached occurs near the top of the Hawkesbury Sandstone and could possibly be widespread.  Brenda Franklin referred to the presence of carbonate concretions in "Stone - The role of petrography in the selection of sandstone for repair" (Seminar on conserving historic building fabric, Sydney, April 13-14, 2000) but did not state any specific occurrences.  

 

 

 

The concretions bearing interval is well exposed along Woy Woy Road. Top photo

is near Lyre Trig and bottom one is about 250m NE of Staples Lookout along

Woy Woy Road (Lat 33.47585, Long 151.29257 deg).  There is also

regular polygonal jointing on the high points of sandstone hereabouts

(Photos: Shaun Bourke, above; Ray Norris, below) 

 

 

Same area - 50m east of Woy Woy Road on the western slope of Mt Lyre,

viewed looking north.  (Photo:  Bob Pankhurst)

 

 

Weathering-out of a concretion, at the Calga Springs engravings site,

Australian Wildlife Walkabout Park, just off F3 Freeway at Calga.

(Photo: Ray Norris) 

 

 

Concretion with some concentric layering from near Calga

(Photo/info:  Dave Pross/Bob Pankhurst)

 

 

A similar small spheroidal sand body south of the Hawkesbury River, at the Elvina Track engravings site; accessed via first car park on the right after toll booth at West Head Road, in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (Lat 33.64365, Long 151.26398 deg).  This area is described, and suggested to be an "Astronomical map" site in Peter Stanbury and John Clegg's 1990 book "A field guide to Aboriginal rock engravings" (page 20); and it is also stated therein

"It has been suggested that the holes [15-20 cm in diameter and 3-7 cm in depth] mark the position

of astronomical bodies and that the whole area is a celestial map". 

(Photo: Ray Norris) 

 

 

Comparison.  Concretions, with haematite concentration, formed in the terrestrial (aeolian)

Navajo Sandstone of Utah.  (Photo:  Geology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City)

 

 

The Box Head "Fossil Trees"

 

These are one of the more enigmatic features known in the area.  Whoever discovered them is unknown and they have generally been overlooked by geologists.   They were first brought to attention in an article by Tasman Walker in 2003 in creation geology literature, in pamphlets and a magazine; and are somewhat similar to vertical cylinders at a well known exposure (a popular tourist attraction 'fossil forest') at Cape Bridgewater near Portland, Victoria, which had earlier on (1996) also been considered in creationist literature ("Enigmatic fossil structures found in the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation of Cape Bridgewater, Victoria, Australia" - Clyde L. Webster, Jr.; Origins 23(1), pp. 50-60).

 

The bodies at Box Head are highly ferruginous cylindrical structures, first interpreted as fossil trees, were described briefly, with a photo published, in 2003.  They are at Box Head, standing upright in Narrabeen Group sandstone.  An excursion to there in November 2007 found the features to be enigmatic and lacking in any distinctive wood-like features.  Also, there is quite a diversity of concretionary iron oxide manifestations in the same host unit of sandstone, as an excursion to examine the "trees" discovered.  Some photos taken on that excursion are below.  The excursion was organised by Peter Adderly, who may be contacted for further discussion of the area, viz. - http://www.acay.com/~adderley

 

The 2007 excursion members thought the objects were concretionary rather than fossil trees - a with a wider variation of forms was found to be present there in the sandstone than just the very regular cylindrical tree-like ones first illustrated.

 

 

Aerial view over Box Head looking south across Broken Bay to Barrenjoey.  The approach road, Hawk Head Drive (fire trail not suitable for all vehicles), is shown and where it reaches a NPWS gate.

Beyond that there is a further considerable walking distance to reach Box Head. 

(Photo:  Peter Adderly, Box Head excursion organiser, November 2007)

 

 

Walking routes beyond the NPWS gate.  Ascent is gentler from Tallow Beach.  The 

prominent jointed sandstone unit with vertical faces rising from sea level is the unit

with much concretionary iron oxide, some of it as distinctly cylindrical bodies.

The sandstone unit is Unit "M" of the Terrigal Formation in the below N-S

vertical section by McDonnell (1980).  (Photo: Peter Adderley).

 

 

McDonnell, K.L., 1980.   Notes on the depositional environment of the Terrigal Formation.

New South Wales Geological Survey.  Bulletin 26, pp. 170-176.  

 

 

Further north Unit "M" could be expected to outcrop in some of the creeks

within Bouddi National Park, inland from the coast and below the

Hawkesbury Sandstone cliffs.  (Photo: Peter Adderley)

 

 

 

Ditto enlarged.  (Photo: Peter Adderley)

 

 

Eastern side of Box Head, looking south.   The site of the ferruginous cylinders seen below

is about 100m around the headland and about 15m above sea-level, fide Peter Adderley.

(Photo:  Tessa Corkill, 2007)

 

 

The existence of the Box Head "fossil trees" structures was first published on in 2003.

(This photo, taken by Andrew Taylor, was published by Tas Walker in 2003)

 

 

Photo of the site by Tessa Corkill, on an excursion convened by Peter Addely in November 2007

to visit these structures (then thought to be fossil trees).  Avalon headland is on horizon to south.

 

 

The ferruginous pipe-like concretions seen close up.  This close, it can be seen that the 

sandstone crossbedding passes through them, and that they cannot be after trees.

(Photo:  Chris Herbert)

 

 

 

Cylinders in recent sand.   Cape Bridgewater "Fossil Forest" near Portland, Victoria

 

  

 

Cape Bridgewater cylinders considered in "Enigmatic fossil structures found in the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation of Cape Bridgewater, Victoria, Australia" by Clyde L. Webster, Jr. in Origins 23(1):50-60 (1996).

 

As shown in the above photo, the Cape Bridgewater cylinders may also have internal concentric lamination, although they seem more often to not have such and to weather out hollow. 

Cylindrical structures in calcareous sands and in aeolianite are know around much of the Australian coast, especially the southern and western portions.   These have often been thought of as tree like.  One  likely mention of the 'fossil forests' such as these  is that by Charles Darwin during his voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle:

One day I accompanied Captain Fitz Roy to Bald Head; the place mentioned by so many navigators, where some imagined that they saw corals, and others that they saw petrified trees, standing in the position in which they had grown. According to our view, the beds have been formed by the wind having heaped up fine sand, composed of minute rounded particles of shells and corals, during which process branches and roots of trees, together with many land-shells, became enclosed. The whole then became consolidated by the percolation of calcareous matter; and the cylindrical cavities left by the decaying of the wood, were thus also filled up with a hard pseudo-stalactitical stone. The weather is now wearing away the softer parts, and in consequence the hard casts of the roots and branches of  the trees project above the surface, and, in a singularly deceptive manner, resemble the stumps of a dead thicket.

N. Boutakoff (1963, not seen) apparently concluded that the popular name "Petrified Forest" was justified, even if the mechanics of formation was uncertain.   [ REF:  Boutakoff N., 1963.  The geology and geomorphology of the Portland area.  Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Victoria 22, pp. 52-58. ]

Generally such Quaternary features have been attributed to either trees (stem/trunk concretions) or solution pipes without any necessary connection to trees.   One of the first to develop the solution pipe idea was Julian Edmund Woods in his 1862 "Geological Observation in South Australia",  generally thought that no such pipes found in the calcareous sands was of 'fossil forest' nature: 

Then, with regard to the concretions, whatever may be the case with those in Western Australia, nothing but a very superficial observation would bear out the notion that they have ever been trees or roots ; though they certainly have a strong resem- blance in their roundness, and in the inequalities of the surface which give the appearance of bark : for, on being traced down, they generally continue for twenty feet without a change in their diameter, unless to become a little wider. Again, most of them at some part of their course get accessions from other percolations, and then go down in the form of fluted columns, which is hardly consistent with the notion of their being casts of trees. One would certainly expect to find also some trace of their vegetable origin, even though they be casts and not silicified trees, but nothing of the kind ib seen, On breaking them, the interior is found to be a compact magnesian limestone, just what the filtra tion of water holding lime and magnesia in solution would occasion. I have been often taken to see what have been termed fossil trees in the crag, but have always returned disappointed. Sometimes persons have shown me circular holes, about a foot in diameter, lined with concentric rings of limestone, and I have been asked, did I not consider them to be casts left by the trees which have rotted away? But, how- ever delusive the appearances were, a reference to the sea-coast showed the holes to be analogous to the 'sand-pipes' spoken of in a former chapter. Near the sea they may be noticed of various depths, from one foot to five, and even more. They are always lined with concentric laminae of stone.

As Julian Edmund Woods argued, and as others have similarly done for vertical cylinders elsewhere in the world in sandstone, great vertical extent may sometimes diminish or remove the possibility that trees were involved in the genesis of the features.  What the situation may beat Box Head in regard to the vertical extent of the features there has not yet been explored.

 

 

A comparable feature in South America, the "canon" at Sete Cidades National Park,

Piauí State, Brazil.  The sandstone is Devonian.  The "canon" are described

as iron oxide concretions inside fluvial deposits with conglomeratic

sandstone and trough cross-bedding.

 

 

 

Box Head.   Another iron oxide cylinder viewed from above; again showing cross-bedding

of the sandstone passing through the cylinder.   (Photo: Tessa Corkill, Nov 2007) 

 

 

 

For comparison:  At Box Head only the concretionary form is cylindrical and the sand inside of the 

cylinder shape is undisturbed.  Thus the bodies are quite unrelated to many other reported pipe

structures in sandstone attributed to phenomena like dewatering.  Above is one such pipe-like

formation in the Early Jurassic Navajo Sandstone of the Colorado Plateau.  Such pipes may 

reach immense size.  (Paul Ostapuk, Glen Canyon Natural History Association)

 

 

 

Circular banding in sandstone, Little Tallow Beach.  Box Head in background.

(Photo: J. Turner)

 

 

Typical Leisegang banding in sandstone such as seen here (North American example)

also occurs in Narrabeen Group sandstone at Gosford.  But is it often as finely

and evenly laminated as in the Box Head concretionary bodies?

(Phote:  Marli Miller, University of Oregon)

 

 

 

 

Leisegang banding, at a headland near Maitland Bay.  In this case

the banding is obviously of late stage formation, and postdates 

the formation of joints in the rock

(Photos:  Larry Barron, 2007)

 

 

Symmetrical iron oxide banding on each side of a vertical joint in the sandstone where the

two "tree-like" vertical cylinders were first noted.

 

 

Pipe in the Early Devonian Muth Formation sandstone, northern India.

Interpreted as a subaqueous artesian spring structure .

 

DRAGANITS, E., GRASEMANN, B. & SCHMID, H.P. (2003): Fluidization pipes and spring pits in a Gondwanan barrier-island environment: Groundwater phenomenon, palaeo-seismicity or a combination of both? In: Van Rensbergen, P., Maltman, A.J. & Morley, C.K. (eds.): Subsurface Sediment Mobilization. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 216, 109-121.

(Download - www.ig.tuwien.ac.at/draganits/pdfs/2003_Draganits_et_al_sandpipes_Geol_Soc_Spec_Publ.pdf  4 Mb )

 

The laminations in the Box Head pipes appear to be quite secondary (concretionary) and not to be of the fluidisation pipe type.

 

 

 

Very fine concretionary lamination in the sandstone, Little Tallow Beach. 

Seen transecting sedimentary lamination at upper right.

(Photo: J. Turner)

 

 

A cylindrical body weathering from the the sandstone, and seen to be composed of such finely

laminated concretionary structure.  Photo by Peter Adderley (2007) on excurion to Box Head

walking south from Little Tallow Beach (and who noted "the further towards Box Head we

ventured the more of these strange concretions we saw").

 

 

The concretionary ironstone bodies may be weathered out as extending 20-30 cm above

the surface of the sandstone.  (Photo:  Peter Adderly, 2007)

 

 

 

An example with some enveloping of less regular concretionary iron oxide layering.

(Photos:  Peter Adderly and Chris Herbert, 2007)

 

 

Blunts Quarry, fossil fish etc. - Hundreds of fossil fish were found in Blunt's Quarry, in beds near the top of the Narrabeen Group.  Blunt's quarry, opened by the railways contractor Mr Blunt ca. 1886 to supply broken stone for ballast, was a line-side quarry situated just to the north of Gosford railway station on the western side of the line. A sandy shale and mudstone unit was met with in the quarry, about 1.5m thick, which was found to have a 15 cm thick layer that was very rich in fossils. The fossil fish occurrence was reported to the Geological Survey in late 1886. In 1887 a specimen from Gosford (likely from this site) was exhibited at a Linnean Society of New South Wales meeting.  The specimen showed two fossil fish and also what looked like a tadpole.  This "tadpole", perhaps a labryrinthodont at the tadpole stage of life, has since been lost track of, and is presumed discarded or lost (although it could still be in some private collection somewhere?). Over the 1880-1890s, the Geological Survey (Mr C. Cullen) collected over 400 fossils from the quarry, mostly fish but also four labryrinthodonts and other fossils. Of the 14 fish species present one is a lungfish, named Gosfordia.

 

Coal - Coal has been mentioned to occur as follows, in the book:  Swancott, C., 1954. The Brisbane Water Story. Part 2 - Woy Woy & Hawkesbury River. Brisbane Water Historical Society.

- Page 53 records that:  Lou Dillon took up a selection called "Cedar Brush" a half mile from salt water up Patonga Creek. George Dillon had 40 acres on Patonga Creek above Lou's property and here found coal in the creek bed.  He later leased this property to the Caloola Club of bushwakers.

- Page 105 records that:  According to Billy Strachan who worked in the Woy Woy tunnel a seam of coal was encountered during the excavation of the tunnel.

 

Woy Woy - Thick limonite capping developed upon a weathered intrusion.  [Has been mined?]

 

Woy Woy basalt - Perhaps near to or the same as the above?   A basalt quarry was started in 1927 at the current tip site, South Woy Woy, by Basalt Quarries Ltd.  There was a small gauge railway link to the main line somewhere near the mouth of Woy Woy Tunnel.  The blue metal operation only ran for 2 years then shut down.   The area is in Brisbane Water National Park accessed through Woy Woy Tip.

See under WOY WOY for continuing consideration of this.

 

 

 

GOSFORD-WYONG

 

Fishermans Bay.  In the mouth of the creek is an engraved boulder surrounded by an Anadara shell accumulation 1.3m deep.  Numerous stone tools have eroded out of foreshore deposits in this area.  Most artefacts are igneous.  Some are silcrete.

 

 

 

GOSFORD SHIRE

 

QUARRIES ---

 

"Quarries?  We've got a million of them"  ( Gosford area historian Bob Pankhurst)

 

 

 

 

The top thirteen big present day quarry areas of the Gosford district are shown here, with their operators .   

(Source:  NSW Government, M. Moore 2004, Sydney Extractive Materials Strategy Study)    

 

The Draft Gosford Local Environmental Plan 2009 lists the following places of known or likely relevance to the current GEO-SITES compilation, as "Schedule 5 - Environmental heritage":

 

 

That is the only quarrying site at present (2010) listed but there would be many quarrying sites in the shire; including some which are well known about for having yielded fossils (but whose localities are not yet known here).

The Gosford heritage list seems to have no non-plant natural heritage listed at all yet.

 

What sort of information Council holds on the quarries at Mullet Creek (Wondabyne) was sought (April 2010).

 

Other queries which have been made to Council have included about the the tree like cylindrical concretions at Box Head, seeking quarry and fossil sites (e.g. the 'famous' Gosford fish find of the 1800s and the later found fish at Somersby), unsual circular markings on sandstone (snames), etc. [Including specifically, who operated the quarries around the area east of the basalt quarry (now Woy Woy tip) - there is one just west of Staples Lookout (operated at one stage by Gosford Brick) which now seems to have been totally filled, and another larger one just to the south of there (where the Tunnel Track goes past) which is still partially open and contains water.  And also, further downslope from there is seen a large quarrying or stripping scar immediately to the right of the entrance to Woy Woy tunnel, looking towards Sydney.]

 

GOULBURN

 

It is known that brickmaking was underway at Goulburn by 1884 by Francis Gulson, and by two or three others in the district.  It is presumed that the first Gulson site is that which is still known as Gulson's brickworks.  However Gulson's have extracted clay from a number of localities over time.

 

 

 

 

Gulson Brickworks

 

 

Gulson's Brickworks site, pre-2008.  Originally a large pit in weathered Silurian siltstone,

now partially filled in.   The demolished oblong (kiln) along the northern

precinct boundary is presumably what's seen in the below view. 

 

Some time prior to 2005 a "Gulson's Craft Village" was also developed, at the buildings to the NE of the (solitary) chimney in the above photo.  

 

 

Gulson's brickworks at time of demolition in 2005

(Photo:  Goulburn Post)

 

 

Close-up of the chimney top, 2001  (Photo:  Sylvia Brook).

 

So far, only disjointed snippets have been gathered about this site, which is presumably where  Francis Gulson began brickmaking in 1884.   It may also have been an early pottery making place.  Newer kilns were built ca. 1910.  Barbara Alfred's ca. 1978 thesis at UNSW on history of terra cotta might cover the pottery phase(?).

 

The Powerhouse museum has a piece of their work [item A8163], a garden edging tile, excavated from an old refuse dump at the site and guessed to date from around 1910. 

Some information is in Goulburn and the Southern Highlands: An Illustrated History from the Early Pioneering Period, by  Graham Wilson (1916).   According to that, the Gulson's Brick & Pottery Co. was was formed in July 1913 and during that  year had erected machinery to the value of £2200.  That date given, 1913, is later than other dates suggested, and perhaps is just be a re-constitution or enhancement of an operation that already existed.  The entry in Wilson (1916) is that the works were then (1913) capable of producing from 50,000 to 60,000 machine made bricks a week, besides all classes of pottery pipes, tiles, etc.

It was intended to erect pipe making and other machinery shortly.  The Secretary is Mr Cecil F Adams, and the registered office of the Company is in Montague Street, Goulburn.   It was noted that "Two or three other brick-making enterprises are carried on with good opportunities for successful operations". .

The brickworks probably worked till relatively recent times but it is not known when it closed.  The brickworks were visited in September 1982 by the Nepean District Historical Archaeology Group, who might have made some notes.  The land was later sold to Bramco Holdings Pty Ltd, and/or Goulburn Recyclers.  Much of the site has likely been destroyed by now, but some aspects have been retained as a crafts centre - Gulson's Craft Village.

 

Miles Lewis, architectural historian at Uni of Melbourne, has collected images from brick and tile manufacturories etc., including Gulsons. He has research databases and likely has something on the site.  He is doing "Australian Building a Cultural Investigation" - a survey of building methods in Australia from the beginning until about the 1950s.   His section on brick and tile making is at:

http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/staff/milesbl/australian-building/pdfs/bricks-tiles/bricks-tiles-brick-making.pdf

This records that Francis Gulson introduced dry pressing at Goulburn in 1913 (which in turn comes from Gemmell's "And So We Graft", p 81.).

 

 

GRANVILLE

 

Duck River brick clay.  The railway from Sydney to Parramatta was commenced in 1850 and seven brickfields were opened along the route.  The line would require large amounts of bricks for construction work.  In 1854 it was recorded that the best bricks on the line were being made at Duck River (Report of Select Committee on Roads and Bridges.  NSW Legislative Council Votes and Proceedings 1854).  The line opened in 1855 and the Sydney Morning Herald described the route.  Referring to the gentle curve just west of present Cyburn station, it noted: "Curving to the left we pass over Duck Creek from here it is a straight two mile run to Parramatta.  Beside the track are heaps of burnt clay which was used for Railway ballast" (Preston 1980, p.49).  What the reporter saw may have been waste from the brickmaking operation.   Presuming the reporter sat on the left hand side on the trip to Parramatta, for a better view (the right hand side would have faced other trackway), this early kiln operation was likely on the southern side of the railway line.   Later quarrying at Duck River was on the northern side of the line.

 

 

 

GROSE VALE

 

Burralow Creek - This creek, west of Grose Vale, is thought to have been affected by the Burralow Fault which is downthrown to the west, resulting in the formation of an accumulating peat swamp.

 

 

 

GUILDFORD(?)

 

Cobbity Claystone Bed - A 2.5 to 5 cm thick 'white clay seam' encountered in the Pipehead-Potts Hill tunnel may be the Cobbitty Claystone Bed (Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board, Drawing Numbers G26-49-9 and G26-49-10).

 

 

 

GYMEA BAY

 

Natural stone bridge - Sutherland Shire Council Environmental Services Division, reporting on an area south of the railway line at Gymea (File 97/0979), noted that there is a natural stone bridge in bushland off North West Arm Road.  There are probably few of these around Sydney.   Another one is at Longueville,

 

Parallel sides suggestive of joint control.   (Photo: SSEC)

 

 

The stone bridge over Dents Creek.  (Photo: Sydney Mail, 27 Jan 1926)

 

 

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