Gold Coast |
Wednesday, 18 June 2014 |
Tenterfield to Tamworth |
Today was clear and sunny again, and warm in the middle of the day.
After driving around Tenterfield, we took a detour north-east towards Bald Rock National Park to find Thunderbolt's Hideout. I walked down the track, across a plank over a creek and up to the large rocks that form the hideout. We then headed back to Tenterfield and south, past Bluff Rock, to Glen Innes.
At Glen Innes - 'Celtic Country' - we went up to the park with the Standing Stones. We had brought sandwiches with us and ate those for lunch. After driving around Glen Innes we continued south via 'Stonehenge' and the Balancing Rock. South of Guyra, we detoured on to the road to Thunderbolt's Cave. The road was only sealed for a very short distance. For the last kilometre it was very rough rubble. I stopped at a clearing marked as a carpark and couldn't see anything. I continued on the road, but it got rougher and we turned back to the carpark. This time I noticed the sign that said 'cave'! I walked down to have a look at the cave and we then took the rough road back to the highway and on to Armidale.
In Armidale we went to the Apex Lookout in Drummond Park before driving around the city and walking around Central Park and the nearby churches.
We continued on past Uralla and finally found Thunderbolt's Rock that Mum had remembered seeing when travelling with Dad.
'Gentleman bushranger' Frederick Wordsworth Ward, better known as Captain Thunderbolt, robbed mailmen, travellers, inns, stores and stations across much of northern New South Wales - from the Hunter Region north to Queensland and from Tamworth nearly as far west as Bourke - in the 1860s. Originally known as Split Rock, the granite boulders of 'Thunderbolt Rock' afforded the perfect vantage point for monitoring the approach of unwary mail coaches.
Thunderbolt first visited the site in 1863 when, after a daring escape from Sydney's notorious Cockatoo Island prison, he and fellow escapee, Fred Britten, used the rock as a hideout. They were surprised by passing troopers while lying in wait at the rock to bail up an approaching mailman. Thunderbolt was shot in the knee during the fiery exchange of gunshots that ensued.
Visible in the distance to the west is a line of trees marking the course of Kentucky Creek where Thunderbolt was shot and killed by Constable Alexander Walker on 25th May, 1870.
Back on the highway, we passed McNevin's Motel and Restaurant on the approaches to Tamworth. It looked very good so we turned back and booked in for the night. We ordered dinner from the restaurant (steak Dianne for Mum, veal saltimbocca for me) and ate at the table in the (extremely nice) room.
000 - Tenterfield to Tamworth.jpg |
103 - Tenterfield - Cork tree.jpg |
104 - Tenterfield - Thunderbolts Hideout.jpg |
105 - Tenterfield - Bluff Rock.jpg |
106 - Glen Innes - Standing Stones.jpg |
107 - Glen Innes - Standing Stones.jpg |
108 - Glen Innes - Standing Stones.jpg |
109 - Glen Innes - St Josephs Convent.jpg |
110 - Glen Innes - St Josephs School.jpg |
111 - Glen Innes - St Patricks Church.jpg |
112 - Glen Innes - Stonehenge.jpg |
113 - Glen Innes - Stonehenge.jpg |
114 - Glen Innes - Stonehenge.jpg |
115 - Glen Innes - Balancing Rock.jpg |
116 - Glen Innes - Balancing Rock.jpg |
117 - Guyra - Thunderbolts Cave.jpg |
118 - Guyra - Thunderbolts Cave.jpg |
119 - Guyra - Thunderbolts Cave - a very rocky access road.jpg |
120 - Armidale - from Drummond Park lookout.jpg |
121 - Armidale - Central Park.jpg |
122 - Armidale - Sts Mary and St Joseph Cathedral.jpg |
123 - Uralla - Thunderbolts Rock.jpg |
124 - Uralla - Thunderbolts Rock.jpg |
125 - Tamworth - McNevins Motel.jpg |