Hangmans Rock

Download & Print Map and Notes

Tap again to allow map panning

Time 1 hr 15 mins
Return 2.2 km Return
Climb 176 m
Grade 3 Moderate track
Bus Car
no_pets
A relatively short walk with some really nice scenery and some of the historic highlights of the Old Great North Road. This walk climbs part of the well formed Devines Hill ascent. The remnants of the convict built road are impressive and there are good information signs along the trail. The visible remnants of the Old Great North Road include rock cuttings, stone retaining walls, an old quarry site and Hangmans Rock.
The Wisemans ferry end of the Old Great North Road Heading up the Old Great North Road Interesting cliffs along the OGNR The well formed OGNR A rock cutting on the OGNR High retaining wall on the Devines Hill ascent. Old rock drill marks on the Old Great North Road Drainage culvert under the OGNR Stonework on the Old Great North Road Convict Rock graffiti Retaining wall and support on the OGNR Curved retaining wall Old quarry site on the Old Great North Road Hangmans Rock Looking through Hangmans Rock

Wisemans Ferry

Wisemans Ferry
Wisemans Ferry village is on the banks of the Hawkesbury river, NSW. The town, and nearby car ferry, is named after Solomon Wiseman, a former convict who received a land grant in the area and established the ferry service. The town is a popular day trip and weekend destination from Sydney. There are several good spots to eat in town, including bistros at the Wisemans Ferry Inn and the Wisemans Ferry Bowling club, and takeaway food from Bush Bites cafe. The Riverbend Restaurant can be found in the 'Retreat at Wisemans' for finer dining. The area has some great walking and interesting history surrounding the convict built Old Great North Road. More info.

Old Great North Road

Old Great North Road
The historic Great North Road was built using convict labour between 1826 and 1836 (this section south of Wollombi was completed in 1832). The road formed a link between Sydney and the Hunter Valley, including Newcastle. There are visible remnants of the original work in bridges, retaining walls and other structures along the way. The 'Convict Trail Project' has member groups involved in the conservation of historical remnants along the road. The Convict Trail Project and the NPWS have erected information signs at various points to illustrate the history. The Convict Trail Project has an excellent website for further reading. More info.

(0km) Int of Wisemans Ferry Rd and OGNR → Hangmans Rock

distance 1.1 km time 31 mins climb 127m descent -49m Moderate track
From the car park and intersection on Wisemans Ferry Rd (about 500m west of the car ferry), the walk passes around a gate, passes an information sign, and follows the 'Old Great North Road' up the hill. This section of the walk winds up the hill, passing numerous cuttings and retaining walls built with convict labour. There are several information signs on the way, making the walk more interesting. The walk then arrives at the signposted "Hangman's Rock".

Hangmans Rock

Hangmans Rock
Hangmans Rock is beside the historic Old Great North Road, near Wisemans Ferry, NSW. This beautiful sandstone cave/overhang has some steps and a bench seat cut into it and is part of the history of the convict built OGNR. It is uncertain what purpose the spot served, but stories that convicts were hanged through the hole in the roof of the cave appear unlikely to be true, despite giving a name to the atmospheric spot. More info.

Maps for the Hangmans Rock walk

You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.
These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.

Lower Portland1:25 000 Map Series90312S LOWER PORTLANDNSW-90312S
St Albans1:25 000 Map Series90312N ST ALBANSNSW-90312N
St Albans1:100 000 Map Series9031 ST ALBANS9031

Cross sectional view of the Hangmans Rock bushwalking track

Terrain profile for Hangmans Rock

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Hangmans Rock

Altitude analysis for Hangmans Rock

Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

Length2.2 km
Time1 hr 15 mins
.




Grade 3/6



Moderate track		AS 2156.1GradientShort steep hills (3/6)
Quality of trackClear and well formed track or trail (2/6)
SignsClearly signposted (1/6)
Experience RequiredNo experience required (1/6)
WeatherWeather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)
InfrastructureLimited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)

Some more details of this walks Grading

Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk

Gradient

This whole walk, 1.1km has short steep hills.

Quality of track

This whole walk, 1.1km follows a clear and well formed track or trail.

Signs

This whole walk, 1.1km is clearly signposted.

Experience Required

This whole walk, 1.1km requires no previous bushwalking experience.

weather

This whole walk, 1.1km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).

Infrastructure

This whole walk, 1.1km has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced).

Similar walks

A list of walks that share part of the track with the Hangmans Rock walk.

Devines Hill

3.6 km Return, 2 hrs

Devines Hill

A great walk with some really nice scenery and plenty of history. This walk follows the well formed Devines Hill ascent portion of the Old Great North Road. The convict built road is impressive and there are good information signs along the trail. The visible remnants of the Old Great North Road inc

Total climbing: 257m

Grade 3
  • Car
  • Bus

Moderate track

Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill

4 km One way, 2 hrs

Shepherds Gully and Devines Hill

A great one-way walk which offers some beautiful scenery in the moist and shaded parts of Shepherds Gully, some bigger views on Devines Hill and plenty of Old Great North Road history. There are plenty of information signs along the way giving some good background on the convict build roads, making

Total climbing: 257m

Grade 3
  • Car
  • Bus

Moderate track

Devines Hill and Finchs Line circuit

9.9 km Circuit, 4 hrs 30 mins

Devines Hill and Finchs Line circuit

A great walk with a mixture of historic remnants of the Old Great North Rd, and some beautiful views over the Hawkesbury river and other valleys. Most of this walk follows parts of the convict built road, and a number of information signs along the way give a good insight into the construction and h

Total climbing: 547m

Grade 3
  • Car
  • Bus

Moderate track

Great North Road and Dubbo Gully

27.3 km One way, 2 Days

Great North Road and Dubbo Gully

This walk follows a section of the Old Great North Road along the borders of the rugged Yengo and Dharug National Parks, to then visit more historic sites in Dubbo Gully. This is more of a historic journey than you typical bushwalk. There is a campsite at Ten Mile Hollow providing a comfortable pla

Total climbing: 1372m

Grade 4
  • Car
  • Bus

Hard track

Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the Hangmans Rock walk.

Shepherds Gully

4.3 km Return, 2 hrs

Shepherds Gully

The long, gentle climb along Shepherd's Gully has some beautiful scenery and some historic remnants of the Old Great North Road. While the remnants of the road construction are not as impressive as those on the main Devines Hill ascent, they are still interesting. The optional side trip to Hangmans

Total climbing: 244m

Grade 3
  • Car
  • Bus

Moderate track

Finchs Line viewpoint

4.4 km Return, 2 hrs 15 mins

Finchs Line viewpoint

This pleasant walk follows part of the historic Finchs Line road, the original route for the Great North Road up the hills just north of Wisemans Ferry. The walk starts in moist, fern covered scenery and climbs to drier forest and some stunning views over the Hawkesbury river and Wisemans Ferry area

Total climbing: 373m

Grade 3
  • Car
  • Bus

Moderate track

Western Commission Track to Dubbo Gully

28.3 km One way, 2 Days

Western Commission Track to Dubbo Gully

This two day walk follows a series of historic roads along clear and wide management trails. This walk explores the great views from Western Commission Track, the sandstone handicraft on the Old Great North Road and the farming history of Ten Mile Hollow, and also offers a side trip to Clare's Bridg

Total climbing: 1249m

Grade 3
  • Car

Moderate track

11km Circuit

8.2 km Circuit, 4 hrs 15 mins

11km Circuit

This excellent circuit walk offers a lot of beautiful scenery and views. Although shorter than the name suggests, it is a reasonably tough walk, with some steep rocky sections. The sections in the gullies and valleys are mostly very moist with lots of ferns, while the higher sections are through dri

Total climbing: 634m

Grade 4
  • Car
  • Bus

Hard track

Grass Tree circuit

1.7 km Circuit, 1 Hr

Grass Tree circuit

This beautiful circuit walk goes through a range of dry and wet forest along the valley, and offers some great views. There are plenty of grasstrees along the way to add to the scenery and the creek crossings are very picturesque. The optional side trip adds some beautiful rock overhangs to the scen

Total climbing: 109m

Grade 3
  • Car
  • Bus

Moderate track

248 Track

8.3 km Return, 3 hrs 15 mins

248 Track

A nice walk through Popran National Park with good views along the way. The optional side trip to Mt Olive adds some great views and scenery. If you have a car with good ground clearance, you could drive to Ironbark picnic area and start the walk from there.

Total climbing: 255m

Grade 3
  • Car

Moderate track

Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd

10.8 km Circuit, 4 hrs 15 mins

Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd

A great circuit walk in Popran National Park, to the beautiful Emerald Pool. This walk passes through a variety of vegetation and offers some great views along the way. Emerald Pool is a really beautiful spot and it is well worth spending some time exploring around the creek. The optional side trips

Total climbing: 344m

Grade 4
  • Car

Hard track

Ironbark Rd to Glenworth Valley

10.1 km Return, 4 hrs 15 mins

Ironbark Rd to Glenworth Valley

This walk, mostly in Popran National Park, passes through a great variety of scenery and beautiful views. The early part of the walk, along a ridgetop, is through relatively dry forest with some great views, while the steep but beautiful descent to Glenworth Valley is through moist, fern filled fore

Total climbing: 492m

Grade 4
  • Car

Hard track

Mt Olive

4.4 km Return, 2 hrs

Mt Olive

A very nice walk to a viewpoint on top of Mt Olive, in Popran National Park. The walk passes through nice forest, and offers good views over Popran National Park from the top of Mt Olive. If you have a car with good ground clearance, you could drive to the picnic area, making the walk shorter.

Total climbing: 151m

Grade 4
  • Car

Hard track

Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge)

24.3 km Circuit, 2 Days

Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge)

This two day (or ten hour) walk follows several historic roads, now closed to traffic. Starting with a walk down to Dubbo Gully and past an old cemetery, you will then explore some old farms before coming to Simpsons Track. Here, head up the hill to come to the Ten Mile Hollow Campsite. The next

Total climbing: 1117m

Grade 4
  • Car

Hard track

Dubbo Gully to Upper Mangrove Cemetery

7.2 km Return, 3 hrs 15 mins

Dubbo Gully to Upper Mangrove Cemetery

An interesting walk with some great scenery, going to the small and interesting, historic cemetery at Upper Mangrove. Evidence of Aboriginal activity in the area stretches back at least 5000 years. Early European settlement in the area was concerned with timber, and produce farming, before the area

Total climbing: 450m

Grade 3
  • Car

Moderate track

Weather Forecast

This walk starts in the Hunter weather district.

Current Alerts

Park Information

Dharug National Park

Named after the traditional custodians (the Darug People), this park has much history and some great sandstone formations. The wildflowers in spring add a wonderful touch of colour to the bushland. The Old Great North Road including its quarries, bridges and other features improves access and provides a great deal of interest for visitors. Close to Sydney and Gosford, it feels like stepping back in time when visiting this park.

Comments