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Old Great North Road – Clare's Bridge
Highlights
- Explore convict history while walking the Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit through Dharug National Park.
- Discover the ancient craftsmanship of Clares Bridge, the oldest surviving stone bridge on the Australian mainland.
- Encounter the haunting ruins of St Thomas's Anglican Church, echoing stories of early settlers and their dreams.
- Wander through the serene Upper Mangrove Mountain Cemetery, where the bush remains unchanged for over a century.
The Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit is one of the great multi-day walks of New South Wales — and one of the most historically layered. Over two days and one night, this loop through Dharug National Park traces some of the earliest colonial infrastructure ever built on the continent: convict-constructed roads, stone bridges and pastoral tracks that have been largely untouched since the mid-twentieth century.
This is not a walk about scenery alone. It is an encounter with the lived experience of the convict road gangs — up to 720 men who quarried, shaped and laid the sandstone that became the Great North Road between 1826 and 1836 — and with the pastoral families, the failed township dreams, and the quiet persistence of the Dharug people on whose Country all of this unfolded.
The loop follows parts of the World Heritage-listed Great North Road passing through a landscape that still holds its evidence: Clares Bridge (arguably the oldest surviving stone bridge on the Australian mainland), the ruins of St Thomas’s Anglican Church, the Fairview Homestead and the Upper Mangrove Mountain Cemetery, where at least 21 early settlers rest in bush that has changed little in over a century.
Tour details
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Available from 12 June 2026 to 14 June 2026
Features
Service facilities
This business does not currently offer accessible facilities.
Operation information
Heritage Hikes Australia
Heritage Hikes Australia offers guided bushwalking/hiking experiences that combine outdoor adventure with the discovery of Australia’s historical landscapes.
These small-group walks explore places where history remains visible in the landscape. Guests visit former mining settlements, forgotten railway lines, mountain huts and archaeological sites while learning how the past can be read through ruins, artefacts and environmental clues.
Experiences range from part-day to full-day and multi-day hiking adventures across several national parks in New South Wales, including the Blue Mountains, Dharug, Wollemi and Kosciuszko regions. Locations include the Newnes historic site with its former shale mining town ruins and railway, including the Glow Worm Tunnel; the Devines Hill convict road works and the remote alpine huts of the Snowy Mountains.
What makes Heritage Hikes Australia unique is the combination of outdoor guiding and professional heritage expertise. Walks are led by experienced bushwalkers who are also professional archaeologists, historians and museum specialists. Guests learn to observe the landscape like an archaeologist and uncover stories often missed by traditional tours. Heritage Hikes Australia operates under licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and is a member of Outdoors NSW and ACT.
These experiences appeal to curious travellers, history enthusiasts, walkers and families who enjoy learning while exploring nature. Each walk blends storytelling, heritage interpretation and outdoor adventure to create a memorable way to experience the Australian bush.
Memberships
- Australian Museums and Galleries Association
- Outdoors NSW & ACT
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