Victoria Pass, Blue Mountains
From Engineering Heritage Australia
Surveyor-General Major Thomas Mitchell instigated this line of road to bypass the steeper descent to the west from Mount York.
Descending from Mt Victoria at the western edge of the Blue Mountains, the road, with its massive stone-walled causeway, was constructed between 1830 and 1838 by about 300 convicts.
Engineering design and supervision were successively under Assistant Surveyor P Elliot, John Lambie and John Nicholson. This work was a significant engineering achievement in the early years of road development in the Colony.
The pass has been the principal route since 1832 and accelerated opening up the Western Districts of New South Wales; it still carries the Great Western Highway.
Victoria Pass location map.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | National Engineering Landmark (NEL) |
| Award Date | April 2002 |
| Heritage Significance | The pass with its stone-walled causeway has been the principal route since 1832 and opened up the Western Districts of New South Wales. The pass still carries the Great Western Highway. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet | Not available. |
