The Ten Mile

1935

The Naval College Road was known in 1935 as the "Ten Mile."  The road at that time was described as being in a "deplorable condition."

Several cars had left the road and narrowly missed turning over. Visitors to the Naval College hated travelling along the road, many vowing never to return until the road was repaired.
  One incident saw travellers returning to Sydney hitting a particularly rough patch causing one of the rear axels to be snapped clean off. The car skidded for a few yards along the road, luckily no other damage was done to the car or passengers.

In November of 1935 repairs were undertaken by a team of workmen.  Up to 60 drums of emoleum had arrived at Huskisson wharf and the process of depositing the emoleum at different places along the road was carried out.

The local council known as the Clyde Shire Council based at Tomerong in conjunction with the main roads department used the opportunity to experiment with new road surfaces.

The first was made by mixing gravel thrown up off the side of the road with emoleum, this mix was rolled flat using a horse-drawn roller leaving a hard smooth surface which even a heavily laden lorry made no impression upon.

The second involved mixing a larger courser sifted gravel from a rock pit with the emoleum, the finish presenting more of a stone surface than the finer gravel thrown from the sides of the road, but judged an even better hard wearing surface.

Old photograph of Jervis Bay Road.