Thunderbolts Way

Thunderbolts Way (and at its northern end as Bundarra Road) is a 305 km country road located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, linking Inverell via Bundarra, Uralla and Walcha to Gloucester The road is sealed and passes through thickly forested mountain areas with many nearby national parks and nature reserves.

It is named after a local bushranger, Frederick Ward, alias Captain Thunderbolt, who roamed these parts in the 19th century.

Route
Thunderbolts Way is very hilly and winding as it passes across the Great Dividing Range. It is very popular with tourists, including motorcyclists, as it offers many pristine picnic and fishing spots. Riverside camping spots are available at Gloryvale Reserve and Bretti Reserve. There is also a picnic area, with toilets, near the Barrington River bridge.

Occasionally a dingo, koala or wombat may be among the animals to be spotted on this route. Bellbirds are frequently heard shortly after beginning the ascent up the mountain.

The only villages between Gloucester and Walcha are Barrington and Nowendoc, which is slightly north of this road. There is a public school and church at the hamlet of Rookhurst. After passing through Walcha, Dangar's Lagoon is situated close to Uralla where a statue of Captain Thunderbolt on horseback is located on the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way.

After passing Uralla the Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve is near the junction of the Armidale Road and Thunderbolts Way. This site protects an Aboriginal cave painting site and much of the natural environment of Mount Yarrowyck.

A new bridge constructed in 2015 crosses the Gwydir River shortly before reaching the Kingstown Road intersection and then the village of Bundarra. Once again the Gwydir River is crossed, this time by the Bundarra Bridge, a five-span iron lattice truss bridge, that was constructed in 1881. This bridge is 204 m long and 5.6 m wide between kerbs. It has been listed on the Register of the National Estate, being of state significance due to its design, historical value and aesthetic appearance. The next village encountered is Gilgai which is situated about 10 km south of Inverell.

History
Eric Carson (1913–99), a Gloucester sawmiller and road builder, carved the first road through the ranges to bring out the magnificent hardwood from the forests on the Great Divide. After Carson spent many years trying to persuade local politicians that a road should be built across the Divide from Gloucester to Nowendoc, he went ahead and built it. Carving the 32 km route out of some of the steepest and most rugged countryside in the state was fraught with danger, but by 1961 it was complete. Carson's Lookout, which commemorates his work is between Gloucester and Nowendoc, is a stop off point for the enjoyment of panoramic views.

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924 through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 115 was declared from the intersection with Oxley Highway in Walcha, via Uralla, Balala, Bundarra and Gilgai to the intersection with Gwydir Highway at Inverell, Main Road No. 122 was declared from the intersection with Great Northern Highway (today New England Highway) at Uralla to Yarrowyck, and Main Road No. 124 was declared from Yarrowyck to Bundarra (and continuing eastwards to Armidale) on the same day, 8 August 1928. With the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929 to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Main Roads 115 and 122 and 124 on 8 April 1929.

The Department of Main Roads, which had succeeded the MRB in 1932, declared Trunk Road 73 on 11 December 1934, from the intersection with Gwydir Highway at Inverell via Gilgai, Bundarra, Yarrowyck and Uralla to the intersection with Oxley Highway, subsuming the former alignments of Main Road 115 (between Inverell and Bundarra, and Uralla and Walcha; the former route between Bundarra and Uralla via Balala was removed) and Main Road 122; the western end of Main Road 124 was truncated to meet Trunk Road 73 at Yarrowyck.

The route was renamed Thunderbolts Way in the early 1990s over a 19-month period in sections: by Gloucester Shire between Walcha and Gloucester on 16 May 1990; by Guyra Shire between Copes Creek (30km south of Inverell) and Bundarra on 19 August 1991; and by Uralla Shire between Bundarra and Walcha on 21 December 1991. The portion of Trunk Road 73 within Inverell Shire (between Inverell and Copes Creek) is still known by its original name, Bundarra Road.

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993 updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Thunderbolts Way today retains its declaration as Main Road 73, from Inverell to Walcha. The road from Walcha to Gloucester has been since classified as Regional Road 7719.