A well-used dirt road runs along Scotchmans range. Through tall eucalyptus forest, we can see the upper Bellinger valley and beyond the forested range rising to the Dorrigo Plateau. To the east lies the Kalang valley and Gladstone mountain.
Hodgkinson walked from the Macleay towards the Bellinger in 1841, and published the story of his journey in a book. His exact route is not known (he lost his map) but his description of the view suggests he may have crossed this range in the Diehappy area:
?The view from the range was magnificent. At our feet was the narrow glen of the Bellengen, choked up with dark green impervious brush, whilst immediately opposite us on the north side of the river, a gigantic range rose up in perpendicular buttresses, three thousand feet high? Exactly opposite to us, in a deep cleft, a beautiful cascade dashed down a fall.. like a long band of silver, glittering in the rays of the declining sun…?
Clement Hodgkinson, From Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay, published 1845
We had a family member drop us off at the intersection of Short Cut trail and Kalang Rd, or call the local taxi company if your family aren’t co-operative. W walked back towards the cafes of Bellingen where we indulged in a suitable culinary reward for our efforts.
