Public Works Office, Sydney 1895

Excerpt from an article by J. W. Holliman, Department of Public Works, Sydney  – published in “New South Wales: the mother colony of the Australias” (1896)

In the early days of the Colony, and indeed up to the era of responsible Government, all matters in connection with road construction, as well as other public works, were carried out under the direction of officers in the Imperial Service, generally belonging to the Royal Engineers, and many of the best roads in the Colony bear testimony to their skill.  Although much good work was done by the early road-engineers, the real engineering history of the colony dates from the formation of the Public Works Department in 1859, shortly after the inauguration of responsible Government in the Colony.  Since that time the Government have been actively engaged in improving roads already in existence, and opening new means of communication to meet the demands of the increasing population.  As an illustration of what has been done, it may be pointed out that since the year 1857, the large sum of £16,546,160, has been expended on road and bridge works alone.

Provenance: “New South Wales: the mother colony of the Australias“. Frank Hutchinson, Edited by F. Hutchinson.
Author: Frank Hutchinson
Date of Publication: 1896
Publisher: C. Potter
Place of Publishing: Sydney
Copyright status: Out of copyright
Courtesy: The British Library