Torino - Trakka

Thunderbolt’s Way 

WORDS ALLAN WHITING PHOTOS ALLAN WHITING & HAMILTON LUND/TOURISM NSW (EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED) 

This spectacular drive is named after Australia’s last 

professional bushranger, Fred Ward, alias Thunderbolt, who 

‘operated’ in this region from 1860 until his reported death 

at the hands of the police, in 1870. The key to Thunderbolt’s 

relatively long career was a penchant for stealing racehorses 

that could easily outpace the pursuing police hacks. As his 

‘mount’ for this Thunderbolt’s Way guide, Allan Whiting 

chose a new Trakka Torino Xtra Remote model 

64 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 AUSTRALIAN CARAVAN+RV 

www.caravanandrv.com.au 65


As the famous outlaw proved, you 

need a good performer if you’re 

attempting Thunderbolt’s Way. 

This steep, winding road connects 

the NSW New England town of 

Inverell with riverside Gloucester, 

dropping nearly 1000 vertical 

metres in the process. Heading 

north, uphill, you need climbing 

grunt and downhill, you need the 

right gearing, combined with 

powerful engine braking. The 

Trakka Torino has both in spades. 

Most people do the drive along 

Thunderbolt’s Way to or from 

Uralla, using it as a means of 

connecting the coastal Pacific 

Highway with the inland New 

England Highway. As such, it’s a 

short-cut – unless you get stuck 

behind one of the many logging 

trucks that ply the road. More 

importantly, for those with some 

time on their hands, Thunderbolt’s 

Way is a scenic history lesson 

that can be expanded by side 

trips along the route. 

Fred Ward drifted into crime 

the way many bushrangers did, 

dabbling in horse stealing, while 

working as a musterer. Sentenced 

to 10 years’ hard labour, Fred 

Ward was soon released on a 

ticket-of-leave to work in the 

Mudgee district, where he met 

his future wife, Mary Ann Bugg, 

a well-educated half-caste 

Aboriginal girl. 

After their marriage, he 

‘borrowed’ a horse to report to 

Mudgee police, but was arrested 

for late appearance and for horse 

stealing, and sent back to Sydney’s 

infamous Cockatoo Island to serve 

out his original sentence. 

Fred Ward and another 

prisoner, Fred Britten, escaped 

by swimming from Cockatoo 

Island and headed for the 

New England area. They were 

challenged by a Uralla policeman 

while ‘bailing up’ a mail coach 

at Split Rocks, now known as 

Thunderbolt Rock. Fred Ward 

was shot through the knee, but 

managed to escape. 

We wheeled the Trakka Torino 

into the scruffy carpark at 

Thunderbolt Rock, 6km south of 

Uralla, and assessed the cranial 

capacities of those who have 

defaced this landmark with 

childish graffiti. Snug inside the 

van, we were isolated from the 

chilly winter wind as we tucked 

into hot chocolate, warmed on 

Thunderbolt 

‘borrowed’ a 

horse to report 

to Mudgee 

police, but was 

arrested for 

late appearance 

SCENIC OUTLOOK The view 

from Thunderbolt’s Way, Gloucester. 

CRIME SCENE 

Thunderbolt’s Rock, near Uralla. 

66 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 AUSTRALIAN CARAVAN+RV www.caravanandrv.com.au 67


the diesel-fired cooktop. Bliss. 

Uralla has more period 

buildings and Thunderbolt 

memorabilia than any other 

town along Thunderbolt’s Way. 

Highlights include relics and the 

outlaw’s story at McCrossin’s 

Mill Museum, a bronze mounted 

statue in the main street and 

gravestone in the cemetery. 

A recent book, Thunderbolt – 

Scourge of the Ranges, by 

Thunderbolt descendant Barry 

Sinclair (in collaboration with 

James Hamilton), casts doubt on 

the identity of the occupant of 

this gravesite, suggesting that the 

man police shot on the afternoon 

of May 25, 1870 was actually 

Thunderbolt’s uncle, William 

‘Harry’ Ward, who had a similar 

appearance and, coincidentally, 

a bullet scar on the knee, having 

been wounded while escaping 

the police at Moonbi 12 months 

before. Will Monckton, a onetime 

Thunderbolt colleague, 

noted this scar in his identification 

of the body of Fred Ward. 

Adding to suspicions are 

reports that a mysterious tall, 

black-draped ‘woman’ was seen 

at Thunderbolt’s funeral and 

the fact that three days after his 

supposed demise, two policemen 

saw Fred Ward’s racehorse, 

Combo, at a race meeting in 

Glen Innes, but the rider evaded 

their pursuit. Yet another report 

of the time had it that Fred Ward 

and his mother, Sarah, arrived in 

California late in 1870. 

There’s enough to keep any 

sightseer busy around Uralla for 

a day, and after that you can dine 

at one of the many restaurants 

and settle in, like we did, at the 

Uralla Caravan Park. 

The rain pattered on the 

Torino’s roof hatches all night, 

making us pleased we weren’t 

under canvas. Being selfcontained, 

with a motorised toilet 

that receded under the vanity 

when not in use, meant we didn’t 

have to rug up for a night run to 

ABOVE LEFT View of Giro, near Thunderbolt’s Way, Hunter. 

ABOVE The bronze statue to the ‘Scourge of the Ranges’ in Uralla. 

68 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 AUSTRALIAN CARAVAN+RV


THUNDERBOLT THE 

POPULAR VILLAIN 

Thunderbolt and his occasional colleagues 

were responsible for robberies of 25 mail 

coaches, 16 hotels and stores, 16 stations and 

residences, six travelling salesmen, and one 

toll gate. In addition, some 80 missing horses 

were attributed to him. Thunderbolt was also 

guilty of an escape from lawful custody. 

Fred Ward was known as a ‘gentleman 

bushranger’ because he spurned violence 

and was always polite as he went about his 

‘work’. Several times he left cash behind so as 

not to force shopkeepers into penury and also 

returned some of his loot. 

He eluded capture by having the wit not 

to hold up armed coaches or to rob premises 

when the police were about. He also had 

great riding endurance and always sat 

astride splendid horses. Thunderbolt had 

accomplices at different times, but they often 

proved to be liabilities, not assets. 

Despite his nomadic lifestyle, he and Mary 

Ann had four children together. 

At a time when public sympathy was 

more likely to align with a brave outlaw 

rather than selfish landlords and corrupt or 

cruel officialdom, Thunderbolt was viewed 

as something of a hero. After all, like Robin 

Hood, Thunderbolt had nothing to gain from 

oppressing the poor. 

According to Barry Sinclair’s family tradition, 

Thunderbolt was occasionally hidden by his 

mother, in a dugout under a wood-box in 

her kitchen, while she served tea to the 

inquiring officers! 

ABOVE A homestead 

at Walcha, in prime 

merino territory. 

BELOW ‘Irish Town’, 

once home to 

immigrant shepherds 

(Paul Foley / 

Tourism NSW). 

the loo. The June temperature 

dropped to zero overnight, but 

the Trakka’s diesel room heater 

kept the interior at a balmy 20 

degrees. With the toilet tucked 

away next morning there was 

ample space in the bathroom 

and diesel-heated water in the 

tank for hot showers. 

The gently undulating 

Thunderbolt’s Way to Walcha 

runs through sheep country, 

which is home to some of the 

New England Tableland’s top 

merino studs. About 5km 

from Walcha is a relic from 

Thunderbolt’s time: a group of 

slab-built structures, known as 

Irish Town, which was once home 

to immigrant shepherds. 

If you plan your trip, you can 

organise an Irish Town visit by 

contacting the Walcha and District 

Historical Society in advance. 

Visitors in a 4WD can obtain 

keys from the Walcha Mobil servo 

to visit restricted-entry sites in 

Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. 

The views from Budds Mare and 

the restored hut and stock yards 

at Youdales Hut are worth putting 

up with the slow, steep drives. 

Walcha hosts a campground, 

motels and hotels, a pioneer 

museum, a collection of more 

than 20 street sculptures and 

tours as varied as helicopter 

flights over Great Dividing Range 

gorges, sheep station visits and 

mountain stream fishing. There 

are also two Thunderbolt hideout 

caves near the town. 

From Walcha, the road shows 

why it’s a darling of many 

motorcyclists, who play Casey 

Stoner on its many twists and 

turns every weekend. Watch for 

the over-enthusiastic ones cutting 

corners. During the week there 

are fewer bikes but more log 

trucks, so easy does it. If you get 

caught behind a slow-moving log 

truck, relax and enjoy the 

beautiful mountain scenery on 

both sides of the road. 

Nowendoc is only 1km off 

Thunderbolt’s Way and has a 

pub, service station, post office/ 

general store and a motel with 



TOP Bretti Nature Reserve was the perfect place 

to extend the Torino Xtra’s sizeable awning – it 

features a new design to reduce fabric sag. 

TRAKKA TORINO 

XTRA REMOTE 

We’ve tested the front drive Trakka Torino 

Xtra (extra-long-wheelbase model) before 

and awarded it Campervan of the Year 

2009. This latest variant is the ‘Remote’. 

It’s not a rough-terrain or 4WD vehicle, 

as you might infer from the name, but the 

Remote has the ability to tour and camp in 

remote areas, thanks to its reliance on only 

one fuel: diesel. Cooking, vehicle heating 

and water heating are all done with dieselfuelled 

appliances. (Pack a small dieselpowered 

generator in the ample boot and 

you could also have 240V air conditioning, 

indirectly powered by diesel fuel.) 

This design means that there’s no need 

to carry gas bottles and face the problems 

of getting them filled in outback locations. 

There are also no visible flames in the 

galley, because the heating is done under a 

ceramic top. It’s not an induction type, but 

heat output varies along the cooktop 

surface, making it easy to boil or simmer. 

If we lived in a Remote we’d still throw 

in a small butane single-burner cooktop 

– one of those $15 hardware-store jobs – 

for the occasional quick cuppa, because 

the diesel cooktop does take its time. 

For pricing information contact Trakka 

on 1800 872 552. 

units and self-contained cottages. 

The Great Divide reaches 

its zenith at Carsons Pioneer 

Lookout, 56km north of 

Gloucester. A plaque at this 

dizzying site commemorates the 

considerable road-building efforts 

of Gloucester sawmiller Eric 

Carson and his sons, Max and 

Terry, who part-built and then 

supervised construction of a 

timber road that has become this 

section of Thunderbolt’s Way. 

Conversion of mere tracks into a 

sealed road began in 1958 and 

was completed in 1961. 

Thunderbolt’s Way at this 

point overlaps with Baxters Ridge 

Trail, and about 10km east of the 

Lookout, plunges down a series 

of very steep slopes. 

At this point we appreciated 

the Trakka Torino’s Fiat Ducato 

powertrain that combines the 

compression braking of a 3.0-litre 

diesel with a programmed 

automated manual gearbox. 

When running downhill the 

transmission changed gear 

to provide maximum engine 



Looking to 

travel the 

country 

The grassy riverside 

flats at Bretti Reserve 

are enthusiastically 

‘mown’ by local cattle 

braking, taking the workload off 

the four disc brakes. 

From the base of this very 

steep section the road meanders 

across hills and valleys on its 

way to Gloucester, crossing the 

Barnard River and the embryonic 

Manning River at several points. 

Bretti Nature Reserve precedes 

the Bretti Reserve picnic and 

camping area, which is a free site 

offering grassy riverside flats that 

are enthusiastically ‘mown’ by 

local cattle. There are a couple 

of pit toilets and a picnic table 

and seats. 

We had a very pleasant stay 

there and had ample camping 

space to extend the Trakka 

Torino Xtra’s sizeable awning. 

This is a new design that 

BELOW The view from 

Carsons Lookout 

over Giro and the 

Barnard River. 

incorporates a central springloaded 

tensioning pole that 

we found took the sag out of 

the fabric. 

Gloryvale Reserve is another 

riverside camping area, around 

10km closer to Gloucester, on 

the Little Manning River. Like Bretti 

Reserve it has pit toilets and the 

water is shallow, making it suitable 

for little kids. 

Woko National Park is another 

camping option, with a signposted 

turnoff about 18km from 

Gloucester. It has pit toilets, a 

few barbecues and limited camp 

sites. Fees apply and are collected 

by the ranger. 

If you’d like to camp closer 

to Gloucester, Poleys Place is a 

farming property that’s only five 

Why buy from 

A’van Brisbane 

• We are the oldest, most respected 

and an exclusive A’van Dealer. 

• We are family focused, friendly and 

caravanners ourselves. 

• We offer a wide variety of quality, 

good value products. 

• The peace of mind knowing 

that we are an Avan accredited 

repairer, Licensed Motor Dealer 

and a Member of the 

relevant Industry 

associations. 

Avanbrisbane.com 

Phone: 07 3806 2627 

3938 Pacific Highway, 

Loganholme QLD 



minutes from town and has basic 

shower and toilet facilities. This is 

a popular family camping spot, 

because there’s a children’s farm 

area. Country music camps held 

at Easter, on October holiday 

weekends and New Year’s Eve. 

There are also some basic 

cabins, a couple of caravans 

and a large bunkhouse. 

Barrington Reserve is a free 

camping site, close to Gloucester, 

with septic toilets but no showers. 

Those chasing B&B or motel 

accommodation won’t be 

disappointed, with dozens of 

choices in the Barrington- 

Gloucester-Stroud area. 

Thunderbolt’s Way ends 

at Gloucester and the road 

continues as Buckets Way 

through Stroud to Raymond 

Terrace. Stroud has several 

examples of convict-built 

structures and several 

underground wheat silos. 

There’s a well-graded road 

running from Gloucester to 

Scone that offers magnificent 

views of Barrington Tops 

Monkerai Bridge, just off the 

main road, is also worth a look. 

Barrington Tops National Park 

is one of the most popular parks 

in NSW and well worth the visit 

while you’re in the Gloucester 

region. There’s a well-graded 

gravel road running from 

Gloucester to Scone that offers 

magnificent views of Barrington 

Tops, including one lookout 

known as Thunderbolt’s. 

At Moonan Flat, there’s a bullet 

hole in the pub wall, supposedly 

made by Thunderbolt during one 

of his hold-ups. 

ABOVE The free camping 

and caravan ground 

at Barrington Tops 

National Park (North 

Sullivan / Tourism NSW). 

BELOW Rocky River, 

at Uralla.

Torino - Trakka

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