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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.

Frederick Ward, aka ‘Captain Thunderbolt’, was a Bushranger.

Born at Windsor in New South Wakes in 1835, he worked as a youth in various jobs involving horses — as stockman, groom and horse breaker.

His first criminal conviction was for horse stealing, in 1846. Sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, he gained a ticket of leave after serving about half of this term, but before long was given an extended sentence for another horse stealing offence. This time he proved a less patient prisoner and in 1863 escaped from the penal establishment on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour by swimming to the mainland.

Taking to the bush he carried out robberies at first in the Bourke district, but from 1864 concentrated on New England and the Hunter River valley. He operated sometimes with a small gang but more often alone; he concentrated on holding up mail coaches and, by avoiding violence, won a reputation as a ‘gentleman bushranger’.

Thunderbolts Way is a road that extends from Gloucester to Goondiwindi in Queensland, following much of his original route between the Hunter Valley and the North West slopes and plains.

In May 1870 a police constable named Walker cornered Ward at the edge of a lagoon near Uralla, shot his horse from under him and then, while struggling with Ward in the water, shot him also. Thunderbolt Rock, in the same district, was one of Ward’s lookouts. He was buried in Uralla.

“Rodeo” is a Spanish word and means “a going around”. Rodeos started originally, in the American Southwest, as the annual roundup of cattle by ranchers for the purpose of counting, branding, and selling.

In modern times the term is more commonly used to describe an organised spectator sport in which contestants compete for cash prizes by riding wild horses and bulls. Other rodeo events Include roping, tying, or wrestling calves and steers.

Rodeo as a sport developed during the 19th century. The first rodeos were informal contests waged by cowboys as they roped and tied cattle and broke wild horses for riding. Eventually professional showmen, realising that people would pay to watch these contests, began to buy wild stock, stage contests at county fairs and other such gatherings, and charge admission.

At first, rodeos offered relatively modest prizes and attracted only local cowboys as contestants. However, as rodeos became more frequent and cash prizes became larger, many of the better riders and ropers began to follow the rodeo around the country, competing in contest after contest and thereby becoming professionals. Amateur contestants found themselves unable to compete with the experienced men, and in time the sport’s participants became almost entirely professional.

The fourth weekend of every September sees the Stroud Rodeo, an important fixture on the competition calendar, hit the Stroud Showground on the 25th and 26th September. Check out Stroud Rodeo for more details.

Canoeing is a water sport involving small craft pointed at both ends and propelled by one or more ‘paddles’. The canoe was first used by North American Indians, while another similar type of craft, the kayak, originated among Eskimos.

In a kayak, the paddler sits in a forward-facing position using a double-bladed paddle, whereas in a canoe the paddler kneels, using a single-bladed paddle. Both types of craft are used in the modern form of the sport and strict regulations are laid down for the dimensions and weights of competitive craft.

Kayaks may contain one, two or four paddlers (designated K1, K2, K4, for convenience). Canadian canoes, the name by which racing canoes are now generally known, contain one, two, six or seven paddlers (C1, C2, etc).

Canoeing as a sport began with the founding of the Canoe Club (now the Royal Canoe Club) in England in 1866, and developed on the Continent and elsewhere at the end of the 19th century. There are three main branches of the sport: slalom, wild-water or down-river racing; long-distance racing; and sprint racing. Another variation is canoe-sailing. Slalom is performed on rough, turbulent stretches of river with various hazards, such as rocks, rapids and gates (two poles which hang just above the water) to negotiate.

Canoe Barrington, not that far from Gloucester, gives locals and visitors a chance to enjoy canoeing in a safe and friendly environment. If you’re travelling from further afield you can also make use of the accommodation, which can even cater for larger groups such as schools and youth organisations.

Articles to do with stuff in, around or related to the region surrounding the 100 mile road that is steeped in history. Journeying through four council areas, there’s a lot to see and learn about the area, but you must know where to look!

We’ll be regularly sharing information on this blog, feel free to leave feedback in the blog replies.

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