Tamworth NSW

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The Waterfall Way runs from Coffs Harbour to Armidale, and guess what. There are lots of waterfalls to view along the way. We explored the key waterfalls in the Dorrigo area, and now headed further up onto the New England plateau, aiming to stay in Tamworth.

First stop was Ebor Falls, followed by Wollomombi Falls, both relatively quick stopovers. We also passed Thunderbolts Rock near Uralla, which was a famous lookout post for bushranger Captain Thunderbolt, who was partial to robbing the mail coaches as they passed by. Thunderbolt had escaped from the notorious Cockatoo Island prison, and he wasn't planning on going back there in a hurry. He was eventually shot by an off duty policeman, who had shot his horse from under him. We stopped off for lunch in Armidale, and were impressed with this educational city.

On the advice of friends who regularly visit Tamworth and who conveyed concerns about the high crime rate in the city, we decided to opt for a farm stay which was highly rated on our caravan park apps. On driving in to Ranjen Farm stay, around 10 kms south of Tamworth, it looked like a typical western area farm, with cars and machinery left to lie where the engines stopped. It might be charming to a city dweller, but for us hayseeds who had seen it all before, it was ramshackle. Facilities were ok but basic. Still, it was quiet and peaceful.

We were on our way home to Wellington, so we decided to take it easy and unwind on the farm after our long eight month trip on the road. We had been recommended to book a meal at Goonoo Goonoo Station, which wasn’t located far from where we were staying. We booked breakfast the next morning, and were very impressed with the restaurant, the food and the service. Goonoo Goonoo Station was one of the original land holdings of the Australian Agricultural Company, which still exists today, and owns large tracts of land in Queensland and Northern Territory, comprising roughly 1% of Australia’s land mass. After breakfast we drove into Tamworth and topped up on groceries, and checked out the city.

The next morning we drove in to the Australian Equine and Livestock Centre to watch the Texas Star Performance Horses Campdraft Clinic, with the regions best horsemen and horsewomen trying to guide a young steer on their horses through a series of witches hats in the quickest possible time. My take is that it came down to luck as much as good horsemanship, with each steer having a mind of its own.

The farm stay was also a good opportunity to do some further family tree research, in order to present my findings to my parents. The countryside around Tamworth was very green and lush, following a season of good rains. It was only a few years ago that Tamworth actually ran out of public water, due to a severe drought.

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