Note the coarse sand of the river, which is largely the result of major gold sluicing activity commencing upstream of the bridge in the late 1800s. The source of the Timbarra River is high in the New England Tablelands near Glen Innes. Turn left into Plains Station Road and after 1km the road crosses the Timbarra River, a major tributary of the Clarence River. The jabiru is Australia’s only stork and is also called the ‘policeman bird’.
3km past the bridge, watch out for jabirus feeding in the wetland beside the road. Food is available at Tabulam and the racecourse and cemetery are points of interest. The riverbanks still show signs of the enormous volume of water that descended down this river in the flood of 1976, coming over the western approach of the bridge. Graceful black swans can often be seen in this part of the river and are worth watching out for as you cross the bridge.
The drive gives good views of the Clarence River and offers a stopover by this magnificent river half way through the journey.įrom Tabulam: Historically Tabulam is the home of the Light Horse Brigade and your journey begins by traveling west over Tabulam Bridge which at 161m in length is one of the longest timber truss bridges ever built in Australia. Total distance is 55km with 25km being unsealed. This is a circuit drive of half a day, which starts and finishes on the Bruxner Highway.
