While many of us treat Braidwood as little more than a milk shake or coffee stop on the way to the coast, it’s also a great base from which to explore the treasures of the surrounding countryside. This year is the heritage-listed town’s 175th anniversary and to celebrate, today I reveal my Top 10 must-sees in and around Braidwood. Some are out-of the way, some are quirky - but all are worth the hour or so drive from Canberra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
1. Bushranger Bonanza
Given the proximity of Braidwood to the goldfields of the southern tablelands it’s not surprising it was a hot-spot for bushrangers. These included the notorious Clarke Brothers who, during the early 1860s, preyed on the gold convoys from the Araluen Valley, through Majors Creek and then on to Braidwood and beyond. Their reign of terror came to an end when, after they killed four policemen in 1866, large rewards were posted and they were promptly tracked down at their hideout in what is now Deua National Park.
If you take the back road from Majors Creek to Araluen (part-gravel, but 2WD passable) half-way down the mountain you reach Clarke’s Lookout which still commands the same extensive views of the valley below as it did during the gold rush.
2. Irish Corner
Arguably the best short drive from Braidwood is across the rattling wooden bridges on the Araluen Road and past lush green paddocks to the wonderfully idiosyncratic Reidsdale. Known locally as Irish Corner this fertile parcel just 15 kilometres from town and wedged between the plains of the Monaro and the escarpment country is tailor-made for Sunday drives. From fairy trees (make a wish) to rambling ruins of the 1870s heydays when the Irish flocked here for gold, it’s easy to lose track of the time while discovering the labyrinth of country lanes.
All this exploring will make you thirsty and while you can’t knock back a Guinness, at Sullys Cider House (92 Old Sawyers Ridge Rd, Ph: 02 4846 1999 or braidwoodmade.com.au) you can indulge in a cider or two made from local apples (and on weekends scrumptious Welsh fare).
3. Big Bell
Regardless of your religious persuasion, it’s hard not to be impressed by the old stone churches which are scattered around town. The large bell from one of these, St Bede’s Roman Catholic Church, recently featured in this column’s photo quiz and prompted several readers to ask if there is any basis to the "myth" that the over-sized bell (32 cwt) dated as 1862 was actually sent to the wrong address and it should have gone to the more grandiose St Mary’s in Sydney.
Stephen Brown of Forrest reports that in Bells in Australia (1979), author John Keating, supports the myth.
“… there is a substantial bell of thirty-two cwt installed in 1862. The story goes that in fact two bells were consigned to Sydney at the same time, the large one, and a smaller one for which the inscription had been prepared, intended for Braidwood. Unfortunately, the inscription was mistakenly cast into the larger bell, and therefore [it] had to be sent to St Bede's, leaving the sorrowing recipient in Sydney obliged to content himself with the small one.”
Brown cautions, however, not to take Keating’s (who is his late uncle) explanation as gospel. “It’s evident he was relying on local information and was not able to verify the story,” explains Brown.
Meanwhile, around the corner in Elrington St, crafted from local granite is St Andrews Anglican Church which features some of the first gargoyles used in ecclesiastical buildings in NSW.
4. Daily Bread
If I should pass through Braidwood without picking up a loaf of Dojo Bread (Mrs Yowie especially has a soft spot for the sourdough), then I may as well not bother to return home. Dishing up artisan bread, the best coffee in town and pastries to die for, it's little wonder this bakery, tucked away down a lane way in an old stable-come-workers shed, has fast become a Braidwood institution. Thankfully, if the bakery is closed left-over stock is sold at the town’s IGA Supermarket. But be quick, it doesn’t last long.
Dojo Bread is in the Rear Lane at 91 Wallace St. Open 7 days, 8am – 1pm. Ph: 02 4842 2825 dojobread.com.au.
5. Holey Heck!
The imaginatively-named Big Hole, is like something you’d expect to encounter on an expedition with Indiana Jones, not on a short bushwalk near Braidwood.
Explorer Major Thomas Mitchell, who stumbled upon the 96m sinkhole in 1832, was the first European to describe "its vast recesses" and in the 1860s, a local man called Boxall was the first known person lowered in the hole by rope. These days, abseilers can access the hole with special permits.
Watch out for the lyrebird sometimes spotted lurking in the hole, but don’t crane your neck too far. You don’t want fall in - like someone apparently did in 1884.
The Big Hole is at the western end of Deua National Park, about 30 minutes south of Braidwood. Some of the road is dirt/gravel but is suitable for 2WD. The relatively gentle walk to the Big Hole leaves from the Berlang Rest Area (and involves a short ford across the Shoalhaven River), is clearly marked and is just under 4km return.
6. Bears ‘N Bombs
Pooh’s Corner is familiar to anyone who has travelled the Clyde, especially with teddy bear loving kids in the back seat, but its unusual history is not widely known.
During World War II, the hairpin corner on the Clyde played an important part in a plan to protect Canberra from enemy forces. Officers of the 14th Battalion of the Volunteer Defence Corp manned the corner between 1942 and 1944, guarding a tunnel that had been built beneath the road and packed with explosives.
The plan was that if Japanese forces landed on the south coast, the Defence Corp would detonate the explosives, blowing up the road and thereby slowing any attempt by enemy forces to reach Canberra.
After the war the entrance to the tunnel was filled with concrete. It is now decorated with teddy bears.
7. Cosy cabins
Although there are plenty of B&Bs in town including Torpeas Eco Motel which is apparently haunted (a story for another day) and the Snow Lion B&B (thankfully not home to big cats with sharp teeth) my favourite place to bunk down is a short drive out of town.
Perched right on the doorstep of Deua National Park are three rustic self-contained cabins which have been hand-crafted from and a mix of recycled Australian hardwoods and corrugated galvanised iron. It’s ideal for eco-conscious couples, families and small groups and each hut has a wood-fuelled slow combustion heater. There’s also a fire pit for toasting marshmallows.
Deua Tin Huts are on Cooma Rd, a 30 minute drive south of Braidwood. From $125 per night. Ph: 02 4847 1248. Web:deuatinhuts.com.
8. Braidwood Museum
The museum’s gold themed display features a fascinating group of gold rush period artefacts including an 1860s Gold Escort carriage which was held up by Ben Hall and the Clarke Brothers.
Also currently on show is Braidwood Goes to the Movies, an exhibition which celebrates the town’s role in a number of films including Mick Jagger's 1969 epic Ned Kelly, The Year my Voice Broke (1987), and the comedy On Our Selection (1995).
Open Friday – Sunday, 11am – 2pm, 186 Wallace St Adults $5 and children $1. Ph: 02 4842 2310, braidwoodmuseum.org.au.
9. Charleyong Campground
If you prefer your stars to be of the astral kind, then there’s several great spots to pitch a tent or roll out a swag. Most are on or near the banks of the Shoalhaven River. The Warri Rest Area is the most popular but I’ve never worked out why as its right next to the busy Kings Highway. My pick is Charleyong Campground, also on the sandy banks of the Shoalhaven but at about 25 minutes drive along the Nerriga Rd, it’s much quieter.
10. Vanishing lake
The Northern Star (Lismore, NSW) newspaper of 14 October 1876 published a story about a Reidsdale (15 minutes to the south of town) resident who “came across a small lake … reported to be at the very extreme edge of the table land, and so closely overlooking the sea that the surf can be seen rolling in to the shore, and vessels passing can be distinctly observed. The lake is said to be very deep and to abound with fish.”
For years, the location of this lake has puzzled many locals, with no lakes fitting this description within cooee of Braidwood or Reidsdale. Can you help solve this 138 year old mystery? If so, please let me know.
Fact File:
More: The Braidwood and Villages Visitor Information Centre, 100 Wallace St, Braidwood. Open 10am – 4pm daily Ph: 02 4842 1144 or visitbraidwood.com.au
Did You Know: If you think the traffic in Braidwood can be busy on a weekend, spare a thought for the folk in the late 1800s when the streets routinely bogged with mud in winter, making the village approaches very dangerous for both horses and pedestrians.
CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write to me c/o The Canberra Times 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick. A selection of past columns is available at: canberratimes.com.au/travel/blog/yowie-man
WHERE IN THE SNOWIES?
Cryptic Clue: Don’t break your back!
Degree of difficulty: Medium - Hard
Last week: Congratulations to Melissa Collins of Macarthur who correctly identified last week’s photo (inset) as “the emu and chick sculpture on the lawn outside the pizza shop at Thredbo.” Collins just beat Dave Hobson to the prize who immediately recognised Silvio Apponyi’s bronze sculpture, having spent “at least a week in Thredbo every summer for the past 38 years.” The sculpture is one of 30 which feature in the Thredbo Art Walk. So if you are in Thredbo this winter and the weather isn’t conducive to hitting the slopes, grab a copy of the art walk brochure (thredbo.com.au or at the Thredbo Visitor Centre) and follow the trail - you never know what you might find. Oh, and while I’ve seen many emus in and around Thredbo in summer, I’ve never seen one prancing through the snow. Have you?
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am today with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.
