Sand Plain

Vera Whittington writes in Gold and Typhoid: two fevers that teamsters found the pull over the sandplain ‘hell’ in summer:

Usually they travelled two or thee together over the most dreaded section called ‘Devil’s Pinch’ where traffic progressed at a crawl. Often wheels sank axle deep in the sand and they were glad of help when wagons had to be dug out.

A New Zealand prospector, John Aspinall, mentioned this same Devil’s Pinch, encountered after leaving Woolgangie, in his diary.

The road is far more hilly at this place than any part of the track yet passed – one steep piece being called the Devils Pinch, where there are condensers and 2 miles further Govt condensers. We had dinner at the first place and reached Bulla Bulling after a 10 mile walk.

There are several accounts of passengers having to get out and push the coach on which they were travelling over sandy sections.