River crossings were an essential piece of infrastructure as settlers gradually headed west to settle western NSW.
However, in the early 1860s, there were still no bridges across the Macquarie River at Dubbo, with a Mr Charles Lloyd Purvis operating a punt and ferrying service, charging 1/- (one shilling, about $20 in today’s terms) per head to ford the river.
In 1861, the NSW Legislative Asse...
