Berghofer's Pass

Getting western traffic down from Mt York onto the lowlands below was (and is) a problem for road builders. The original Coxs Rd which was built by convict teams in only a few months back in 1815, was far too steep to be anything other than risky. It was always going to be a temporary solution at best. If you have ever walked down the old track it is truly amazing that carriages could ever get up and down there at all.

In 1832 the Victoria Pass was built which was a much gentler incline for all concerned until the early motor vehicles came along, for which it again proved too steep. Between 1912 and 1920, Berghofers Pass (pictured) was used which offered an even gentler slope, albeit an exceedingly narrow one. After that time, cars and trucks were powerful enough to attempt Victoria Pass once again, a route more suited to higher volumes of traffic.

Today the old Berghofers track is much too rough for vehicles but is still available for walkers. If you go along there you can find lots of interesting convict constructed artifacts and ramparts for the road above.