Wisemans Ferry is a town in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, located 75 kilometres north north-west of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

s of

Hornsby Shire Hornsby Shire is a local government area situated in Northern Sydney ( Upper North Shore), as well as parts of the Hills District, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The shire stretches from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to the ...

The Hills Shire The Hills Shire (from 1906–2008 as Baulkham Hills Shire) is a local government area in the Greater Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is north-west of the Sydney central business district, and encompasses stre ...

City of Hawkesbury The City of Hawkesbury is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, part of which is at the fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, about north-west of the Sydney central business district. Hawkesbury City is named after the Hawkes ...

and . 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 The Dharug National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately north of the Sydney central business district and west ...

and

Yengo National Park The Yengo National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Lower Hunter region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park is situated northwest of the Sydney central business district, south of , north of , and sou ...

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 Solomon Wiseman (16 April 1777 - 28 November 1838) was a convict, merchant and ferryman A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger fe ...

, a former

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

(1777–1838), who received a land grant in the area from

Governor Macquarie Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...

in 1817. Wiseman established a ferry service on the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. ...

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.Reed, A.W. (1969) ''Place-Names of New South Wales: Their Origins and Meanings'', p. 151. Sydney: A.H & A.W. Reed Wisemans Ferry Post Office opened on 1 January 1857. 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 - .

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) Old Great North Road (Devine's Hill to Mount Manning Section) is a heritage-listed section of former main road, now walking track and service road, between Wisemans Ferry and Mount Manning, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Survey ...

Schools

Wisemans Ferry Public School
was established in 1867.

Transport

Today, two ferry services cross the Hawkesbury River from the town of Wisemans Ferry. The eponymous

Wisemans Ferry Wisemans Ferry is a cable ferry across the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry operates from the eponymous community of Wisemans Ferry on the south bank, to a point on the north bank downstream of the Hawkesbury River's ...

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 Webbs Creek Ferry is a cable ferry across the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry operates from the community of Wisemans Ferry, to a point up-stream of the Hawkesbury River's confluence with the Macdonald River, thus con ...

crosses to a point upstream of the confluence, connecting with the St Albans Road that follows the west bank of the Macdonald River.

References

External links

*
Great North Road - Convict TrailWisemans Ferry bus timetable
Suburbs of Sydney City of Hawkesbury Towns in New South Wales 1827 establishments in Australia The Hills Shire Hornsby Shire {{Sydney-geo-stub