The milder autumn brings changes to Riversdale. In the garden, the roses are in bloom and are putting on an autumnal show. After the heat of summer, many other flowers are also in bloom and the garden again has colour - benefitting from all the rain in late summer and early autumn. The weeds are also making a show of it, growing rapidly and keeping the gardening volunteers very busy. The lawn mowers and whipper snippers have been dusted off and put into action. It's nice to see green grass again!

The route of the original South Road from Sydney to Goulburn Plains included the driveway at Riversdale, which was reached by fording the Wollondilly River at the back of the Riversdale property. In the 19th century, before any dams and weirs were built on the Wollondilly, the river was wider and deeper and after heavy rain was hazardous to cross.

In 1842 there appeared to be a crude bridge over the Wollondilly at the crossing place. During December of that year, after heavy rain, the Sydney mail coach left Goulburn and got over the river. After travelling a few miles the coach was obliged to turn back but when the coach approached the bridge, the river was running over it. The driver - not expecting danger - attempted to cross the bridge when both horses fell through the gaps in the bridge floor. The horses would have drowned had it not been for Benjamin Gould and his stepsons who lived at the Victoria Inn (Riversdale). Apparently one of Benjamin's step sons was so injured by getting under one of the horses in the water that he was obliged to be carried home.

In September 1851, during the Gold Rushes, a group travelling by spring cart to the Turon Diggings near Bathurst left Goulburn. On reaching the Wollondilly river crossing place at the old township (Riversdale) they attempted to cross the river. It appeared that the day before a dray had also attempted to cross but bogged and the left wheel of the spring cart went into a hole left by the dray causing the spring cart to capsize. All passengers were thrown into the water. One passenger was a good swimmer and got his family out of the water and two men who were near the river bank got the other passengers out. Two of the women passengers had clung to each other and went under the water twice but were eventually pulled out.

The drenched passengers were taken to the old coaching inn (Riversdale) where apparently due to the kindness Mrs Gould, who lived at the inn, they were able to have a change of clothes and other comforts. It appears that everyone involved in the incident were able to go home during the afternoon but the horse, pulling the spring cart, was not so lucky. Unfortunately the horse drowned.