I had suggested to Bob, that we visit the site of an old sawmill in a gully north of Faulconbridge sometime. The path to the sawmill is via the route used by an old funicular railway. By the time we got around to making the visit, Bob had expanded our activity to a longer bushwalk that would take us to a number of interesting sites.
Bob and myself started from Faulconbridge Station, and walked along the highway for a while. Our track to the sawmill site starts from the end of Highland Road, but before that we visited an interesting aboriginal site at Ticehurst Park.
The aboriginal site features a number of well, axe sharpening grooves and a number of engravings, including three of emus.
At the end of High view Road, we then followed the old funicular railway path. At the top, is the site of a winding motor used to haul up the timber. The logs must have been placed on some type of skip which then went up wooden rails – many of them on trestles.
Its a straightforward descent and its easy to see cuttings made in the stone. No sign of the rails or trestles remain however.
Its at the bottom that you can find some relics. Old railway wheels, bits of cable, and a large old boiler. This boiler must have produced steam for a steam engine used to power the saws.
I can remember visiting the sawmill site many years ago, when I was a child. Then, it was a barn like structure – with posts holding up a corrugated iron roof. This would have been in the same location as the boiler. Presumably it has been burnt down by bushfires and the iron sheets rusted away.
We then left the sawmill and started ascending to the ridge to its north. It was a steep climb with a number of small cliffs to negotiate higher up. We found some rock orchids on the way.
Cestichis reflexa
On top of the ridge, at a high point, we found an old cairn. A little further along, we found the remains of a helium party balloon. All too often, unfortunately, we find these in the remote bush.
We then had about 2 kms of scrubby ridge to negotiate before we reached the firetrail north of Linden.
We followed the firetrail south, but along the way, we visited some rock platforms on either side. On one, we located an old convict era engraving. It spent out “4 KOR”, which may stand for “For Kings Own Regiment”.
Not far past this, we turned off and followed a creek down to Woodford Creek. It was quite a steep scrubby descent. On the way, we were surprised to find a small dam in the creekbed made from rocks cemented in place. below this was a plastic house leading off. Perhaps the water supply for an old plantation?
We crossed Woodford Creek just above its junction with Hazelbrook Creek, and followed a ridge up to the firetrail that eventually joins up with Winbourne Road. It was then an easy walk to Hazelbrook Station.
The dry creekbed of Woodford Creek – below Woodford Dam
Fascinated by the 4KOR engraving you came across. The 4th Kings Own Regiment was in New South Wales from 1832 to 1837. In Springwood Cemetery is the grave of Private Francis Smith, of the Regiment who served in the military stockade on the western road at Springwood and died in 1836.
http://bmlocalstudies.blogspot.com/2013/06/private-francis-smith.html
Helen, Springwood
Thanks for that information.
Hi David
My son and Myself walked down to the old sawmill site today. We could not find the boiler. I found the set of wheels you have pictured and also another 2 sets in the creek. Where is the boiler from the wheels?
The boiler is above the creek – the side creek, on the north bank, perhaps 50m from the junction.
Dave,
Did you leave the ribbons and the cairns especially for me?
No – left by others
I would love to do this walk. Do you have a map or directions
No I don’t have a map showing where we went – but two parts were off track and involved some scrambling and some scrub. The route to the saw mill is very easy, and once on the ridge to the west – there is an easy route to the Woodford Dam – and then fire trail walking to Hazelbrook. That still leaves one tricky bit from the saw mill to the top of the ridge above the dam – and that is best worked out using a topographic map.
Hi Dave,
The route to the sawmill, what’s the estimate time of reaching it on track?
I would say about 30 minutes to an hour.
I found the cable first, then a huge metal plate. I then looked up to see the boiler. Once I arrived at the boiler other things began to appear, the crankshaft and pipes and other rusty metal objects. My biggest find was, I actually found part of the railway track. It wasn’t too far from the boiler. The carriage wheels in the creek I found last. Couldn’t find the one out of the water. The best day I’ve ever had in the Blue Mountains and I have hiked many trails and seen many wonders.