Great Drain
The Great Drain is a heritage-listed former farm and farm cottage and now motorcycle track, overnight accommodation and reserve located on the Wisemans Ferry Road, South Maroota in The Hills Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1795 to 1820 by probably by William Barren and William Harvey, stonemasons. It is also known as the Great Drain and two house sites. The property is owned by The Hills Shire Council and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 14 July 2000. Access to the heritage site is from 274 Pacific Park Rd, South Maroota which, in 2019, was the site of Pacific Park Water Ski Gardens & Motorcycle Park. History Charles Williams, who arrived on the First Fleet, came to the Hawkesbury district in 1794 after the death of his wife near his earlier Parramatta farm. He left his farm near Windsor and at some time before 1810 occupied (without a grant) the land where the Great Drain was later constructed. The property was known as Williams' Farm and it is likely that he built the house with the stone foundations on the rocky slope to the south of the farmland, above the level of the floods of the early 19th century. In 1810 the land, excluding the house site with stone foundations, was granted to Samuel Carr, who leased it to George Cox from 1813 to 1815. Cox ran pigs and grew grain. During the 1810s the rock cut foundations for a slab house known as Collingwood Cottage was cut, probably by stonemasons supplied through Andrew Johnston to freesettlers whose Portland Head Farm lay opposite. Johnston's son and daughter-in-law, William and Mary Johnston, acquired the farm in 1819 and occupied the cottage known as Collingwood Cottage and probably constructed the Great Drain, again using Andrew Johnston's stonemasons. The house constructed with stone house foundations remained on a riverside reserved strip although the intrusion of crescent reserve (portion 8) was granted to the Johnston family. A couple still lived in the slab cottage until the 1930s when it was demolished. The swamp was stabilised by used tyres under George Johnston in the 1960s and portion ten became first a water-ski lodge in the 1980s and a motorcycle track on the 1990s. Description The Great Drain is cut into sandstone for , deep and at the top wide, connecting swampy farmland with the Hawkesbury River. Excavated by pick and by gunpowder (some drill holes). Rock cutting for sluice gates at deepest point, with joist holes. To the east of cutting an earthwork channel goes into a paddock. The rock cut serves as foundations for slab house. The rock outcrop artificially drilled creating three rooms and verandah in an L-shape. Stone thresholds flanked by square post holes gave access and a fireplace and oven bases are carved into rock. Verandah supported by stone embankment. The stone house foundations on flood free slope above the farmland facing north from course of well arranged