Ward 2 Greens candidate Brent Hoare has called on the new council to build a walking track to an historic site in North Faulconbridge.
At the bottom of a fire trail off Highlands Road lie the site of a saw mill and a cable-driven, or funicular railway, constructed around 1910 by Henry Joyce.
Timber extracted from the Linden Creek area was milled on the site and hauled up the funicular railway, ready to be transported to Sydney for furniture making.
Mr Hoare said the site also contains a spectacular large boiler within two sandstone walls, part of a steam engine used to power both the saw mill and drive the steel cable that pulled timber up the incline on carriages running on timber rails. There are also two sets of carriage wheels and a variety of other industrial remains.
However, the venture was short lived. In 1912 it ceased operations when investors realised the quantities of timber available were not as inexhaustible as they had been led to believe.
“It is remarkable that so few people know about this fascinating site. It is an important chapter in the history of the Mid Mountains and should no longer be overlooked,” Mr Hoare said.
“Located in the National Park, the venture suggests collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Heritage grant funding could enable an archaeological survey of the area, as who knows what other relics may lie just below the leaf litter?
“With a little work on the track and some interpretive signage, the Mid Mountains could have a valuable attraction to add to the already impressive variety of short walks in the area.”
