And now for something completely different.
If you are driving between Brisbane and Sydney, you have the fundamental choice
between going along the Pacific Highway or the New England Highway. While you
can of course bypass particular sections (e.g. passing through Gloucester,
Casino or Boonah), you are likely to spend time on one of the majors.
The Pacific Highway is progressively becoming more and more of a motorway as
100-200 metre wide corridors of forest are razed. It is heavily policed (with
numerous speed and speed averaging cameras - including some in revenue raising
situations) and quite congested in parts.
The New England Highway is a bit longer, has far fewer overtaking lane
kilometres and no ocean views. It is however a much more enjoyable drive and
quite scenic - particularly along the northern half where you pass through
Cunninghams Gap, the Granite Belt and the New England Tableland. At the
southern end, you have the option of taking the Putty Road - a brilliant
driving road with great scenery and little traffic during the week (the bikers
are out on weekends) - from Singleton to Windsor (where you have traffic
bypassing options to get to the southern and western suburbs).
I did a family trip down to Sydney over the year end. We spent a few hours
doing the wine/foodie thing around the Granite Belt. It is like the Hunter
Valley without the coal mines and traffic. There is a nice balance between
horticulture and bushland and lots of land for wildlife properties.
I noticed lots of birdlife at each place we visited. We had nice views of a female koel in
a fruit tree by the carpark at Suttons Farm - a compulsory stop for people who like apple pie
with spiced apple cider ice cream. We were serenaded by whistlers, drongos and cuckoos at
the Brass Monkey Brewhouse while sampling Euro style craft beers - the brewer was familiar
with both Red rumped and Turquoise Parrots. There were plenty of thornbills hopping around
the garden beds at the Bramble Patch (where you can try a large range of unusual jams,
relishes, sauces etc). Finally, there was a multitude of birds at Kelsie’s Cottage -
a colonial self-contained house in a bushland block (you won’t find it in the
accommodation guides - Kelsie is a word of mouth operator), including a WT Treecreeper
investigating a wheel barrow close to the back verandah.
We spent a few hours at Girraween National Park the next morning - there is
always time for a stroll up the Pyramid. The birds were a bit thin on the
ground in the recently burnt sections (the fire was started by someone mowing
grass on a distant property).
We then motored on to the campground at Wollomombi Falls east of Armidale on the
Waterfall Way. It’s a good place to see choughs and lyrebirds - these are tame
and often walk through the camping area. This time I got nice photographs of a male
lyrebird with a short lens. The views of the falls and associated gorges from the
nearby were also excellent.
I didn’t notice any swifts along the highway this time, but I regularly noticed
dollarbirds perched on the power lines most of the way between Brisbane and Sydney. I
also think I heard some black cockatoos calling at the Grey Gums cafe (near the
halfway mark on the Putty Rd).
All up, the drive down to Sydney via the New England was far more pleasant that
the return blast home via the Pacific.
Regards, Laurie.
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