Picture: The "lower elbow" of Macquarie Pass just before the thoroughfare was opened on July 4, 1898. Credit: From the collections of the Wollongong City Library and the Illawarra Historical Society.
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The necessity for opening road communication between Albion Park and the "rich agricultural lands of Wingecarribbee and thence to the Great South Rd" was felt as early as the 1860s.
Bridle tracks were carved out in the ensuing decades before Macquarie Pass was officially opened in 1898.
The quest for a road began in September 1863 when Illawarra road builder Ben Rixon and Mr McPhelan discovered an ascent on the escarpment.
A year later, James McGill wrote to Shellharbour Council, saying a line existed which travelled up the mountain from the head of Macquarie River. The route had been first indicated by Dr Ellis, a well-known Aboriginal identity.
In September 1868, the Mercury reported that the route was about to be opened after improvements had been made with a £250 government grant.
"It was stated by those acquainted by the route that by a judicious expenditure of that amount, a good passable road, of a very moderate gradient, can be made fit for traffic by vehicles or any other means. The want of a direct means of traffic and postal communication between the two has long been felt and complained of by inhabitants of both sides of the mountain," the Mercury said.
In October 1870, the Town & Country Journal described the three-mile Macquarie Mountain Pass as being a "zig-zagging track beside towering ramparts of sandstone".
Within four years, however, the route was found to be substandard and residents met at the Albion Park Hotel to discuss petitioning the government for repairs.
In 1878, the district's Government Officer for Roads, Mr Weber, recommended against any more public money being spent on the project. He said future work should be the responsibility of Shellharbour Council.
In 1880, the pass was reported to be "in good condition for saddle and buggy traffic".
In August 1887, Minister for Works John Sutherland visited Albion Park, promising to have a survey of the "Macquarie Pass locality" done to find the best route over the mountain.
According to historian William Bayley, work began in earnest in 1897 when W. H. Christie surveyed the route and a grant of £4000 was voted for the work.
The opening, on July 4, was celebrated with a picnic at the top of the mountain and a banquet at Albion Park.
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