When heading north from Tenterfield, NSW, towards Queensland, the Mount Lindsay Highway offers a scenic alternative to the main road. There are some quirky stops en route, a giant pebble and a fabulous swimming hole.
We were exploring the NSW granite country to the south of the Queensland border, driving north out of Tenterfield on the scenic Mount Lindesay Highway. Bald Rock National Park lies about 32 km north of Tenterfield but there are some other stops en route.
F111 Memorial
Firstly, a memorial (just north of Boundary Road, 3.5 km north of Tenterfield) to two pilots killed in a F111-C crash on 2nd April 1987.
This was a seriously big jet: it must have come down with quite a crash, luckily missing a nearby house. We wondered why the pilots hadn’t ejected.
On a night flying exercise, it was later thought that they had lost track of the altitude although the reason was never established.
Thunderbolt’s Hideout
A little further on, a sign indicates Thunderbolt’s Hideout and a quick scramble amongst the rounded boulders will introduce you to some of the typical landscape of the granite country, as well as to the large cave where the bushranger supposedly sheltered. A little creek provided fresh water.
Fred Ward had a dangerous predilection for good horseflesh and was happy to steal it. This earned him 4 years in prison, followed by another stint which ended with a daring escape swim across Sydney Harbour from Cockatoo Island.
Fast horses may have kept him free during the following 6 years as he pursued a career as the gentleman bushranger Captain Thunderbolt. He based himself in the Tenterfield region which was nicely placed to interrupt gold shipments and the mail.
He never shot anyone and was once rumoured to have asked a German band to play for him when he discovered whom he had held up – they must have performed well as he returned most of their money as a result.
He was finally run to ground at the age of 35 in 1870, when shot by a policeman at Kentucky Creek near Uralla. His grave can be seen in Uralla.
World War 2 Tank Traps
A kilometre north, another roadside stop reveals the scarily rudimentary defences designed to stop a Japanese invasion. Once the only all-weather highway between Sydney and Brisbane, the Mount Lindesay road was further narrowed in a gully by blowing up the boulders to create a rockfall with a booby trapped cement wall to the other side.
The remaining area had 3 layers of huge wooden stakes. They were buried 5 feet in the ground, leaving 3 feet exposed and were designed to expose the underbelly of tanks so that they were more vulnerable to attack.
Luckily they were never needed and they now rot quietly in the scrub. During the Pacific Campaign, up to 10,000 troops were stationed in the Tenterfield region and there was a major training base at London Bridge, just 3 km to the south.
We had to bypass this one unfortunately as we were not in a four wheel drive, but if you are, there are nice waterfalls, forming part of the Basket Swamp Creek System which drains 200 hectares of heath and sedge filled wetland, filtering the water which runs into the creeks.
There is a campsite available and lots of walking opportunities.
Strangely pronounced ‘bunna bunoo’ (big rock in the local Jukambul language) this park has the 210 m high Boonoo Boonoo falls, accessible by a 300 m walkway. They slide down their rocky length rather than fall but the country is beautiful, with distant views over their rugged river valley and mountains.
Banjo Patterson proposed to his sweetheart at the falls: Alice Emily Walker’s family owned the nearby Tenterfield Station. They married in 1903 and had two children.
It is just behind the falls that I think the real treasure lies: an area of huge rock faces and boulders hides two especially wonderful swimming holes.
The largest at the bottom is popular, but I prefer the next one up: swim around the corner and there is a platform with a pair of powerful mini waterfalls – perfect for a pummeling massage and a beautifully peaceful spot.
I then followed the 6 km River Track back to our campsite at Cypress Pines. It offered some nice river views in places, and more hidden waterholes, but a lot of it was through undulating forest – quite hard work on a hot day.
Luckily the large Platypus Pool just under the campsite offered another lovely wild swimming experience, facilitated by a nice wooden deck and ladder for access.
The camp was well spread out amongst tall trees – I recommend Number 13 – and we enjoyed a beautifully still, quiet night.
The following morning I awoke at 5 am Queensland time (an hour behind NSW) but no one stirred and I had a peaceful half hour alone at the Platypus Pool. There was indeed a distant platypus.
I then followed the river upstream and found another swimming hole, smaller but with a lovely sandy approach – I could not resist and had a refreshing skinny dip. Parrots landed on the edge to drink and it was all rather idyllic.
Reclothed, I meandered further and found a rocky waterhole with another platypus. After watching quietly for about half an hour he ended up about 10 feet away and I had a good view of his torpedo-like body with flat tail, a beak and waving legs.
These bizarre little creatures are actually monotremes in that they lay an egg and the male has an unusual venomous spur on his hind leg. The aborigines found their tail quite nutritious and later Europeans used the mole-like fur, but they are now fully protected.
After breakfast I completed the final 2 km of the River Track to Morgan’s Gully, a pleasant amble along the river and through the forest. It was a pretty rocky gully, although the waterholes were not that deep for swimming.
The area had a gold rush in the late 19th century when the gully and nearby Roper’s Gully were mined for alluvial gold.
Bikes on a tree
Back on the highway, and 1.6 km north of the Boonoo Boonoo junction , this is one of those nonsensical sights of Australia: a fallen tree with a line of bicycles snaking up the trunk.
Other nearby trees and rocks are similarly festooned and a sign proudly proclaims Le Detour Boush – make of it what you will but it is quite amusing!
Although overshadowed by the much larger Ayres Rock, Bald Rock is the largest granite monolith in the southern hemisphere, measuring 750 m long, 500 m wide and 260 m high.
It enjoys another important distinction: not only does it still have its original moniker, but one is actually allowed to climb it!
Not that it is immediately obvious. We had spotted it on a previous visit to Girraween National Park, just over the border in Queensland, when we had clambered over similar granite high points. From the road, it hides its face.
Bald Rock National Park campground is an easy 5 km off the highway and has spacious sites amidst tall trees. Free firewood is supplied for which we were grateful: the nights were quite cold.
After lunch we set off to tackle the monolith, initially following the Bungoona Walk which ascended gently through gum trees for 1.9 km.
En route we passed giant boulders in picturesque disarray. Simon walked into one collection which looked like a neolithic tomb.
Rock lilies clung to their crevices as we meandered through them, eventually intersecting the track which led a further 580 m to the Bald Rock summit, climbing gently to the top where a surprising amount of trees survived above the smooth rain streaked sides.
We looked out over thick trees in all directions: to the bald summits within Girraween, the clearings north of Stanthorpe and the distinctive pyramid of Mount Waring to the east. It was a day of scattered showers and storm clouds and the sky looked quite dramatic.
We descended via the direct route which dropped us down a smooth face directly to the lookout area at the bottom where a groomed bitumen track with benches and picnic areas led back 400 m to the car park.
It looked like it would be a good track for wildlife spotting in the evening with a powerful torch, so we later returned, but without seeing anything – the rare spotted tailed quoll lives in the park but is quite elusive, along with various possums.
We lingered another day in the park, following the 13.8 km Border Trail in an anti clockwise direction. It dropped down from the campsite on the Bookookoorara Trail into a swampy valley from where the easy route went back via the Fairy Valley trail.
Our trail led up to the ridge where NSW met the Queensland border, distinguished by some old wooden stakes and barbed wire fencing.
A one kilometre detour led somewhat steeply to the rocky Bookookoorara Lookout, from where Bald Rock was easily visible.
The Border Trail then led us along the ridge, following the old fence line, before curving around to drop back down into the day parking area.
It was pleasant enough walking through typical Australian eucalypt country but not very exciting as the entire route just followed a broad fire trail with few views – maybe the 7 km return to Little Bald Rock would have been a bit more interesting!
The next day we headed north on quite remote country roads (all bitumen) to the Queensland border and Stanthorpe to complete the detour – if you have the time it is a lovely alternative to the main New England Highway.
