Happy Hump Day Friends! If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that I spent nine days road-tripping to the Gold Coast and back at end of April and beginning of May to attend the Lions Australia National Convention. It was a fantastic five days soaking up the Queensland sun (which I now desperately miss), catching up with family I haven't seen IRL in years, and enjoying the Convention and I definitely want to go back up there and do more touristy things in the future. But it’s the touristy stops on the way home that I want to share today - the Australian Standing Stones at Glen Innes and the Captain Thunderbolt Country of Uralla. If you know me, you know I’m a bit of a history nerd, so anything touristy that involves history is right up my alley, and these two locations ticked those boxes. And I didn’t even know these locations existed on the road-trip route until passing them on the way north - my list of “places to stop at on the way home” was a bit of a long one, so naturally a few locations were skipped, but I’m glad I got to stop at these locations and soak up their history. On the way to the Gold Coast, I noticed a locality called ‘Stonehenge’ just south of Glen Innes. The New England area isn’t shy of using place names from the UK, so it wasn’t really that surprising to see it on the map. Stonehenge seems to have gotten its name because of how rocky the area is, which actually includes a ‘Balancing Rock’, which seems to be defying gravity. While I was bummed that someone hadn’t actually built a knock-off miniature version of Stonehenge in the area, I was excited to find that Glen Innes is actually home to the Australian Standing Stones. Since 1992, the thirty-eight stones have been a memorial to Celtic people, past and present, celebrating the contribution to Australian culture made by people from the Celtic nations of Astrurias, Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. Many of those who settled in Glen Innes from 1838 were of Celtic origin, with the town being known as ‘Celtic Country’ and the home of the Australian Celtic Festival, held annual on the first weekend in May. In fact, the festival was kicking off two days after visiting the stones, so it was in the process of being set up. Of the 38 stones that make up the monument, 24 stand in a circle to represent the twenty-four hours of the day. In the centre stands three stones, the Australis Stone (for all Australians), the Gaelic Stone (for Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man), and the Brythonic Stone (for Wales, Cornwall and Brittany). Seven stones then mark where the rising and setting sun shows the highpoint of summer and deepest winter (summer and winter solstices). The final four stones stand outside the circle showing north, south, east, and west. What I wasn’t expecting to find was more than just the circular stone monument - there’s several other stones and features honouring important elements of Celtic culture and history. The most exciting is, of course, Excalibur, giving you the change to try your luck at pulling the sword from the stone - ‘he who so ever pulleth the sword from this stone, shall be endowed with Great Knowledge and Wisdom.’ Unfortunately, I was not endowed with Great Knowledge and Wisdom, despite my best efforts… The other really cool stone that my inner history nerd loved was the Irish Stone, which featured Ogham markings, the ancient written language used 500-1000AD of engraved lines down the side of stones. Next to this is the Gorsedd Stone where Bards would stand at Eisteddfod festivals and ceremonies, as well as being used as a welcoming site to show friendship between tribes. And while I didn’t venture up the hill further, the area also features a Celtic Family Wall that holds stones from Celtic places around the world, placed there by societies and families to symbolically cement their ties. A Rock of Remembrance also honours the forward-thinking people that helped make the Australlian Standing Stones a reality. The area is rounded out with the Crofters’ Cottage Cafe that is modelled on a traditional ‘black house’ that was common in Scotland and Ireland. In all, I thoroughly enjoyed my brief stop at the Standing Stones. There was so much more in the area than I was anticipating and I definitely want to go back to not only attend the Celtic Festival, which looks like it would be a fun event to experience, but to also enjoy the stones without the festival prep taking away from their beauty. Glen Innes is also a generally beautiful town oozing with history, so it’s definitely on the list of revisit. If you’re ever in the area, make sure the Australian Standing Stones is on your agenda! A little further south but still in the New England area is Uralla, the centre of Thunderbolt Country. Captain Thunderbolt was one of many bushrangers that traversed the land during the 1800s, and when I saw that there we were passing a few key Thunderbolt locations, I knew I had to see them. I’m slowly collecting bushrangers like Infinity Stones - there’s Ben Hall in Forbes, Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner at Escort Rock in Eugowra, and Ned Kelly in Glenrowan. And now Captain Thunderbolt in Uralla. Captain Thunderbolt, born Fred Ward, was the youngest of ten children to parents Michael Ward, a convict, and Sophia. For over 10 years, he worked at many stations in northern NSW, perfecting his horsemanship skills. In 1856, his nephew became the ringleader of a large horse and cattle stealing operation, enticing other members of the extended Ward family to join him, Thunderbolt being one of them. Thunderbolt and his two nephews were eventually convicted of horse-stealing, and sentenced to ten years hard labour on the Cockatoo Island penal establishment. After serving four years of the sentence, Thunderbolt was released on a ticket-of-leave, settling in Mudgee and fathering a child with Mary Ann Bugg. When he failed to show for his three-monthly muster, his ticket-of-leave was revoked and he rode back into Mudgee on a ‘stolen’ horse. He was sent back to Cockatoo Island to serve his remaining six years, as well as an additional three years for being in possession of a stolen horse. It was now that Thunderblot would enter into the bushranging era of his life. In September 1863 Thunderbolt and his companion Fred Britten escaped from Cockatoo Island, making their way to the New England District. In late October, they waited in ambush at Big Rock or Split Rock (now known as Captain Thunderbolt’s Rock) for the mail to pass by. What they weren’t anticipating was the increased police presence on the mail run as a result of the increase of bushrangers across the state. A gunfight ensued, with Thunderbolt shot in the back of the left knee, but the pair managed to escape. Over the next six and a half years, Thunderbolt robbed mailmen, travellers, inns, stores and stations across much of northern NSW. Thunderbolt gained the reputation as the ‘Gentleman Bushranger’ because there is no evidence that he ever actually shot anyone during his bushranging career. Instead he relied heavily on his horse skills the make a good getaway, and is credited with having stolen or commandeered upwards of 40 thoroughbred racehorses. On 25 May 1870, Thunderbolt met the Blanchs, the owners of the Royal Oak Inn, at Split Rock and robbed them before accompanying them back to their inn. He spent his last few hours at the inn, with publican John Blanch serving him his last drinks at gun point. After leaving the inn, a difficult pursuit by police ensued through the rough terrain around Uralla, and he was eventually captured and killed several miles later at Kentucky Creek near Uralla. His body was eventually buried in the Uralla Pioneer Cemetery, and a gravestone erected in 1914 by local residents. The Uralla Pioneer Cemetery is a gorgeous little cemetery, having gone out of use in the 1930s. If you’re someone who likes exploring cemeteries and appreciating old headstones, this is definitely a place to stop, regardless of it being the resting place of Captain Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt’s grave is conveniently located just inside the entrance and surrounded by a small picket fence. Within the Uralla township is also a statue of Thunderbolt at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way, although I didn’t stop for a closer look or photo. A few kilometers south of the town is Thunderbolt’s Rock, which is just generally a gorgeous piece of geology regardless of its historical significance. Unfortunately, it has been heavily covered in graffiti over the years, which is really sad to see. Not only has a beautiful piece of geology been defaced, but a piece of Australian history has been treated so poorly. The area is also lacking proper signage (although I wonder if the somewhat recent roadworks in the area have meant signs have been removed and not replaced yet), and it would have been great to have a plaque at the site to actually explain its significance. If you’re history nerd like me, you definitely need to visit the Thunderbolt locations if you’re ever in the New England and Uralla area, which also includes Thunderbolt’s Cave to the north of Uralla. The New England area in general is filled with a tonne of interesting places to visit, so I definitely want to go back and spend more time exploring. I also noticed that the area has many locations for fossicking, so I’d love to try my hand at finding some gems and stones.
Although my visit to the New England area was brief, I loved getting to see this beautiful part of the country and getting a small taste at what the region has to offer. If you’ve not visited, I definitely recommend adding it to your travel bucket list, especially in the Autumn to see all the gorgeous fall colours, and make sure you take some time to visit the Australian Standing Stones in Glen Innes and Captain Thunderbolt hotspots in and around Uralla. You won’t be disappointed! Happy exploring! Victoria :) |
Categories
All
Affiliates
See DISCLAIMER.
|