Heritage Ventures
Deep Time Sandstone Country:
On Foot with a Geologist
tour leader
Gil Jones
destinations
Hawkesbury River, Devines Hill, Finchs Line, Old Great North Road, Darkinyung Country.
time & date
9.00am - 4.00pm
Saturday 19th April 2025
fitness level
Moderate to Hard, mainly along fire trails includes some steep slopes, scrambling and climbing over loose surfaces
10 kms
ticket price
$85.00 plus booking fee
highlights
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Morning tea at the Hawkesbury River cafe
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Explore the Old Great North Road with a geologist tracing
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Panoramic views over the Hawkesbury landscape to the Blue Mountains
the tour
Gathering at the convict road kiosk for morning tea join geologist and author Gil Jones to discover the story of sandstone along the Old Great North Road. Our tour takes us along the Old Great North Road at Devine's Hill where we trace the sandstone past from present day to Gondwana over 200 million years ago. Walking upslope we pass by convict built culverts and retaining walls many dating back to 1828 and higher up view evidence of axe grinding grooves in sandstone outcrops. UNESCO world heritage listed. by convict road and iron gangs an abundance of native flora including fern gullies , banksia, and angophoras, on the way spotting birds and the tracks of mammals. High on the ridge at the headwaters of Mill and Gunderman creeks we arrive at an extensive plateau showing evidence of deep history. Hear about McCarthy's explorations around Flat Rocks Ridge and other galleries between Gunderman and Mangrove Creek with Paddy Pallin in the 1940s.
the guide
Gil Jones trained as a geologist, specialising in Sydney sandstone. He has lived for over forty years in the Macdonald Valley exploring the rugged country on foot concentrating in the last decade on researching and writing about Darkinjung culture expressed in the rock engravings, cave paintings and place names Gil is joined by local historian Dr Bernadette Flynn who brings a rich knowledge of the public and social history of the Mangrove Creek catchment area.
