Spicer's Gap
Encyclopedia
Spicers Gap lies 100 km west of Brisbane
, Australia
, and was the original route over the Great Dividing Range
in the area around Brisbane. Today it is included in Main Range National Park
and is a popular destination for campers and bushwalkers. To the south of the gap is Spicers Peak
.
The crest of Spicers Gap is preserved as Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park
and is accessible via conventional vehicle from east and west, although in places the road is very rough, and the road through the Park is blocked to vehicles. On the steep passage to the Gap from the east, visitors pass a cemetery, Moss's Well and the site of a former hotel. Moss's Well was named after Edward Moss, a contractor who helped build the original road.
In 1828, Allan Cunningham
established the route through the mountains now called Cunninghams Gap, however it can be easily seen from Brisbane. Cunningham named Spicers Gap and Spicers Peak after Peter Spicer, Superintendent of convicts, but didn't suggest the pass should be used for transport.
Stockman Henry Alphen discovered Spicers Gap 7 km south of Cunninghams Gap in 1847. The road through the pass was originally built by convicts during the 1850s and 1860s. This trail became an important transport
route from to the coast to the agricultural region known as the Darling Downs
. Spicers Gap Road used to carry supplies to and from the Darling Downs, is the best remaining example of sophisticated 19th century engineering in Queensland. An inn was built in the area to cater for travellers. After the railway to the Darling Downs via Toowoomba was established the road was used less often.
A good view to the north can be seen from Governors Chair Lookout, a short walk from the car park. Lord Kerr, Lord Scott, Sir Charles Fitzroy
and Sir George Bowen all sat on the rock in the early 1850s.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and was the original route over the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
in the area around Brisbane. Today it is included in Main Range National Park
Main Range National Park
Main Range is a mountain range and a national park in Queensland , 85 km southwest of Brisbane. It is part of the World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia . It protects the western part of a semicircle of mountains in South East Queensland known as the Scenic Rim...
and is a popular destination for campers and bushwalkers. To the south of the gap is Spicers Peak
Spicers Peak
Spicers Peak is a mountain in Australia. It lies roughly 120 km west of Brisbane in the middle of the Main Range National Park. It is just south of Cunninghams Gap and Mount Mitchell...
.
The crest of Spicers Gap is preserved as Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park
Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park
Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park is a part of the Main Range National Park in Australia. Spicers Gap Road is the original route between the Darling Downs and Brisbane. It was used by Cobb and Co Coaches and was later replaced by the Cunninghams Gap Road named after explorer Allan Cunningham who...
and is accessible via conventional vehicle from east and west, although in places the road is very rough, and the road through the Park is blocked to vehicles. On the steep passage to the Gap from the east, visitors pass a cemetery, Moss's Well and the site of a former hotel. Moss's Well was named after Edward Moss, a contractor who helped build the original road.
History
Spicers Gap is believed to be a traditional pathway for Indigenous Australian traders travelling between the inland and the coast.In 1828, Allan Cunningham
Allan Cunningham (botanist)
Allan Cunningham was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants.- Early life :...
established the route through the mountains now called Cunninghams Gap, however it can be easily seen from Brisbane. Cunningham named Spicers Gap and Spicers Peak after Peter Spicer, Superintendent of convicts, but didn't suggest the pass should be used for transport.
Stockman Henry Alphen discovered Spicers Gap 7 km south of Cunninghams Gap in 1847. The road through the pass was originally built by convicts during the 1850s and 1860s. This trail became an important transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
route from to the coast to the agricultural region known as the Darling Downs
Darling Downs, Queensland
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of eleven major regions of Queensland....
. Spicers Gap Road used to carry supplies to and from the Darling Downs, is the best remaining example of sophisticated 19th century engineering in Queensland. An inn was built in the area to cater for travellers. After the railway to the Darling Downs via Toowoomba was established the road was used less often.
A good view to the north can be seen from Governors Chair Lookout, a short walk from the car park. Lord Kerr, Lord Scott, Sir Charles Fitzroy
Charles FitzRoy
Charles FitzRoy may refer to:*Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland , 18th century nobleman*Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton , nobleman who was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland...
and Sir George Bowen all sat on the rock in the early 1850s.