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Address: 50 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Phone: 02 4994 5444

Address: 56a Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Phone: 02 4994 5150

Address: 54 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Phone: 02 4994 5117

Trading Hours: Monday to Friday 9 - 5:30pm
Saturday morning 9 to 12 noon

Address: 77a Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Phone: 4994 5779

Trading Hours: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm

Address: 71 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Phone: 4994 5307

Registered General Insurance, Finance Manager’s, Consultants, Planners and Brokers.

Business Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Closed for Lunch: 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Address: 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Phone: 02 4994 5102
Fax: 02 4994 5055

Run by Gloucester Charities the Gloucester Second Hand Books is situated in an old hall on the corner of Phillip Street and The Bucketts Way, opposite Caltex and also across the road from Webbs Rural Supplies (you can’t miss it, it’s the big blue and yellow building on the right as you come into Gloucester from the southern approach).

Well organised and laid out. The books are arranged on trestle tables neat and tidy. Even categorised. If you love books, be they new, but particularly old, you’re in for an adventure.

It’s open Monday through to Fridays from around 9 am to 3 pm, and weekends from around 10 am to 3 pm.

Stop by and say hi to Jeff and the crew. And find yourself a treasure!

This basalt-capped plateau at the south end of the Mount Royal Range forms part of the catchment area for two river systems draining to the Pacific coast: the Hunter River to the south and the Manning River to the north. It is an area which has been greatly dissected by river valleys and hence contains much rugged terrain, with spectacular waterfalls and attractive scenery. Many parts of the plateau are clad in forests of eucalypts and dense semi-tropical vegetation.

Native animals and birds are abundant—kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, lyrebirds, brush turkeys and eagles can be seen in their natural habitat in the remoter parts of the plateau. It is a popular bushwalking region, and offers trout fishing for stream anglers. The highest parts of the plateau reach 1,586m above sea level, with a number of minor peaks over 1,500m.

The Barrington Tops National Park covers an area of 16,325ha on the northern escarpment of the Hunter Valley. Access to the area is usually via Dungog, then by road up the Williams River valley to Barring-ton House; from there on, the visitor must use rough tracks, either on foot or by four-wheel-drive vehicle. There is an alternative access route from Gloucester to the eastern section of the plateau, called Gloucester Tops.

Heavy rain and snowfalls on the plateau are not uncommon, and sudden weather changes can occur. Because of these unpredictable conditions, bushwalkers are requested to notify the ranger in charge of the park about their journey plans. During periods of heavy rain, roads may be cut at fords, or made impassable by falling trees.

A staycation is a neologism (a newly coined word on the brink of entering common use, but not yet accepted into mainstream language) for a period of time in which a person or family stays at relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and petrol prices are high.

Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals and events. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation.

Then there’s the ‘daycation’.

Daycation’s involve visiting tourist destinations or visitor attractions from your home and returning on the same day.

These excursions don’t involve a night away from home such as experienced on a holiday.

Thus the day trip or daycation can be a very popular form of recreation and leisure for families who care for young children or people who are too frail to travel easily or who own pets, or for whom the logistics and cost of a night away from home may be prohibitive.

There are some fantastic places to visit on the Bucketts Way. If you’re living in Newcastle it’s really not that far to travel to ‘get away from it all’. Come on up, and don’t forget to bring your digital camera!

Lavender is any of a group of plants and shrubs that yield a fragrant oil. Lavenders are native chiefly to the Mediterranean region, but some of them are cultivated in other parts of the world, such as Australia.

The most widely raised species is the common lavender (Lavandula officinalis), which grows from 1 to 3 feet tall. Its narrow leaves have rolled edges, and in younger plants they are covered with downy white hair. The small flowers, usually blue or deep purple, are borne in dense clusters. The petals of the common lavender are the major source of oil of lavender, used to make perfumes, soaps, and medicines.

Lavenders are propagated by cuttings and they grow best in light, fairly dry soil. They require large amounts of sunlight and are easily injured by frost. Lavenders are classified as the genus Lavandula of the family Labiatae. They are actually a part of the mint family.

Lavender Tops is a lavender farm situated at Wards River where the old school still stands. The lavender is harvested and sold at various outlets, such as the Crafty Friends Co-Op in Stroud in the form of oils, soaps, fragrances and other products. You can find out more about Lavender Tops here.