The Bushranger as Income Generator

Its strange the fascination normally law abiding citizens have with the crimes of others. I must confess to a love of "true crime" myself, a characteristic that has made Trish nervous at times. I point out to her that by sublimating my inner serial killer I prevent him from emerging - yet. Hopefully thats how it works for everyone.

Uralla, 16kms south of Armidale would just be another little roadside village if not for the fact that Fred Ward, otherwise known as Captain Thunderbolt, was shot and killed just out of town by a local Police Tooper in 1870. As a squatter, Thunderbolts primary prey, Edward would turn in his grave if he could see the way in which he has been memorialised locally.

While I don't usually approve of graffiti on natural features, this seems somehow appropriate. By the nature of his essentially petty offending it would seem that Thunderbolt was just the bogan deli robber of his day. So perhaps its fitting that Thunderbolts Rock just south of Uralla should now be a shrine for his spiritual descendants, Butch & the boys (and  girls).

There is a life size statue of him in the main street and his grave in the local pioneer cemetery was the only one with flowers on it. There is a Bushranger Motel, a Thunderbolt Hotel where the weekly bar jackpot is Thunderbolts Treasure, several businesses suggest you "hold-up" there, and even the bakery has a Thunderbolt Pie (steak and veggies to be precise - and yes of course I had one - yum although I suspect a real bushranger would prefer the chunky beef-blow the veggies). Clearly there is money in bushranging 145 years on. His nemesis, Constable Alex Walker, barely cracks a mention.

Thunderbolt aside, Uralla has capitalized on its history very well. The local museum in the 1870 McCrossin's Mill is the best local museum I have seen. So many are just cluttered collections of every piece of old tat someone has donated, with little attempt to interpret what is there. McCrossin's, however, has chosen it's pieces carefully and created exceptional interpretations to go with them. Apparently too, it is all the work of the local volunteers with little external, professional assistance.

Uralla also has one of the best small town Heritage Walks I've seen with a well signposted route and numbered sites. The accompanying guide is well researched, appears to be accurate and a beautiful, illustrated, glossy booklet to boot. Must cost a bit to produce so I hope it provides the town with a positive return. Congratulations Uralla Historical Society - you're doing a great job.

The view today across the plains of Gostwyck & Salisbury. More fences & less trees but otherwise as Edward might remember.

There doesn't appear to be anything from Edward's time in Uralla. The oldest buildings remaining being from about 1860 but there must've been a small settlement here in 1854. Gold was discovered on the Rocky River just to the west in 1852 and by 1856 this was another of those places with several thousand inhabitants. Edward being on a mission, passed to the east, didn't call in, and doesn't mention the place.

This chapel, along with an avenue of 200 elm trees,  was built on Gostwyck Station in 1921 in memory of Clive Dangar who died in WW1. 

We being on a more leisured trip, spent two nights at the cute little Uralla Caravan Park on the creek just a short walk from the town centre. We came down the back road from Armidale via the plains of Gostwyck and Salisbury and enjoyed the Heritage Walk, the Museum and a picnic at the Fossickers Site on a creek outside of town where people still pan for gold flakes.