hitch several teams together to haul their wagons up this section. Descending the range loaded, they often dragged felled trees behind them to slow their descent down these steep slopes. Capt. B. H. Martindale, the Commissioner for Internal Communication, in his fourth report in 1860 was able to refer to "2 miles of road at the Moonbi’s Pass which has been greatly improved." By 1865, the road section between Tamworth and Bendemeer had been cleared and fenced. A second route was found through the Moonbi Ranges in the early 1870s which eliminated the steep section of "The (Blue) Pinch." In 1937 a new bitumen sealed route to eliminate the earlier "S-Bend" deviation and a steep section was built from Moonbi over the range. Reconstruction on the First Moonbi Hill which began in 1975 now continues on a section, which has double traffic lanes in each direction. Emergency stopping beds have been built running off the highway of both of the hills in case of vehicle brake failure. The Moonbi Park lookout situated in a high area just off the New England Highway roughly north of Tamworth, offers views of the area south of the mountain from a huge granite boulder. In August 1998 The New England Highway was closed for eight hours after two truck-sized boulders fell onto the northbound highway, blocking it. See also List of mountains in New South Wales References Northern Tablelands Great Dividing Range