    The Pass of Sabugal was named by Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1843 after a place in Portugal where a major battle between the English and French took place in 1811. This is where the Old Illawarra Road, surveyed by Mitchell and cleared by the last convict road gang in NSW, crossed the Woronora River over a causeway. Although the road, now a fire trail, has been upgraded several times and the causeway is now concrete, it is largely faithful to the original line of road. This area was also the location of depression-era housing in the 1930s and the scant remains of around twelve houses can still be identified.
We will also visit the remains of John Lucas’ watermill, built in 1825. John Lucas had a substantial land grant here and built his mill about 100 meters downstream from the causeway. The area above the mill is today known as ‘Lucas Heights’. Bushfires and floods have removed all traces of the timber building, but beam slots excavated in the rock and the remains of the mill dam give us a good idea of the mill's size and what it would have looked like.
Although the walk is not long, a bit over 1km, the drawback is the steep climb back up the hill when the excursion is over.
Meet opposite 89 Thomas Mitchell Drive, Barden Ridge. Location: Barden Ridge, NSW Limit:20. T:
From: 17 May 2024, 9:30PM
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