The Old North Road
by William de Burgh
ISBN 0 85905 272 9, (2002 reprint of 1986 edition), Soft Cover, 198pp, illustrated, 225grams
$26.00 + POST
In the late 1840s it was becoming evident that the settled districts around Perth were being overstocked. This situation led to Government and settler-financed expeditions being sent south, east and north in search of new grazing areas. One such sortie, led by Augustus Gregory, reported the discovery of extensive grazing land and promising mineral deposits some 480 kilometres to the north.
However, the hazards to travelling stock were many, since access was across barren, scrub-covered plains with long waterless stretches and with numerous toxic plants to be found along the route.
How these problems were overcome and who solved them forms the heart of the fascinating story of the Old North Road.