High Ranging

Follow the old cobb & co route up the imposing gibraltar range to the nsw tablelands and glen innes.

- Kev Smith

GRAFTON on the NSW’s north coast is known for the yearly Bridge to Bridge ’ski race and the Jacaranda Festival, but just west of the city is the start of a road where many a fortune was lost and found, known to some as The Old Glenn Innes Road. It’s not a hard drive by any standard, and great in a soft-roader or AWD.

As you head west out of Grafton along the Gwydir Highway, turn left towards Buccarumbi; this road follows the route of the old Cobb & Co coaches that trundled between the tablelands and Grafton. It was the main route until 1967 when the new highway was built over the Gibraltar Range.

It’s a pleasant 10-minute drive on the tar until you hit the dirt and soon you’ll cross the low-lying Buccarumbi Bridge. We always stop here and stretch the legs – you can see remnants of massive steel and concrete bridge supports that have been washed away by past floods.

The road then follows the Boyd River as it twists its way through the countryside, giving you stunning views of the area with rugged mountains as a backdrop. For those keen to set up camp down beside the river, keep an eye out around the 50km mark as there are some fantastic secluded riverside spots amongst the twisted native trees that have been shaped by the raging water. One of our favourite stops is at the old graves that date back to the late 1800s just as you cross the grid along the way. There isn’t much info on these two random graves, but it’s nice to stop and show a little respect.

DALMORTON