Convict Road and Culvert Remnants, off Wambyn Rd, Inkpen

Values

The place is a modest example of a stone road and culvert likely constructed by convicts or ticket-of-leave men as part of extensive public works that substantially improved transport infrastructure.
The place is likely to reveal archaeological information about the construction of the colony’s early infrastructure.

Physical Description

The place comprises areas of stone remnants of the road between Perth and York estimated to be around 200 metres long by 3 metres wide, with evidence of the formation across the crossing of Thirteen Mile Brook and small areas of rounded ‘cobble’ stones.
The road is paved with pebbles and a compacted lateritic pea gravel surface and edged on the north side with small granite blocks. The brook crossing comprises the remnants of what was likely a dry stone walled culvert comprising a mixture of smoothed granite rocks which may have been existing in the riverbed, fieldstone and dressed quarried blocks, with an infill of smaller granite rocks.
The crossing has partially been washed out and the construction technique of the culvert is visible as a cross-section in the riverbank, although it is not clear if the blocks extend under the road beyond the crossing. Overgrowth of ground cover scrub and trees at the site may be obscuring further physical evidence.

History

Convict Road and Culvert Remnants, off Wambyn Rd, Inkpen is situated on the former York Road alignment on the northern side of the current Great Southern Highway, with a granite ford crossing at Thirteen Mile Brook. Thirteen Mile Brook is a seasonal stream which flows northwards and is subject to heavy rainfall and flash flooding. The various forms of the remnant blocks at the crossing indicate some were likely existing on site, and others collected or quarried locally. Convict Road and Culvert Remnants, off Wambyn Rd, Inkpen dates to the convict era and has been attributed to convict labour, however this is unconfirmed.
Thirteen Mile Brook was mentioned in association with works on the road between York and Guildford on multiple occasions during the 1860s. £150 was provided by the colonial government in 1861 for the repair of the worst section of road between Cut Hill and Thirteen Mile Gully, which was done by tender. In 1867 it was reported that Assistant Warder Bovell’s road party of twelve men with one horse and three carts was located at 13 mile York Road.
A tender to sink a well at Thirteen Mile Gully was accepted in 1870, and in 1926 the well was cleaned out, along with Ronan’s Well. A pool of water in Thirteen Mile Brook adjacent to the stone crossing may be the mentioned well, however this is unconfirmed.
The remains of an 1862 convict-associated well and an earlier c. 1832 well are situated approximately 2 kilometres to the east of Convict Road and Culvert Remnants, off Wambyn Rd, Inkpen at Thirteen Mile Brook’s feeder creek, St Ronan’s Brook. A temporary road party station was established at St Ronan’s Well and used in the 1860s by convicts employed on repairs of the York Road.
The section of Guildford to York Road on which Convict Road and Culvert Remnants, off Wambyn Rd, Inkpen is situated, currently Great Southern Highway, was realigned to the south in the period since construction leaving the original road unused.

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Historic Themes

Creation Date

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