Wisemans Ferry, New South Wales

Wisemans Ferry New South Wales
The ferry over the Hawkesbury River
Wisemans Ferry
Coordinates	33°22′55″S 150°59′06″E
Population	233 (SAL 2021)[1]
Established	1827
Postcode(s)	2775
Elevation	10 m (33 ft)
Location	75 km (47 mi) NNW of Sydney 44 km (27 mi) NNE of Windsor 78 km (48 mi) W of Gosford
LGA(s)	Hornsby Shire The Hills Shire City of Hawkesbury Central Coast Council
Parish	Cornelia, Frederick
State electorate(s)	Gosford, Hawkesbury
Federal division(s)	Berowra, Macquarie, Robertson
Suburbs around Wisemans Ferry: Colo Heights Lower Macdonald Lower Macdonald Webbs Creek Wisemans Ferry Gunderman Leets Vale Maroota Laughtondale

Wisemans Ferry is a town on the northern outskirts of Sydney and the south-west of the Central Coast region in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located 75 kilometres north north-west of Sydney. It is located in the Sydney local government areas of the Hornsby Shire, The Hills Shire, City of Hawkesbury and the Central Coast Council. The town is a tourist spot with picnic and barbecue facilities. As well as a rich convict and colonial heritage in the area, the Dharug National Park and Yengo National Park are close by.

History

The town was originally called Lower Portland Headland, but the name was eventually changed to Wisemans Ferry, named after Solomon Wiseman, a former convict (1777–1838), who received a land grant in the area from Governor Macquarie in 1817.^[2] Wiseman established a ferry service on the Hawkesbury River in 1827 for the transport of produce and provisions to the convicts building the Great North Road and was known to many as King of the Hawkesbury.^[3]

Wisemans Ferry Post Office opened on 1 January 1857.^[4]

There is information on the early history of Wisemans Ferry in Ball, John and Pam, 'Early Wisemans Ferry: George Mollison, Solomon Wiseman, Bushrangers and Land Title Confusion', Oughtershaw Press, Riverview, 2014 – ISBN 978 0 9593420 9 3.

Heritage listings

Wisemans Ferry & Mount Manning has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Old Great North Road (Devine's Hill to Mount Manning Section)^[5]

Schools

Wisemans Ferry Public School was established in 1867.^{[citation needed]}

Transport

Today, two ferry services cross the Hawkesbury River from the town of Wisemans Ferry. The eponymous Wisemans Ferry crosses the river to a point down-stream of its confluence with the Macdonald River, connecting with the old Great North Road. Webbs Creek Ferry crosses to a point upstream of the confluence, connecting with the St Albans Road that follows the west bank of the Macdonald River.^[6] There are approximately ten buses per week departing near Wisemans Ferry.^[7]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wisemans Ferry (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. "Wisemans Ferry". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 17 September 2007.
3. Reed, A.W. (1969) Place-Names of New South Wales: Their Origins and Meanings, p. 151. Sydney: A.H & A.W. Reed
4. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
5. "Old Great North Road, Between Devine's Hill and Mount Manning". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00991. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
6. "Vehicle ferries". New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
7. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 10 November 2023.

Bibliography

• Aussie Towns. ‘Wiseman’s Ferry’.
• Dictionary of Sydney. ‘Wiseman’s Ferry’.
• Hawkesbury on the Net: Memorials, Monuments and Plaques Register. ‘Convicts and Early History Monument - Wisemans Ferry.’
• NSW Department of Customer Service. ‘Wiseman’s Ferry’.
• NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Wisemans Ferry Historic Site Plan of Management. 2010.
• Swancott, Charles. Wiseman’s Ferry. Brisbane Water Historical Society, 1979.
• Webb, Ian. Blood, Sweat & Irons: building the Great North Road from Wisemans Ferry to Mt. Manning 1827 – 1832. Dharug & Lower Hawkesbury Historical Society, 1999.
• Wisemans. ‘Wiseman’s Ferry’.

External links

• Joan Rowland (2008). "Wisemans Ferry". Dictionary of Sydney.
• Great North Road - Convict Trail
• Wisemans Ferry bus timetable