“Thunderbolt Country”
Published 1987
Review by Barry Sinclair. Dec, 2005
Greg Powell writes on the opening page of this book “Although Frederick Ward, known as Thunderbolt, dominated the bushranging activity in northern New South Wales during the Wild Colonial Days of the 1860's, other lesser- known criminals also stalked the land.
The battles raged between the forces of law and order and those who would disrupt the peace, from the Hunter Valley to the Queensland border. The participants from these wild, exciting times have now vanished, but their activity sites remain. I have searched for these ghosts of the past in the caves, inns, homesteads, lookouts, grave sites, battle grounds and other haunts in northern New South Wales. By visiting these actual locations and using a little imagination, the events of the past can be brought alive again. (However, the permission of property owners should be sought first to avoid trespassing.)
This book contains a brief written and photographic record of some of the major bushranging sites in the north of the state.”
For those interested in following the exploits of Thunderbolt and the other bushrangers who came to this area, this book is a must. It is not a history of Thunderbolt as such, but it gives a visual concept of the life and times of Thunderbolt. The photographs are superb and the book has a brief description of the various bushrangers activities and so leads the reader over the areas frequented by the men and, by following the various places Thunderbolt visited and made famous, one gets a feeling for the life the people led.
This book contains 96 excellently taken photos of the various places, with a brief description of the places visited. It also contains a map of the vast area covered by Thunderbolt. Some of the photos are of members of the "Hunter Bushrangers", a group of entertainers who re-enact the events of the times of Thunderbolt at Festivals throughout the area.
I would highly recommend it for those many visitors travelling through our area and for those who wish to become familiar with the life of our bushrangers.
Prepared by Barry Sinclair
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Copyright ©
2005 Barry Sinclair