The Waterfall Way (clue is in the title)

What with the blue bottles, sharks and floods at the coast we headed inland from Coffs for safety! The Waterfall highway winds it's way up into the New England National Park. The road at first hugs the Bellinger River then climbs high through tree lined gorges and creeks taking you into world heritage rain forests 1000 odd metres above sea level. Had to slip old jucy out of overdrive to get up them hills!

The Ebor falls served as a cuppa stop off. Great views to be had over the falls and the surrounding Guy Fawkes River NP which covers a land mass of 107,000 hectares. The Ebor falls are head of the Guy Fawkes River gorge. It links the tablelands country around Armidale and Guyra with the Dorrigo plateau that projects out towards Coffs Harbour. At 1300 metres Ebor sees snow fall most winters and crisp summers that contrast with the lowland sweltering heat. Must admit we had a far less sticky night in the van, even used the duvet!

Wollomombi Falls in Oxley Wild River NP is one of Australia's highest waterfalls at 260 metres is found within this park. Depending on rain fall it either falls at a trickle or a torrent. To the right of the wollomombi falls is the Chandlers falls, these two falls meet in the pool below and then flow east to the pacific ocean. Given the resent heavy rain falls both seemed to be doing alright.Wollomombi in local Aboriginal dialect means the meeting of the waters. The gorge in which these waters fall has been created by several hundred million years of river flow that has cut through the tablelands.

The aboriginal people of the northern tablelands around Armidale were known as Anaiwan. As European settlements spread through the tablelands back in the 1800s the aboriginal people retreated to these remote gorges which came with tough conditions therefore survival was extremely difficult. As the Europeans cleared the lands for grazing stock many were raided and hunted for food by the aboriginals which caused conflict and massacres between the two sides. In the mid 1800s this eventually led to the virtual distinction of the local aboriginal people along with their traditional cultures and vast knowledge of these ancient tablelands.

Uralla is captain thunderbolt territory. Thunderbolt the famed bushranger for a six-year career of holding up Uralla publicans and then spending the proceeds on beer. Born to an Irish convict in 1835, he was dead by 36, apparently a typical timeline for your average Aussie bushranger. Normally supported by the poorer locals these legend type still ignite a sense of 'them and us' only really possible in a population grown from a convict state. Frederick Ward, aka Captain Thunderbolt, went on to inspire the public's imagination even further by escaping from Cockatoo island jail in Sydney harbour not once but twice, swimming ashore at Balmain. Our location for Christmas this year !! His six year career of robbing wealthy aristocrats as they travelled past his bush hideouts in the Hunter Valley and New England came to a abrupt end when he was shot and killed in one of his hideouts at Tenterfield just north of Uralla. His grave is located just off the high st and is now one of the towns tourist attractions.

On our route out of the mountains we passed through the shire of Walcha. This is pasture wonderland. With sheep massively out numbering people, 3800 population per 760,000 sheep! Once sheared most of areas wool is shipped to China as the milling process locally became far too expensive!

The McMillan lookout at Apsley Falls is named after a Walcha resident, Jim McMillian, who originally built the first set of steps down to the bottom of the gorge. Made of wood these didn't last too long and thankfully in the 60s Jim's son proposed a plan to reconstruct the steps in steel. We were certainly pleased with Jim Juniors steps, got us much closer to the water and the rainbow that had appeared as the spray hit the rocks below.

The drive from Walcha down to Wauchape was certainly not for the travel sickness type. 90 degree and hairpin bends a plenty. When finally out of the hills you arrive at the somewhat male only settlement of 'Timbertown'. Where men, real men wearing high vis clobber of course, cut timber all day long and woman, well the only one we saw was working the local fuel station.

A harsh, harsh country this at times.