Solomon WisemanPrint Page

The statue commemorates Solomon Wiseman after whom Wisemans Ferry is named .

Solomon Wiseman (16 April 1777 - 28 November 1838) was a convict, merchant and ferryman. The town called Wiseman's Ferry, New South Wales, Australia is named after him. He was employed by the British government to carry spies to France. On 30 October 1805 he was found guilty of stealing wood from a lighter and was sentenced to death. This was commuted to Transportation for Life and he was sent to New South Wales where he arrived in August 1806 on the Alexander with his wife and two children.

In 1810 he was given his ticket of leave and in 1812, a pardon. In 1811 Wiseman had constructed a sloop called the Hawkesbury Packet which was a coastal trader. Not long after he also had constructed the Hope. He shipped coal from Newcastle (new South Wales), wheat from the Hawkesbury and timber from Shoalhaven. In 1817 he was granted a lease of 200 acres on the Hawkesbury River at Lower Portland Head, which later became known as Wiseman's Ferry.

In 1821 he established an inn called 'the Sign of the Packet' on the banks of the river. When he heard that the government intended to build a road between Sydney and the Hunter valley, he persuaded the authorities to route it through his land. Road building commenced in 1826 with two gangs operating either side of the river, and in 1827 he received a contract to supply all provisions to the gangs and later that year a license to operate a ferry to transport people and stock across the river. The ferry crossing site was moved in 1829, to its current site, when a route was chosen for the Great North Road. The current site is the oldest ferry crossing in Australia.
 

Location

Details

Dedication