A NEW line of road through the Southern Highlands in the 1830s brought about a shift in the district's focus of settlement.

This new line, surveyed by Major Thomas Mitchell, formed part of the Great Southern Road that was progressively put through from Sydney to Albury and officially opened in 1858.

Through-traffic on the southern road made use of the new line that deviated at Little Forest, turned westward to avoid the Mittagong Range, crossed the Wingecarribee River at Berrima, and headed south over Paddys River.

The earlier line, requiring a steep climb at Mittagong Range and a problematic river crossing at Bong Bong, remained in use as a local road for rural settlers based along it.

The country that Mitchell's deviation passed through was largely taken up with new land grants.

Settlements were laid out at Berrima and further south at Murrimba near Paddys River.

For travellers these places were somewhere to have a drink, a sleep, get the horses shod and to catch up on gossip about road conditions and bushrangers. The Wollondilly/Wingecarribee area formed part of Camden County and from the 1840s became known as the Berrima District, with the main settlements being at Nattai, Berrima, Sutton Forest and, for a time, Murrimba.

At Nattai Creek (present-day Mittagong) the new road crossed creeks, all excellent camping places for horse and bullock teams.

Several inns opened and from 1849, with the Fitz Roy ironworks in operation, the Nattai area became a busy stopping place.

In 1843 the Berrima District Council was established under the NSW Constitution Act that created the first local governments. Councils were given responsibility for roads, streets and bridges and could raise revenue through road tolls and property rates.

Many of these councils struggled and became insolvent; the Berrima Council ceased to exist by 1858. That year a new Municipalities Act empowered 35 new municipalities in NSW to levy rates and take care of all public roads, bridges and ferries in their area. The Berrima District, however, was not included and remained without local governance until 1886 when Bowral became a municipality.

For roads outside municipalities, responsibility passed in 1861 to the NSW Dept of Public Works. At that time a fair amount of gravel surfacing had been carried out between Sydney and Goulburn, although the surface was not good. From Goulburn to Albury hardly any improvements had been made.

By 1865 there were 34 toll bars in NSW, 11 of these on the Great Southern Road (including at Picton, Bargo and Paddys River). Typical toll fees were: one penny for a sheep, pig, goat or ox; two pence for a horse, mare, gelding, ass or mule; three to six pence for a cart, dray or other two wheeled vehicle, depending on number of horses; nine pence to one shilling and six pence for a coach depending on the number of horses. Public opposition to the toll system steadily increased and all tolls on NSW roads were abolished in 1877.

Complaints began in the 1840s about the tedious trip from Sydney to Goulburn - a coach took 29 hours to travel the 140 miles. One letter in the press stated that "it was common to see the whole way dotted with vehicles of every description, from the gig and spring cart to the bullock dray, all stuck fast, or rather half buried in (muddy) sloughs".

Cobb & Co coaches, introduced in the 1850s, covered up to 40 miles a day and ran in all weathers, thus improving travel time but passengers still had to climb out and walk up hills!

AS well there was the ever-present threat of bushrangers. In his history of the Berrima District, James Jervis states that no stretch of road in the colony was as infested with bushrangers as the Bargo Brush from the 1830s.

Numerous complaints were made by district settlers of being robbed while on their carts and, for their safety, they had to travel in convoys. Police struggled to cope with the situation.

The notorious bushranger Jacky Jacky bailed up occupants at the Black Horse Inn, south of Berrima, but the owner, a strong man, rushed him and, with the aid of some teamsters, the bushranger was secured.

The notorious Ben Hall and his gang (John Gilbert and John Dunn) were reported to be in the district in 1865.

In one instance they held up everyone at Paddys River and enjoyed themselves all night at the Murrimba Hotel before heading to Berrima.

On the way they held up and robbed the toll collector at Hanging Rock.

To be continued

This article compiled by PHILIP MORTON is sourced from the archives of Berrima District Historical & Family History Society, Bowral Rd, Mittagong. Phone 4872 2169.

Email bdhsarchives@gmail.com.

Web: berrimadistricthistoricalsociety.org.au