Conference Paper

Author

McInnes, Doug; Hamory, Gabor

Title

The rough ways made smooth- a discussion of road building in Western Australia in colonial times

In

From the Past to the Future: 18th Australian Engineering Heritage Conference 2015 [Newcastle]

Imprint

Engineers Australia, Barton, Australian Capital Territory, 2015, pp. 54-61

ISBN/ISSN

9781922107435

Url

https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.696541861989763

Abstract

This paper is a discussion of some of the road building challenges that faced the early settlers in Perth and adjoining regions in Western Australia during colonial times. The period from 1829 to about 1900 covered in this paper gives an understanding of the organisational and technical challenges that faced the communities which were coping with rapid extensions to the road network. The early settlers had limited prior knowledge of the local conditions governing road engineering in Western Australia. Although some expertise from England and other countries was available, the discussion shows that these constraints and a lack of suitable road building expertise and supervision were severe limitations. Experience with local road building materials and the gradual influence of parliamentary legislation, Roads Boards and the arrival of the Royal Engineers contributed to advances in the knowledge of appropriate construction. This resulted in improvements in the performance of the road network in towns and rural areas.

The paper is based on references to newspaper reports, Acts of Parliament and the interpretations of the authors. Progress was made through the strong involvement of the community, improvements in financing and the availability of mechanical plant, such as rollers, crushers and graders. This achieved a network of streets and roads on which automobiles, rather than horses and carts, were to soon set far more demanding standards for road engineers.

Related Published resources

isPartOf

• From the Past to the Future: 18th Australian Engineering Heritage Conference 2015 [Newcastle] (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Engineers Australia, 2015), 230 pp, https://search.informit.org/doi/book/10.3316/informit.9781922107435. Details