Visitor attractions

In the early days of timber getting, felled timber was hauled out of the forest by bullock teams. Punts (or droghers) transported the timber to the mills via waterways, which was then transported out of the area via ship from Laurieton. The very first mill in the area was established in 1875 by Joseph Laurie, followed by the Dunn and Bogan and John Rodger Mills. In 1898 the Concord Mill was established by brothers John and Robert Longworth. This mill was a major supplier to the Sydney market and continued production until its closure in 1957.

As easily accessible timber was depleted, it became necessary for timber getters to go into higher,  more rugged country. This meant longer distances to haul logs back to Laurieton for ship departure to Sydney. In 1903, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works in 1903 determined that rather than shift the mills into the higher country, it would be more practical to build tramways. At the time tramways were already established in Victoria, and so the Longworth brothers decided to build a tramway to meet the high demand for timber supply from the Mid North Coast.

Around the same time, a Royal Commission into Forestry in 1907 led to the formation of a Forestry Department in 1908. The Longworth brothers applied for, and were granted an ‘Occupation Permit’ by this new Forestry Department in 1913, to build a ‘tramway 25 links wide’. A dedicated easement for the tramway, for the transportation of timber, was granted to the Longworths on 21^st January 1914, along with dedicating the area the tramway traversed (Forest Reserve 45666) as Kerewong State Forest No. 54.

The Longworths Tramway was 17km long, running from a wharf on the Camden River at Kendall, through to Logans Crossing Road and into private property along an eight-foot-wide ‘right of way’. A river crossing 5 kilometres further west was established at Buctons Bridge, before swinging northwest at Dewdrop log dump, at the junction of Comboyne Road and North Branch Road. The tramway then followed along Upsalls Creek to Tipperary, running through to Cataract Creek reserve. Longworths Tramway was originally designed to enable horse-driven extraction of felled timber from surrounding forests, but horses were later replaced by steam engines in 1916, when the tramway became colloquially known as the ‘Loco Line’.

Today, Longworths Tramway Heritage Walk contains remnants of the original tramway through what is now known as North Branch State Forest. This historic walking track reflects both the history of the area and the ability of forests to regenerate, offering the visitor a peaceful meander through a beautiful native forest environment.

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