The Old Glen Innes Rd with free camping, abandoned town, gold mines and a reported convict tunnel.
- Woolgoolgaoffroad
- Jan 1
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 5
Grafton on the NSW’s north coast is known for the yearly Bridge to Bridge ski race and the Jacaranda festival, but just west of Grafton is the start of a road where many a fortunes were lost and found, it’s known to some as The Old Glenn Innes Road. The road is not a hard drive by any standard, great in a soft roader, AWD and is caravan freindly. The Old Glen Innes Rd with free camping, gold town, mines and a convict tunnel.
---The tunnel is 3.5m high. Be aware of your height---
As you head west out of Grafton, along the Gwydir Highway turn left towards Buccarumbi, this road follows the route of the old Cobb and Co Coach that trundled between the tablelands and Grafton and it wasn’t until 1967 when the new highway was built over the Gibraltar range.It’s a pleasant 10 minute drive on the tar until you hit the dirt and soon you'll cross the low lying Buccarumbi Bridge.
We always stop here and stretch the legs and you can see remnants of massive steel and concrete bridge supports that have been washed away from floods that have occur here. Beside the new concrete bridge look for the old concrete filled iron pillars that were used for the original bridge built in 1874. It was a high grand bridge but a massive flood in 1946 destroyed the bridge, today it’s a low-level concrete one to let the flood waters and debris flow over.
Continuing on, the road follows the Boyd River as it twist its way through the countryside giving you stunning views of the area with rugged mountains as a backdrop. For those keen to set up camp down beside the river, keep an eye out around the 50km mark as there are some fantastic secluded spots riverside amongst the twisted native trees that have been shaped by raging water.
One of my favourite stops to explore is the old cemetery and Tower Hill situated 58km along, just as you cross the old grid ( five kilometres from Dalmorton if coming from the west ). Some of the stones here date back to the late 1800’s. In fact from where the graves are you are now on the outskirts of the old abandon mining town Dalmorton.
Tower Hill ( one km to the east of the cemetery ), was a busy gold mine site. If you park at the clearing beside the road & follow the walking track across the creek, you’ll find a significant drive, up the hill there are multiple workings, trenches, shallow pits & more shafts.
It was around 1861 when gold was found, and by 1871 Dalmorton was declared a goldfield. There were ‘apparently’ 5000 people living here with schools, several pubs, shops and 50 gold mines were registered.
Around the area there are still a few mines to be found from simple pits to a few walk in ones. From the history files it’s reported that some mines were up to 40 meters deep where they had massive 10 head stampers operating. Another relic not to miss is the walk from the campgrounds to the old stockman’s hut where it’s been preserved in time.
The Cobb and Co Mail Coach used to run from Glenn Innes to Grafton, twice a week carrying supplies, mail and passengers between the coast and the tablelands. By the early 1900s the gold was short lived and families battled to make a living.
This area became a ghost town when the new highway was put in over the range. National parks are restoring some of the old buildings here as part of a history trail, it’s a great spot for the kids to run around and explore. There's heaps to read at the info boards to give you a little insite just what life was like all those years ago.
If you are looking for camping options, turn left here at Dalmorton and travel up the hill as National Parks have put in a huge effort with some great facilities that would impress the pickiest campers. Plenty of spots for small caravans, camper trailers, tents and even designated spots for day trippers. Facilities include drop toilets, fire pits and a great grassed area for the kids to play.
We reckon the better camping sites are further past Dalmorton where the camping is free and with river views but you need to be self sufficient with everything along here. Contained fires are allowed and it's pet freindly, just be aware of any cattle around.
One of the highlights of exploring along here is the tunnel that has been hand cut by low paid workers through solid rock. Also known as the convict tunnel, but there were no convicts out here. It is just the right size to squeeze a bullock wagon through.
The road continues along the river passing remote farms, where cattle freely wander along the road without a care in the world. At the 100km mark a 10 foot war monument will catch your eye beside the road. It was erected by Norman Archibald MacDonald in memory of the local men who left the area to fight in the First World War.
The Old Glen Innes road isn’t a hard one but if your after a little of 4wd fun at the 118 km mark there is a well maintained track off to the left. Tommy’s Lookout Fire Trail will take you up over the thousand metre mark all within 4km. 4wd recommended and the views from the top are nothing short of stunning deep into the Mann River gorge below.
The lookout and Tommys Rock are named after Tommy McPherson, an Aboriginal man born around 1840 near Guyra. For his time Tommy was unusual as he was educated by a white family, he could read, write & worked as a stockman. In 1877 Tommy shot and killed another Aboriginal man. A warrant was issued for his arrest, Tommy was captured, but escaped to live as a fugitive in the area. A good bushman, he easily evaded police & often visited local people. He was eventually shot dead by police at the Bald Nob Hotel in 1879. There’s no record of him ever holding up a coach, but he was known as the Aboriginal bushranger 'Black Tommy’. He’s said to have stolen horses & food from settlers, saved the life of a drowning white boy, & paid for things in gold from his gold mine. Local mythology tells of his spirit still around in the form of a Wallaroo guarding the location of his secret gold mine.
Another camp is the Mann River Nature Reserve just past the lookout turn off which is a well maintained area suitable for all campers with ample space, picnic tables, fire places, pits toilets and the cooling Mann River running nearby. In the cooler months the water is bloody freezing but well worth a face slash to wake you up.
This is a great campsite for the kids as they can play around in the the fresh running water of the Mann River, many of the off shoot pools here are shallow and clean so mum and dad can be rest assured that they can play safe. Here at the Mann River camping area is where it winds its way to the top of the range towards Glen Innes, vegetation changes towards the cooling temperatures of the tablelands where tree ferns, grass trees and tall white gums are more abundant.
The last choice there is to make is when you hit the Gwydir Highway- do you turn left and head further west to Glenn Innes, 35 km away, or is it a 120km wander to the right down towards the coast to another unique destination before hitting the coastal hustle and sea air.
WHERE IS THE OLD GLEN INNES ROAD
The Old Glenn Innes Road ( also called the old Grafton Road ) starts 8km west of Grafton and follows the original track of the Cobb and Co Mail run. This road is shadowed by the Great Dividing Range on one side and rivers on the lower side. The road passes though the abandon township of Dalmorton where in its heyday nearly 5000 people lived. It continues to the base of The Great Dividing Range where you will wind your way up to the Gwydir Highway 35 km east of Glenn Innes. The road is narrow and windy along the way but suitable for AWD’s, camper trailers and offroad vans . The tunnel's height is 3.5 metres.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
From camping down on the river flats along the Boyd River (great swimming holes, acres of flat grassy areas for the kids to play), to the Dalmorton camping area which has toilets, bbq pits and views overlooking the river below, the Mann River Nature Reserve is situated beside the top end of the Mann River featuring mountain views, toilets and Bbq pits. Grafton and Glenn Innes are the last stop for supplies and there is no phone service for the whole trip. For the history buffs, there are old good mines to explore, historical cemetery and buildings. The road is marked on any good GPS and is straight forward, without going offroad. No permits are required to free camp beside the river at Dalmorton. A small booking fee applies for the Mann River campground. For the adventurous there are numerous 4wd trails into the hills plus up to Tommy’s Lookout where a high clearance 4wd is recommended.
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