Shortly after the British camp was established in Sullivans Cove, a network of long gouges appeared, criss-crossing the lower slopes of the Mountain. They were created by the dragging of the butts of giant trees felled to supply the building needs of the British. These ‘resource utilisation tracks’ are among the earliest English impacts and many exist to this day. Combined with the saw pits, dust-piles and woodcutters hut sites, form the remnants of the nation’s second era of logging. Logging on the eastern face of the Mountain was banned under the creation of the Mountain Park Act, but continued in the west of the Park until around 1960.

These sing tracks can be recognised by their dished profile (the result of the logs being dragged from where they were cut, down to where they were processed). Trampled by many feet, sometimes eroded by water, the resultingly widened ‘tracks’ later formed the basis for walking tracks.

The best known of these early logging routes is Sawmill Track. McConnell notes that by 1846 Sawmill Track was already an ‘old track’. From the 1850s-1910 it was little used. In 1931 – possibly extended up from Shoobridge Track to Lenah Valley Track (first named Sawmill Track). By 1957 it had fallen into disuse, but in the mid-1990s it was reopened by members of the public.

Upper Sawmill Track (1909) went from The Springs to Sphinx Rock Track (by 1897) and was then extended to up under the Organ Pipes and has had continued use to present.

HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT

The logging coupes have been assessed as having some national heritage significance.

Sawmill Track has been assessed as having high local historical significance in its own right, and at the state level: medium to high significance in its own right and also as a part of the historic track network.

Upper Sawmill Track has been assessed as having medium local historic and scientific heritage significance as a walking track.

In 2018 the Park’s trustees decided that Sawmill track should have a high priority for nomination to Tasmania’s Heritage Register.