Road trip to Queensland

I had the opportunity to take a road trip with Jonesy that would take us north from Newcastle to visit his brother at Banaglow, close to the Queensland border. From there to go to stay with Laurie and Carolyn at Broadbeach Waters, near Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

We set off early and Jonesy suggested taking an alternative route to the Pacific Highway. This would take us up the wonderfully named Bucketts Way and then Thunderbolt Way. We would be travelling through the Great Dividing Range, the fourth longest range in the world stretching 3,500km (2,175 miles). It reaches from western Victoria to the north-eastern tip of Queensland, traversing the eastern coast of the continent. As a matter of interest, the three ranges longer are; The Andes (South America), The Rockies (North America), and The Himalayas (Asia).

We travelled through the small towns of Booral ,Stroud and Stratford, complete with the Avon River (of course), before coming to Gloucester. Here we stopped for coffee and raisin toast before joining Thunderbolt Way. This road was named after a certain Fred Ward, alias Captain Thunderbolt.

Ward was a bushranger ( highwayman or robber who lived in the bush to avoid arrest) and was jailed for stealing and receiving 75 horses at Maitland, NSW in 1856. Sentenced to 10 years hard labour, he was released on licence in 1860 but re-arrested for failing to to turn up to be accounted for.He was sent back to gaol to serve out his original sentence plus, an additional three years.

He escaped in 1863 and carried out various robberies in the New England district, avoiding arrest using his undoubted riding skills. In 1865 his luck ran out as he was chased and shot by the police at Kentucky Creek near the town of Uralla. It is in the cemetery here that you can find his grave. Captain Thunderbolt, last of the bushrangers.

We continued our journey through the towns of Armidale, with its historic railway station, Guyra and Glen Innes. We stopped the night at the town of Tenterfield at the Jumbuck Inn. Now we were in the heart of the Great Dividing Range and the temperature had dropped appreciably to 13c.

We continued onwards the next day and were beginning to descend into the valley towards the coast. The low cloud and rain spoilt what would have been some lovely views but I did see my first Kangaroo of this visit to Australia, and my first ever in NSW, as it bounded across the road in front of us much to Jonesy's relief.

We passed through Casino and then Lismore before picking up the Pacific Highway and coming to  Bangalow where Jonesy's brother and sister-in law live. I had stayed with Stephen and Michele on my previous visits in 2002, 2007 and last year. There lovely home is situated on the outskirts of the town and is surrounded by its own mini rain-forest.

We visited the nearby resort of Byron Bay, mainland Australia's most easterly point and famous for its lighthouse and laid back surfing patrons, before meeting up with other friends of Jonesy's, Harold and Shelley for dinner.

The next morning, after breakfast, we met Harold and Shelley for coffee at Stephen's favourite haunt, Lilianas. This fine cafe/restaurant was formerly The Opossum Creek Public School from 1911-1963. After coffee we continued our journey north to the NSW/QLD border at Tweed Heads.

Here we paid a visit to Point Danger and the Captain Cook Memorial where you can actually straddle the border. Cook had named this Point Danger owing to the dangerous reefs that he encountered off the coast here on 17th May, 1770. The memorial and lighthouse was erected in his honour in 1970 to commemorate the 200th  anniversary of his arrival.

Thunderbolt's Grave at Uralla.

Armidale Railway Station

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Captain Cook Memorial, Point Danger

Byron Bay, Australia's most easterly point.

Brunswick Beach, Byron Bay

Lilianas Cafe/Restaurant, Opossum Creek.

The temperature by now was 28c with clear blue skies as we continued onto Broadbeach Waters via the coastal tourist route taking us through Currumbin, Palm Beach, Burleigh Heads and Miami Beach. We were to stay with our good friends Laurie and Carolyn for the next three nights.