The Network of Bridle Tracks of South-East New South Wales.

In the area south and east of Braidwood to the coast there still exists a network of bridle tracks that were vital in the development of settlement and trade for the area. These tracks preceded the roads and provided the most direct routes for travelling from one place to another, moving supplies and livestock. Many remained in use after the invention of motorised transport, as the most convenient way to properties not serviced by roads. 

Enthusiastic horse riders still like to use them today, but unfortunately horse access in some cases is prohibited by wilderness declaration. The Wilderness Declaration was made with little or no regard to the existence of these historical tracks and this was the driving force in the creation of Access for All

By using the Deua River Track, as an example we can understand how the tracks were networked.

“This land is mine and my children’s by moral right. We use it!”

Myles Dunphy, the father of NSW conservation, 1920.

Although that statement was made nearly 100 years ago many Australians still feel strongly about their sense of place and bond with their country. Heritage and the freedom is important to us.

Changes for Horse Riding in Wilderness Areas of National Parks

Updating the Oral History of the Bridle Track Network in SE NSW

The 2015 meeting with Access for All and National Parks was followed by a meeting with interested parties as to the progress of collecting and collating oral history regarding the bridle tracks in the southern region.

Previously NPWS had commissioned Susan Dale Donaldson to record individuals with knowledge of the tracks. The interviews are almost complete except it was decided to add two more, Beryl Schaeffer and Myrtle Collett. Unfortunately interviewing Myrtle is currently not possible.

Further historical research is to be undertaken by NPWS on the W.D.Tarlinton Track by Rob McKinnon using the State Library and archives. The ultimate aim is to seek funding to publish the work.

It was stated that the two year program for horse riding in wilderness areas has now passed the half way mark. Monitoring from the four trial state wide locations currently underway is being collated and analysed against the thresholds set during the workshop process. Workshops were conducted in Hurstville, Narooma, Jindabyne and Armidale and assisted by the University of Melbourne facilitators.

In accordance with the OEH scientific rigour statement, the peer reviewed data will be made publically available on OEH website at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/policies/HorseRidingTrial.htm

The release of information on the OEH website including the University of Melbourne threshold report is scheduled for the end of May 2015. Further information on the pilot program for horse riding in wilderness areas is available from the OEH website including a survey for people using the tracks and trails in the trial locations. 

As from 12th April 2014 three of the historic bridle tracks in the Deua and Monga National Parks became available to horse riders for a trial period of two years.

These are the Shoebridge Track, W.D.Tarlinton Track and Georges Pack Track.

Further details of these trials can be found on the National Parks website HERE

Time flies when you are having fun and the first year of the trial has already passed. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is a trial only. The tracks are being closely monitored for environmental damage. According to Tim Shepherd, Regional Manager NPWS for South Coast, “The trial will be monitored during the two year period, and 16 monitoring sites have been established and baseline data collected. Monitoring data and outcomes will be available on OEH website at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/policies/HorseRiding.htm.”

At the time of writing there are no reports of the monitoring either good or bad on the website. There are some sceptics amongst us who are not confident that the outcome will be decided within the proposed two year time frame, as promised. For this reason we must maintain our vigilance.

The Corn Trail linked the tablelands of Braidwood and the Monaro to the coast.

It was first pioneered in the 1830s by settlers of the Bolero Valley to trade produce with their neighbours on the tablelands. The major crop of the fertile valley was corn which was transported by pack horse. The track was also used to bring cattle down from the tablelands for adjistment.  It was superseded in 1853 when a dray road was constructed down the nearby Clyde Mountain. The track was almost lost until volunteers re-opened it in 1988, as a bicentennial project.

It commences at the top of the Clyde Mountain at Monga and winds down through the Monga National Park and the Buckenbowra River to the Bolero Valley.

See also some images of Access for All and NPWS maintaining the Corn Trail HERE

Maintenance of the Corn Trail has involved clearing of fallen trees and cutting back of brush.

Access for All has worked alongside National Parks in this important task over many years. Access for All members have skills with chain saws and have provided pack horses to carry equipment, supplies and fuel. 

Often two teams work from opposite ends and meet up in the middle somewhere for lunch.

Images (Peter Kneen) of NPWS Staff and Access for All Volunteers working on the Corn Trail

This track has been the subject of an extensive heritage study by heritage management consultants, Peter Freeman Pty Ltd. The study was prepared for the National Parks & Wildlife Service in 2004; as a result the track is fairly well documented.

Thomas Shoebridge, who owned a store at Lower Araluen, is credited with the initial surveying and construction of the track. It served his store as well as being an all weather route between the port of Nelligen and the Araluen goldfields. It became a busy thoroughfare with teams of pack horses loaded with supplies travelling the route daily. The heavy use meant maintenance and an upgrade was soon required.  In 1861 the Government allocated £1,000 for upgrade and widening of the track. It fell into decline after a short time when the road to Moruya became a dray road.

The features of this track are the gentle grades, passing lanes, benching and extensive filling. It extends from Lower Araluen, once known as Mudmelong to the Buckenbowra Valley to link with other tracks.

The following images are from the Heritage Assessment visit in 2004 and also a combined Access for All and National Parks work day clearing along the western section of the Shoebridge Track in 2014? climbing out from Lower Araluen.

In May 2017, John and Marg Shoebridge (Access for All members), Alex and Trish Shoebridge, Jason Shoebridge, Steven Shoebridge, Peter Shoebridge, Josephine Bruce (Shoebridge) and Mark Bruce, Matthew Ring and Julia Short walked the historic Shoebridge Track.

John supplied the following notes: “I begin this reflection on the eve of our Walk through history… along the Shoebridge Track with a photo of Thomas and Catherine Shoebridge, along with extracts from Woodland, Chris and Maddrell, Roslyn, Araluen: A History through Photography, 1840-2000 To Honour the Pioneers. It creates the perfect backdrop for a story about life in the challenging pioneering days of early Australia and the powerful legacy Thomas Shoebridge left behind, a legacy that deserves preserving.

Background Facts About The Deua River Track

This track is now well documented with the Access For All publication, ‘The Deua River Track’ written by Peter C Smith.

The river was surveyed by surveyor, Peter Ogilvie, under the direction of the Surveyor General Mitchell in May 1828, as part of the complete survey of the nineteen counties. A copy of his map exists in the State Records Office. It is accurate in its detail of the river to the 36^th parallel which is south of Bendethera. Ogilvie must have followed a path up the river close to what became the Deua River Track.

The track provided for settlers living along the river possibly from as early as 1840 and was still the only means of access for the Davis family of Woolla until 1960s.

 It extends from the junction of Araluen Creek to Bendethera.

The following image shows a group of riders arriving at Bendethera after riding along the Deua River Track from Alpine.

Background to the Tarlinton Family

The track was pioneered by William Duggan Tarlinton in 1830’s. The Tarlintons were among the earliest settlers in the upper Shoalhaven, with a land grant near the junction of the Shoalhaven River and Jerrabattgulla Creek. The Tarlinton’s later acquired land near Cobargo and pioneered a route to take their cattle overland to their new properties. The track was also used by other early pioneers of the upper Shoalhaven such as the Curlewis’s  and Coghills. It also became the convenient route for travelling to the coast from the upper Shoalhaven and Monaro.  It was used by John Lambie when carrying out a survey of occupied properties of the Monaro in 1840.

The track starts near Snowball above the creeks that form the upper Shoalhaven and follows Woila Creek to the Tuross River at Belowra. It continued on to Cobargo and Tilba Tilba.

In July 2019, seven members of the Batemans Bay Bushwalkers did a three day walk down the W D Tarlinton historic bridle track.

The story is told on their website HERE

We had a member from Batemans Bay visit our Access for All July meeting and he showed us some survey maps done in the early days. He also met some of our members so it was a great benefit to all.

The Tarlinton family, long term members of Access for All, at long last have been able to ride along the historic transport routes named after their ancestors.

This has become possible because of the trial re-opening of a sub-set of the historic bridle trails in SE NSW.

The following link refers to an article in the Narooma News on Feb 11 2015

Tarlinton Family Retraces Historic Trail: LINK to NAROOMA NEWS

• Listen to Richard Tarlinton's account of his group's ride along the historic Georges Pack Track 
  Click here (ABC)
• The Narooma News also has an article about the Tarlinton family ride along other historic bridle trails
  tarlinton-family-rides-through-history LINK

• Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 July 2019 08:33

Map in Book "Tracks in the Wilderness" - a NPWS Project.

Blanchard's Track from Alpine to the Braidwood - Cooma Road

Frederick Lester Blanchard built the house at Alpine, still standing, around the early 1900’s. To access his property from the Braidwood/Cooma road he used this track. It was also used by others such as the Rankin family who lived 5 kilometers up the river. It was their main communication with the outside world. They drove stock and received supplies via this track.

The track begins at Alpine and follows Curmulee Creek, up the Devil’s Pinch to the top of the Minuma Range and then down across the Shoalhaven and onto Fairfield, which fronts the Braidwood/Cooma Road. Today much of the original track is covered by the Mongamula Fire Trail.

Background and Location of the Zig Zag Track.

(Note P Kneen Nov 2024 - called "Zig Zag" because there a a few switchbacks, hairpin bends along the route so as to maintain a steady gradient. Like the Zig Zag Railway near Lithgow).

It was 11 kilometres from Rankins’ to Georges’ at Bendethera along the Deua River Track. If the Georges wanted to go west from Bendethera to the Shoalhaven, instead of going to Blanchard’s they would use the Zig Zag Track to climb up westwards from Bendethera.

It was well known that the Clarke gang was often harboured at Bendethera. There was a proposal by an inmate in Darlinghurst gaol, Henry Antill, who knew the Clarkes well that if he was released along with two other inmates, he would set up an ambush on the track going up the limestone mountain and make short work of the bushrangers. This proposal, made to the Colonial Secretary, Henry Parkes, in 1866, was not accepted, but it provides us with evidence that the track existed at that time.

The Zig Zag track goes up from Con Creek through limestone outcrops, above Bendethera Caves, to the top of the Minuma Range and onto Snowball and the Braidwood/Cooma Road.

The George’s of Bendethera would sometimes use the Zig Zag Track or come down Deua River track depending on where they were headed, but their main connection with the outside world was via what is known as George’s Pack Track, which ultimately connected with Moruya and coastal shipping. It was along this track they drove their turkeys, pigs, cattle and packed corn.

The track climbs steeply out of the Bendethera Valley not far from the homestead site and eventually joined up with the Moruya/Araluen road, near Kiora. Some of the track is covered by current road into Bendethera.