Mount Victoria
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c 1830--1836
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<== To Sydney
 To Bathurst ==> |
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Five stockade sites along the Mitchell's Road between the Blue Mountains escarpment at Mt Victoria and Rydal on the way to Bathurst:
Mt Victoria, Hassans Walls, Bowens Hollow, Mt Kirkley and Mt Walker. |
In addition to a tall stockade fence built from upright stakes to enclose the convicts, there once were barracks for the soldiers, constables' huts, a cottage for the officers, a Commandant's house and a store house on this major site.
Mt Victoria Stockade was broken up in 1833 after Mt Victoria Pass was made trafficable and convicts were moved on to other sites along the road such as Mt Walker, Bowens Hollow and Hassan Walls stockades. However, Mt Victoria Stockade was later re-established to allow repair work to be done to the walls of the Pass.
Ollie Leckbandt rediscovered the site of Mt Victoria Convict Stockade with Tom Skeen following a detailed search of the area. Artefacts found on the site included coins, buttons, musket rounds, buckles, tool fragments, china, bottles and clay pipes.
Ollie has documented these relics and explained their history in his book, Convict Stockades from Mount Walker to Mount Victoria. This book also provides site photographs, maps and historical notes about the stockade.
References
Convict Stockades from Mount Walker to Mount Victoria. Ollie Leckbandt. (1998).
The No. 2 Stockade Cox's River - Its Life and Times. An Historical and Archeological Investigation. Sue Rosen and Michael Pearson. (1997). Environmental Services, Pacific Power.