592 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION J. 



Mossvale, the nearest and most southei-ly point at which the 

 Great Southern Railway can be tapped from the coast. 

 There is, therefore, from Nowra, the centre of Shoalhaven, the 

 chief road over Cambewarra Range, crossing the Kangaroo 

 Valley and ascending the Barrengarry Mountain to the tablehuid 

 at M ossvale. The work on this road was of the heaviest cliaracter, 

 the mountain passes being some eight miles in length, crossing a 

 fertile country which, twenty years ago, a horseman could hardly 

 cross with safety in wet weather. Eleven miles north and thirteen 

 miles north of Cowra two more passes have been made, giving 

 access from Berry to the above road in the Kangaroo Valley, 

 both similar in character and grade to that of the principal road 

 from Nowra. Some thirty miles north of Nowra from Jamberoo, 

 the Kiama district has a mail coach road up the mountain to 

 Mossvale, which is thus connected with the coast by four good 

 vehicular roads, easily gi-aded and well maintained. Northerly, 

 a few miles from Albion Park, is a good horse track, and it is in 

 contemplation to improve it for vehicular traffic. 



From near Wollongong there are other mountain passes, giving 

 an access to fertile settlements behind Mount Cordeaux, Mounts 

 Kembla and Kiera, that have not yet been properly improved by 

 the Roads Department, although some work has been done to 

 ameliorate the worst parts. At Bulli Pass, in 1867, work was 

 undertaken by the department to establish the most important road 

 of communication between the Illawarra district at its northern end 

 and the Great Southern Railway at Campbelltown. This pass, 

 remarkable for its natural beauty, has not only been for years the 

 favourite drive of tourists on account of its wonderful vegetation, 

 but has been the main artery of communication with the Illawarra 

 district until the opening of the Illawarra railway. The grades 

 are somewhat severe, being as sharp as 1 in 7^ in places ; but as 

 the road was laid out in straight reaches, no complaint has ever 

 been made. The average mountain grade is about 1 in 8. (See 

 Plates XLVIL, XLIX.) A very romantic, but somewhat danger- 

 ous, road has been made round the Coal Cliff, overhanging the sea, 

 giving access directly by way of steam ferry at George's River to 

 Sydney. This r-oad, though little used at the time of its formation, 

 proved of essential service during the construction of the Illawarra 

 railway, which could not well have been carried out without it. 

 The whole of the South Coast road is now trafficable by vehicles 

 from Sydney to Twofold Bay. All rivers intervening are either 

 bridged or provided with suitable ferry accommodation to carry 

 over heavy loads. Communications with the tableland have been 

 established at every point where it is deemed necessary. At 

 Burragorang, some twenty-five miles west of Picton on the Southern 

 line, a very heavy work has just been completed to render the 

 fertile valley of that name, situate at the junction of the Cox and 

 Wollondilly Rivers, accessible for interchange of traffic. This is 



