Chapter Four |
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W5-D1 - Sabugal Pass
Spine Route 2 - Two Rivers Link |
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| Sub-section |
| Start and finish |
Sabugal Gully to Thomas Mitchell Drive, Barden Ridge |
| Distance |
0.8km |
| Grade |
4 |
Time |
1hr - up 0.5hr - down (walking)
0.75hr - up 0.25hr - down (cycling) |
| Main features |
- Sabugal Causeway
- The Needles
- Freshwater Pools
- River and escarpment views
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| Description |
Stone-surfaced roadway to concrete causeway fording river just above freshwater/saltwater interface. Steep ascent on rugged track 25% severely eroded mainly stone but sections of tar seen breaking up. Three exits to Thomas Mitchell Drive, 2 with barriers, 3rd is on private land. |
| Facilities |
- Lucas Heights Schools
- Causeway
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| Opportunities and constraints |
- The Needles major node for informal recreation eg swimming
- Interpret historical significance of Sabugal Pass, and John Lucas Flour Mill
- Weed Infestation, Litter and Dumping
- Old Ill Road ACP has no barrier to motorbike/4WD access
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| Actions Required |
- 1 x Gate and Stile
- Resolve issue with landowners (SSC/DIPNR/private)
- Reconstruct track sections with recycled road base topped with sandstone, sealed with Warajay binding agent
- 1 x Information Sign
- 3 x waymarker signs
- Bush Regeneration to wide track margins
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| Current Status/Zoning |
- Zoned SSC Environmental Protection Bushland
- Mixed ownership - Council, DIPNR, private.
- Land tenure issues.
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| Priority |
B |
| Estimated cost |
$15k |
| Stakeholders Community |
Lucas Heights PS and High School, West Menai and Barden Ridge PRA, Menai Wildflower Society, NPA, St Pauls Church, Sutherland Shire Christian School |
| Agency/Land Manager |
SSC, DIPNR, Sydney Water, RFS |
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Rationale:
The route chosen is the only one available and the obvious one - the historic Old Illawarra Road, constructed in 1843. The river is forded via a causeway just upstream of the Needles rock formations and the route continues north in a steep cutting, the track as wide as 5 metres in places.
Issues
The area around the causeway is a focus for informal river based recreation, especially during school holidays. It is a natural playground with access from Barden Ridge to the north and Engadine to the South. Littering and weeds result from extensive use. Also there is evidence of illegal dumping on the southern approaches, despite the presence of locked gates. SSC manage 1500m of river frontage.
From the south side of the river the track appears as a huge scar on the landscape - the legacy of more than 150 years of use. Three main factors have led to extreme erosion of the track in places:
- The steep gradient - during heavy rain the track becomes a creek
- The majority of the surface is unsealed
- The impact of 4WD vehicles and trail bikes
Having closed the track to motorised access, repair badly eroded and unsafe steep sections. Use recycled road base to fill holes, and top with crushed sandstone mixed with binding agent - suggest Warajay Natural Pine Resin (see Chapter 5, section 5.3). At the northern end of the track from Thomas Mitchell Drive, Barden Ridge, there are 3 entry points but only two have barriers/gates to prevent illegal access by 4WD vehicles and trail bikes. An open access point exists on private land.
The following management actions are recommended:
- Designation of the track as a walking only route, with the message to be conveyed on signage and publicity material. Cyclists would be required to carry/walk their bicycles.
- Installation of galvanised steel cycle racks at both Sabugal Gully and Old Illawarra ACPs.
- Resolve the land tenure issues at Thomas Mitchell Drive ACP to allow barriers to be installed to deter use of track by Trail Bikes and 4WD vehicles.
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Old Illawarra Road was the first surveyed road in the Sutherland Shire. Major Thomas Mitchell investigated the country between Sydney and Wollongong. He decided that a road through Menai area and down through Engadine to Wollongong would be the route of a new road. The survey of the road commenced in March, 1843 and in charge was Roderick Mitchell and later William Darke (after whom Darkes Forest is named), and construction started soon after. Thomas Mitchell used overseers and 20 convicts when he started in June 1843, clearing land at the headwaters of Woronora River. The road he constructed can still be seen today. Starting from Illawong follow the Old Ferry Road to Old Illawarra Road. After a few miles, the road goes down to the Woronora River through a cutting known as the "Pass of Sabugal". Once across the ford, it becomes the Woronora Road, Engadine, until it joins the Princes Highway north of Heathcote. The highway then becomes the surveyed road all the way to Wollongong.
Source: Sutherland Shire Historical Society Bulletin. (2000) . Old Illawarra Road. C1924. Nov. V3, N4. |
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• The Glen 
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre | Suite 4 (1st Floor), 2-4 Merton Street, Sutherland NSW 2232