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Photo Gallery
New South Wales Road Photo Gallery:
National Route 34 (Oxley Highway) (Walcha to Port Macquarie)
National Route 34 / Oxley Highway is a rural highway
in New South Wales, Australia. The Oxley Highway starts
at Nevertire where it joins the Mitchell Highway. It
links Warren, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Gunnedah, Tamworth,
Bendemeer, Walcha, Wauchope and ends at Port Macquarie
on the coast of the Tasman Sea.
The Oxley Highway links with the Castlereagh Highway
at Gilgandra, the Newell Highway at Coonabarabran, the
New England Highway and Tamworth, and the Pacific Highway
near Port Macquarie. It commemorates John Oxley who
was the first European to explore much of inland New
South Wales in 1818.
History:
The Oxley Highway runs through Walcha, connecting it with the New England Highway at Bendemeer and the coast at Port Macquarie. The Walcha and Armidale areas were first home to the Anaiwan people. John Oxley crossed the southern end of the northern tableland and camped on the Apsley River in 1818 near the present Walcha.
In 1832 Hamilton C. Semphill, a settler from Belltrees on the Hunter River, formed a station in the upper Apsley Valley and named it Wolka, appropriating an aboriginal word thought to mean 'the sun'. Others followed close on his heels, seeking new lands away from the influence of the Australian Agricultural Company, which dominated access to resources in the Hunter region, and settled around the present Armidale and Tenterfield. Soon the tablelands were occupied by the large sheep runs of these wealthy squatters.
In 1939 administration caught up with settlement and the New England pastoral district was formed. The new district's Commissioner of Crown Lands made his headquarters at Armidale and set out to define the sheep runs and find a route to the coast - as the journey to and from Maitland with wool and supplies was a journey taking months. Thus, the chequered career of the present Oxley Highway between Tamworth and Port Macquarie began, a road between Walcha and Port Macquarie constructed by convicts in the early 1840s. However, the descent to the coast was so steep that erosion soon made it impassable. By 1850 the eastern part of the New England region was already served by the present New England Highway. The expansion of pastoralism, coupled with gold discoveries during the 1850s, resulted in several transverse routes being made permanent.
The road connecting Tamworth with Port Macquarie, through Walcha, was one of those made suitable for regular vehicular traffic, but again fell out of use. (Regional Histories, 1996, pp. 72-75; Atlas of New England, 1977, pp. 153-66; Australian Encyclopaedia, 1963 Vol. 9, p. 146) The Oxley Highway was proclaimed in 1928, a circumferential link between the central and western areas of the State and New England and the North Coast. The highway generally followed the line of existing roads but many sections of the route were soon improved as a result of the proclamation of the highway. (DMR, 1976, pp. 141, 156, 165-66, 277).
This section of the Oxley Highway takes in the towns
of Ellenborough, Wauchope and other localities.
| Length (This Section): |
55 km |
| Route Numbers: |
duplexed with 
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| Information courtesy
of Wikipedia and Michael Greenslade |
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Old
Black Directional Sign
Relic of days past. This sign was found West
of Walcha.
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Entering Walcha
Eastbound as you enter the town of Walcha.
February 2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Entering Walcha
Eastbound as you enter the town of Walcha.
February 2006. Note the sculpture on the left, Walcha
has plenty of these art works throughout the town.
Image ©
Paul Rands
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Fitzroy Street Walcha
Eastbound as you approach Darjeeling Road.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Distance Sign
Nice clear RD sign as you head West along
Fitzroy Street at Walcha. February 2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Fitzroy Street Walcha
Eastbound as you approach the Walcha town
centre.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Corner of Fitzroy
& South Street
Looking east through the Walcha CBD. February
2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Old Black Sign
Walcha has the unusual but cool sign gantries
through the town centre. This one with the old black
Port Macquarie sign and a newer standard green sign
is on the corner of Fitzroy and Derby Streets. February
2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Bridge Plate
Plate denoting when the bridge over the Apsley
River at Walcha was built. February 2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Apsley River Bridge
& Fitzroy Street Walcha
Looking Eastbound at Walcha just before Pakington
Street. February 2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Advance Directional
Sign
AD sign as you head west towards the intersection
with Thunderbolts Way (Derby Street) at Walcha. February
2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Typical Straight
Typical roadway eastbound near Walcha.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Road winding up the hill towards
coast
Typical roadway eastbound
near Walcha. This is a 110 km/h stretch. One of the
few single carriageway 110 zones close to the East Coast.
Most 110's are dual.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Single Carriageway 110 km/h
Zone
Taken eastbound a
few kilometres from Walcha.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Single Carriageway 110 km/h
Zone
Taken eastbound a
few kilometres from Walcha just before the Aspley Falls
intersection.
Image ©
Paul Rands |
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Approaching Aspley Falls turn off
Taken westbound 500
metres before the Aspley Falls intersection at Walcha,
April 2006.
Image ©
Paul Rands
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Stoney Creek
Crossing Stoney Creek as you head westbound
at Walcha, near the Aspley Falls area
of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Wilson Creek
Westbound at Tia as you cross Wilson Creek,
near the Aspley Falls area of the Oxley Wild Rivers
National Park. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Rest Area Signage
Sign detailing driving time to the nearest
2 rest areas along the route. April 2006 at Tia.
Image © Paul Rands
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Westbound at Tia
Typical conditions through the Tia area,
April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Tia River
Crossing the Tia River. Westbound at Tia,
April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Approaching Tia Turn Off
Long straight as you approach the intersection
for Tia Diggings Road, Tia. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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High Wind Area
Entering an area that is notorius for strong
winds, this is Westbound at Tia, April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Leaving Yarrowitch
Heading west towards Tia and Walcha. April
2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Wood and Wire Fencing
More of the old 1950s and 60s style fencing
at Yarrowitch. At April 2006 it looks as though it
had a recent repaint.
Image © Paul Rands
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River Catchment Sign
Information sign indicating that this area
at Yarrowitch is part of the Macleay River Catchment,
which covers a whopping 11 460 square kilometres.
April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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UHF Radio Watch
Information sign on local UHF radio services
for those who carry UHF radios and may need to contact
emergency services. April 2006. Don't expect your
mobile phone to be too helpful here...
Image © Paul Rands
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Welcome to Yarrowitch
Approaching the town area (consists of a
school). Westbound at Yarrowitch. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Yarrowitch Valley
Brown tourist style sign indicating you're
now in the Yarrowitch Valley, westbound, April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Joyces Creek
Westbound as you cross Joyces Creek in the
Yarrowitch area. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Eastern end of 110 km/h zone
Looking west at the start of the 110 speed
zone at Yarrowitch. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Dymocks Creek
Westbound at Yarrowitch as you cross Dymocks
Creek, note the new Brifen fencing being installed.
April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Tourist Signage
Brown ID sign for local attractions and
also a services sign on the Rowley's River road junction.
April 2006, westbound at Yarrowitch.
Image © Paul Rands
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Unusual Sign
Sign denoting that the winding road ends
in 3 km. There is a couple of these along the Oxley
highway between Wauchope and Walcha. April 2006, westbound
at Yarrowitch.
Image © Paul Rands
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Westbound at Yarrowitch
Standard scenery in the Yarrowitch area
as you head west. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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High up in the mountains
Westbound at Yarrowitch, the road reaches
quite a high point as its now on the Great Dividing
Range. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Winding Road
Standard scenery in the Yarrowitch area
as you head west. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Winding Road
Standard scenery in the Yarrowitch area
as you head west. Note the old style fencing. April
2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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20 km Winding Road
Warning sign at Yarrowitch, Westbound April
2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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Yarrowitch
Westbound through Yarrowitch. April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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80 km to Walcha
Heading west through forest at Yarrowitch.
April 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
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