Locked In The Cells
4x4 Magazine Australia|May 2021
Grab the swag and follow the trails of the gold prospectors and loggers, in this spectacular country.
Kev Smith
Locked In The Cells

WAUCHOPE on the NSW mid-north coast is famous for Timber Town, where you can take a step back in time and relive the past when timber was considered ‘red gold’. I never really stopped to consider where this happened, up in the hills tucked behind Wauchope, but with a little inside information we found some great tracks, relics and natural attractions. This is a great two-night camp-out that isn’t suitable for trailers, as a lot of the tracks in this region are steep and narrow.

After the mandatory fuel and supply shop at Wauchope, head west along the Oxley Highway that links the coast to the tablelands over some incredible country, the road winding its way up over the Great Dividing Range which pushes up 1100m above sea level at the highest point. Leaving Wauchope, the countryside is typical coastal scrub country where hobby farms scatter the landscape for many kilometres, giving way to open paddocks and finally views of the Great Divide.

Some 30km out of Wauchope is Long Flat, which was settled in 1856 by a Northern Irish family who grew grapes, produced wine and then sold it to the teamsters that passed through this area on the convict-built road, hauling logs down to the coast. Then in the late 1870s a hotel was built, named ‘The Travellers Rest Hotel’. It still stands on the original plot of soil today, and some of the original timbers can still be seen in and around the hotel.

As you leave Long Flat, keep an eye out just 5km up the road for a turn on the right to Kindee Road, where you can see the longest suspension bridge still in use in Australia. Measuring a whopping 200ft long, this one-lane bridge was completed in 1937. It’s great for a quick look and to appreciate how real bridges were built.

This story is from the May 2021 edition of 4x4 Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2021 edition of 4x4 Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM 4X4 MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAView All
CORRUGATIONS.SAND, AND SPINIFEX
4x4 Magazine Australia

CORRUGATIONS.SAND, AND SPINIFEX

WHEN TALKING LEGENDARY TRACKS, THE CANNING STOCK ROUTE HAS THE TITLE OF LONGEST HISTORICAL STOCK ROUTE IN THE WORLD, BUT TACKLING ITS 1850KM IN A 1970S LAND ROVER MAKES FOR ONE INTERESTING DRIVE FOR THE TV CREW FROM SERIOUSLY SERIES. YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF BY VIEWING ROAD TO RUIN

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
PURE WATER
4x4 Magazine Australia

PURE WATER

THE GUZZLE H2O STREAM IS THE IDEAL WATER PURIFICATION SOLUTION FOR PROVIDING A RELIABLE SOURCE OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER OFF THE GRID

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
DOES IT GET ANY TOUGHER FOR THE AT52S?
4x4 Magazine Australia

DOES IT GET ANY TOUGHER FOR THE AT52S?

HAVING TACKLED SOME OF THE ROUGHEST TRACKS IN THE COUNTRY, THESE ALL-TERRAINS HAVE PASSED THE TEST

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
TOP 5 4X4 SPOTS IN SA
4x4 Magazine Australia

TOP 5 4X4 SPOTS IN SA

HERE ARE FIVE OF THE BEST 4X4 DESTINATIONS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2024
PLUGGING IN
4x4 Magazine Australia

PLUGGING IN

GWM IS STUDYING THE VIABILITY OF PLUG-IN HYBRID VERSIONS OF ITS POPULAR 4X4S FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET. WE GOT A CHANCE TO SAMPLE THEM ON TRACK

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
TOP TANK
4x4 Magazine Australia

TOP TANK

WE HAVE COME AWAY IMPRESSED AFTER A WEEK IN GWM’S TANK 500 HYBRID 4X4.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2024
HARD EARNED
4x4 Magazine Australia

HARD EARNED

HARD WORK AND THE RIGHT ADVICE HAVE HELPED JAMES ATKINSON BUILD THE PATROL OF HIS DREAMS

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
DYNAMIC DEBUT
4x4 Magazine Australia

DYNAMIC DEBUT

OUR FIRST TASTE OF THE LC250 COMES IN THE FORM OF THE LEXUS GX550 OVERTRAIL, AND THIS LUXURY 4X4 WAGON IMPRESSES BOTH ON THE ROAD AND OFF IT

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
BLACK GROWLER
4x4 Magazine Australia

BLACK GROWLER

IF YOU’RE GOING TO SWAP FROM A DOUBLE-CAB UTE TO A 4X4 WAGON, YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE. BRUCE HAS DONE JUST THAT AND EQUIPPED HIS GR SPORT 300 WITH THE BEST GEAR ON THE MARKET

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
2025 NISSAN PATROL MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT
4x4 Magazine Australia

2025 NISSAN PATROL MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT

CURTAINS DROP ON SEVENTH-GENERATION PATROL BUT NOT HERE UNTIL 2026

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024