Directions

From Westport, take State Highway 67 north to Waimangaroa – turn right from the main road, on to the road to Denniston. Drive up the Denniston Road almost to the top, watching for a sign on the left to the Incline and Brakehead. Park in the carpark provided. From this carpark, you can both view the Incline and information boards, and start the Brakehead Walk.

Denniston Incline and Brakehead

"8th Wonder of the World" - Denniston is over 660 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level.

On fine days the views to the horizon of the Tasman Sea and up the Coast are unbeatable – but mist, cloud, wind, and sudden drops in temperature are common so be prepared.

Starting at the Brakehead, this 40 minute walk leads past 'The Camp" Denniston's first settlement, and on to the Banbury Arch viewpoint.  Marvel at the incredible skill of the stonemasons from Cornwall who built the Arch and the monumental stone supports for the rope roads on which the full coal wagons ran from the four mines to the Brakehead/Incline loading areas. The walk returns via the historic mine workshop site. Many relics from Denniston's past can be seen on this walk and feel free to fossick without vandalising.

Imagine what it must have been like living first under canvas, and finally corrugated iron huts, on this windswept, often snow-laden ridge, where there was no soil (not even enough to bury the dead) and no running water.

The Camp was one of four settlements in Denniston – each clustered around a mine – The Camp, Denniston, Coalbrookdale, and Burnett’s Face.

The Brakehead was so-named because of the huge water-fed brakes there, which slowed (not always successfully) the full coal wagons which hurtled down the 1:34 gradient cableway known as The Denniston Incline to Middle Brake – and then down the second part of the Incline to the valley floor at Conns Creek.

No power was needed for this amazing coal delivery system which ran for 87 years.  It was illegal for miners or their families to ride on the wagons (company policy) – unless they were already dead – yes, Denniston coffins were allowed to be brought down to the valley on the Incline.

Itinerary Ideas

For an interesting add-on to your Denniston walking experiences, turn left before the bridge over the Waimangaroa river on State Highway 67 and follow the gravel road towards Waimangaroa Beach (a stunning beach in its own right).  Towards the end of it is a cemetery.  Strangely, all its graves instead of facing the ocean looking west, face Denniston.  The stories on the headstones tell it all – the hardship, the courage, the early deaths and accidents.

How it got its Name:

Denniston is named after Robert Blair Denniston who was the mineral surveyor who ‘sold’ the idea of mining at this high altitude site to a group of rich Dunedin-based financiers who started the Westport Coal Company.