as the terrain allowed, with low side-cuttings and embankments as necessary. The actual construction and completion of the road is recorded in Cox's Journal. Cox's journal indicates that three areas in particular required extensive cutting through rocky outcrops; at Linden to Woodford, Wentworth Falls and the descent at Mount York. In early November 1814 Cox sent several different parties to examine the mountain "at the end of the ridge" and the adjacent ridges and gullies to seek the best line for the building of a road descent to the valley below. He described the route as "going down steep between immense large boulders" and "bounded both by steep gullies and rocks" and noted "it is with much difficulty a person can get down at all". He doubted it was possible to "make a good road to go down and up again" without great cost in labour, time and materials and therefore settled on making a basic road suitable for a light and unloaded cart, or for the driving of stock down the "Herculean mountain". The present Mount York Road adopts a similar line to Cox's Road along the top of the ridge with minor deviations from the original route. Two signposted "Historic Wells" along this route about 500 metres south of Barden's Lookout, are unlikely to be original works associated with the 1814 road. Cox's Journal makes no reference to well-digging even though the road party was in this area for several weeks, but he does refer to water being transported in kegs "from the rocks below". Cox referred in his Journal to "hard ground" full of "very large rocks" and he commented frequently on the amount of time, labour and gunpowder needed to complete the pass down the mountain with large rocks cut and "turned out" of the road line or blasted away. Examples of the Journal entries are as follows: This extensive work over a five-week period in late 1814 has left substantial physical remnants of old Cox's Road visible in this area, including cuttings, gutters, retaining walls, fence sockets, and two bridge sites. These obvious remnants made this section of Cox's Road one of the best known and most celebrated in the past. Cox's Pass and Cox's River were both specifically named by Governor Macquarie in 1815. The Government and General Order of 10 June 1815, gave lavish praise to William Cox: Governor Macquarie's own Journal of