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.
The discovery of gold in the Araluen Valley in the 1850s created the need to access routes to the coast to supply goods to the goldfields which had up to 4,000 people during the peak periods. A track, suitable only for pack horse, existed … but involved crossing the Deua River some 30 times and was unreliable and impassable during floods … He [Thomas Shoebridge] could see the importance of an all weather track.”
Editor’s note: In August 1860 the Braidwood Observer and Miner’s Advocate reported that. “[Shoebridge] has succeeded in discovering a new line of road to the coast from Araluen, which not only answers the purpose of shortening the distance considerably, but of overcoming every difficulty which has been experienced in the way of obtaining supplies on the recurrence of the floods.
The route marked out by Shoebridge is one that presents no obstacle to the obtaining of supplies at all seasons of the year.”
Estimates of the cost incurred by Shoebridge in clearing the route according the newspaper ranged from £200 [18 Aug], to £307/6/6, consisting of £293/14/0 for labour and £13/12/6 for tools [9 Sept], to over £400 [27 Oct 1860]. The high cost contributed substantially to Shoebridge going into insolvency and the sale of his Mudmelong property was advertised in the newspaper in February 1861. In May 1861 the Government responded to complaints that the track had become unsafe. Two accidents arose from the same cause, “namely, the horses meeting men on foot and not seeing room to pass, trying to turn back and going over in consequence of the narrowness of the track.” As a result the Government allocated £1,000 for the widening of the track. This resulted in passing bays every 300 yards where the track was 10 feet wide instead of 6 feet. The passing bays were 30 feet long and said to be “sufficiently wide to allow a dozen or more horses to effect a transit without coming into contact.”
John Shoebridge takes up the story of his great grandparents: “Thomas Shoebridge was born in Kent, England on 29 March 1829; he arrived in Australia on the ‘Cornwall’ in 1850. He married Catherine McPherson at Araluen on 6 July 1857. Catherine was born in Glasgow on 14 October 1832; arrived in Australia on the ‘Duncan’ on 30 June 1838.
Little is known of Catherine. She is typical of women at this time and an example of the ‘silent voice of women, in much of Australian history. The impact of women like Catherine has been immeasurable, but in pioneering days, largely constrained to family and not publically acknowledged.” Following becoming insolvent the family moved to Bolaro where one of their 10 children, a daughter, Ann Clara died aged 7 years and is buried on the farm. The family finally settled at Shallow Crossing. Catherine died on 13 October 1913 and Thomas followed her 4 years later on 29 December 1917. They are both buried at Nelligen Cemetery.
“One can only conjecture that, other than the gold discoveries, and the construction of the Shoebridge Track the wider context of events had little bearing on the lives of Thomas and Catherine. Regardless of what went on beyond their world, theirs is a fabulous story of true grit and physicality. Those of us related to them, and/or know of them, have a right to be proud of them as two people who contributed to our country, indeed, in some cases, to our existence!”