As Sydney matured as a city, the citizenry felt the need to upgrade city services. During the 1880s the push was on to 'do' something about the state of the dirt cart tracks that passed for city streets.
| Wood was used to weigh down manhole covers too. This gem is in Philip Street outside Football (NRL) headquarters. |
This perceived need arose at around the same time as the development of the northern side of the harbour which was covered with tallowwood trees - a variety of eucalypt. Nowadays we may suck in an audible sigh of dismay, but the supply in those days appeared plentiful. The trees were felled and milled into blocks for creating 'paved' roadways. Well before the days of Mr Ford's assembly line, a team of men and boys would pass the blocks, stomp the blocks, tar the blocks, then sand the blocks. It was backbreaking and menial and assaulted the sinuses!
| These two examples, both found in Philip St, show the gradual change from woodblock to bitument and concrete to weigh down manhole covers |
Woodblocking fell into disrepute and disuse by the end of the 1920s when it was clear the motor car was here to stay and that woodblocks would not survive both the increased weight and the increased traffic. Woodblocking gave way to bitumen.
Above is a photograph from The City of Sydney site, showing Castlereagh Street in the early '20s. Part of the road surface has been washed away and spot filled with bitumen, even though the rest of the surface was woodblock.
Below is a section of George St (North) outside the Orient Hotel where a sample of woodblocking has been recently relaid to enable us to see how it used to be. Not far away, through the Argyle Cut and beside the Garrison Church there is a section of road surface where the layers of bitument are washed away during periods of intense raid, exposing the woodblocking beneath.
