Great North Road (Australia)

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The Great North Road in Australia refers to a 264 km road from Sydney to the Hunter Valley that was constructed between 1825 and 1836 using convict labour. Much of the original has long since been covered over or lies in various states of disrepair.

In 1990, the local communities of Bucketty and Wollombi established the Convict Trail Project, aiming to restore, maintain and promote the road as a museum of convict engineering. Original sections of the road which are on view have provided valuable insight into early road construction techniques in the colony of New South Wales and how English road-building technology of the time was imported and adapted.

Great North Road is the name of one section of the historical road still using the same name today. It runs from Parramatta Road, Five Dock to the Parramatta River in Abbotsford.

The historical road proceeds via Ryde and Dural to Wisemans Ferry where it crosses the Hawkesbury River. Through Dharug National Park, it continues to Bucketty and Wollombi, where it splits. One branch goes via Broke to Singleton and another branch goes to Cessnock, Maitland and on to Newcastle.