![]() Collins, who had won the original Mail Contract in 1871, appeared to have a conveyance as well, as supplied or supported by his father in law - John Farrell II. The original coach-driver is recorded as William Boulton (please note some sources spell ‘Bolton’) although John T. The first coaches to Newport and further afield were advertised in 1879. ![]() The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. Contract 11n, road Manly to Pittwater GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. McNamara, contract 10n-, road Manly to Pittwater : C. Those along the coast side, after agitating for a regular Mail run found added benefit as the Royal Mail coach could then carry passengers into the area. Little wonder the steamer trade did so well and was so important to those living around the estuary. Getting to Pittwater overland has always been an adventure and claims that the ‘roads’ were little more than sandy tracks, even well into the 1940’s for places closer to civilisation than Whaley, such as the splendid valley that houses Newport, are backed up by images from these eras where you can witness for yourself sandy paths that seem to disappear into paddocks and weaving roads that may have been caused by infrequent visits to holiday shacks.Ī little before 1885, and even earlier according to the exquisitely hilarious Charles de Boos ( My Holiday 1861), the state of the tracks, or even lack of them, was cited as a good enough reason by one John Farrell of Newport not to propagate fields as the produce there-from could not be got to market at a reasonable cost. “Ah….progress!” one remarked to said road contractors, who laughed, warned against ruining shoes in dark mixture of tar and gravel being applied. One day in the Spring of 1985 a climb over Surf Road to Whale Beach presented an interesting phenomenon – the sandy weaving dirt road, so reminiscent of many country scenes, was being tarred – not guttered, but tarred. ![]() The Wild Coachmen of Pittwater - A Long and Sometimes Bumpy Ride on Tracks Instead of Roads ![]()
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