The historic Lennox Bridge

Lapstone
First town on the edge of the Blue Mountains.
Located 68 km from Sydney, the first settlement on the edge of the Blue Mountains is Lapstone. It was named, according to rumour, because early explorers found smooth stones in the area which reminded them of the lapstones used by cobblers.

It is a fascinating aspect of the development of the Blue Mountains that there have been eight routes (six road and two rail) from the Nepean River up the Lapstone monocline. The first was the famous road which was constructed by William Cox in late 1814. It continued to be used until 1824 when a road with a gentler slope was built, probably by Lieutenant William Lawson. It is currently still in operation and runs to the north of the current road. It is very windy and far from ideal.

Neither of these roads was ideal and so, in the 1830s the Surveyor-General, Major Thomas Mitchell, surveyed a new route which involved building Lennox Bridge and carving huge slices out of the cliff face. This road was opened in 1834 and formed the basis for all routes up the mountains until 1926. In 1992 the vexing problem was resolved with a simple and rapid route up the Lapstone monocline.

Things to see:  

 

The ruins of Green Gables cottage

 

Green Gables Cottage
Visitors interested in exploring the early history of the area can also visit the ruins of Green Gables Cottage which was built at the foot of the hill where the 1867 railway line crossed the main road up the mountains. That main road became the Great Western Highway but, when drivers were steered along Russell St to the Great Western Motorway, the portion of the Highway which contains the Cottage was bypassed. However, that portion of the road on the western side of Russell St is still known as the Great Western Highway and the cottage can still be found where it intersects with the railway line.

 

Lapstone Zig-Zag Railway and Lucasville Station
Other historic remnants at Lapstone relate to the Zig-Zag Railway and Lucasville Station. The original zig-zag railway line was built in 1863 by John Whitton (the Engineer-in-Chief for the New South Wales Railways) and was used until 1891 when a deviation was completed. Drive to the top of Lapstone Hill then turn right into Knapsack Road. At the dead end of that road is the start of a walking track which leads to some interesting old cuttings associated with the railway. The trail passes the original Gatekeeper's Cottage and a lookout over the Knapsack Creek Viaduct. It is a pleasant walk offering good views across the Sydney basin.

 

 

 

 

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Lapstone