Finding a pass over the Blue Mountains was one thing. Reaching the valley below was equally challenging. Governor Macquarie first hired George Evans to survey the land. Then, in 1814, William Cox was retained to build a road down the mountainside. Cox managed 30 convicts for the task. Using pickaxes and shovels for 27 weeks, they carved Coxs Road, a treacherous and narrow trail averaging 12 inches wide. At this section called The Pass of Mount York, you can see scars on boulders created during the laborious construction. There is also a plaque nearby about James Watsford. He was the first mail carrier to travel over this steep and uneven slope in 1832. He accomplished this dangerous task by tying rocks to the wheels of his stagecoach to prevent a rapid and uncontrolled descent.
