Historic roads that opened up the Blue Mountains nearly two centuries ago are being celebrated with the addition of Victoria Pass and Berghofers Pass to the NSW State Heritage Register.
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The two significant cultural heritage sites represent the ingenuity and evolution of transport in NSW.
Victoria Pass stands as a testament to the innovation of early colonial engineering.
Constructed in 1830s, its imposing stone retaining walls were meticulously built by hand using convict labour. Still in use over 190 years later, Victoria Pass is revered as one of Australia's prime examples of 19th century engineering.
Berghofers Pass at Mount Victoria was initially built as an alternative route for early motor vehicles that could not cope with the steep incline of Victoria Pass.
Local councillor, Johannes Wilhelm Berghofer, lobbied for its construction, with the road opening in 1912.
As one of the last remaining roads in NSW to be built before the introduction of modern materials and mechanised techniques, it is an extraordinary example of pioneering heritage.
NSW Minister for Heritage, Penny Sharpe, said: "These two thoroughfares are a real and tangible link to our past that continue to hold relevance today. The listing paves the way for this chapter of history to be protected.
"These historic roads opened up travel across the Blue Mountains nearly two centuries ago and represent the ingenuity and evolution of infrastructure and transport in NSW.
"The stone walls show phases of expansion west from Sydney, but they've also proved popular for their aesthetic values, attracting many nineteenth-century painters, sketchers and photographers who saw it as an interaction between people and nature."
Blue Mountains MP, Trish Doyle, said: "One of the great things about this new listing is that it allows us to trace the footsteps of those who came before.
"These passes opened up a whole new way of travel at the time, and their heritage listing paves the way for this chapter of history to be protected."
