Bucketts Way

Bucketts Way New South Wales
The Bucketts Range from Bucketts Way.
General information
Type	Road
Length	151 km (94 mi)[1]
Route number(s)
Major junctions
North end	near Pacific Highway, Taree, New South Wales
	Thunderbolts Way
South end	Pacific Highway, 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of Raymond Terrace, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major suburbs	Tinonee, Gloucester, Stroud
Infobox instructions guidelines examples talk

The Bucketts Way is a 151-kilometre (94 mi)^[1] rural road that links Gloucester to Taree and Raymond Terrace, in New South Wales, Australia. It was named after the Bucketts Mountains, a prominent mountain range near Gloucester. Between 1928 and 1952 the Bucketts Way served as the alignment of the Pacific Highway between Raymond Terrace and Taree.^[2] The entire route is designated as Tourist Drive TD2.^[3]

Route

In the south, the Bucketts Way branches off to the west of the Pacific Highway 14 km (9 mi) north of the Raymond Terrace bypass. Heading north, it crosses the Karuah River about 8.5 km (5.3 mi) south of Stroud and then roughly follows the course of the Karuah River upstream in a west-north-westerly direction for approximately 25 km (16 mi), crossing the Mammy Johnsons River. It then turns north-north-east and then north for 32 km (20 mi) until it reaches Gloucester, crossing the Avon River on the way. The North Coast Railway line runs parallel with it from just north-east of Stroud Road to Gloucester. At Gloucester, Bucketts Way meets the southern terminus of Thunderbolts Way that leads to the Northern Tablelands and various other national parks and riverside camping reserves along the way. The Bucketts Way continues eastwards to Krambach and then to Taree where it rejoins the Pacific Highway.^[4]

It provides access to the Barrington Tops National Park, and is used by tourists as a very scenic alternative to the Pacific Highway. The Bucketts Way travels through two council areas: Port Stephens and Mid-Coast Council. Some councillors of the former Gloucester Shire proposed renaming the section of Bucketts Way south of Gloucester to Thunderbolts Way,^[5] as is shown on some tourist maps. This would result in one continuously named road stretching from the Pacific Highway near Raymond Terrace to the New England Highway at Uralla and beyond. However, there is significant community opposition to a name change.

Major junctions

LGA	Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Mid-Coast	Taree	0	0.0	Manning River Drive [north] – Taree, Wingham Manning River Drive [east] to Pacific Highway (A1) – Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Forster, Raymond Terrace, Sydney	Roundabout; northern terminus; road continues north and east as the Manning River Drive
	Krambach	34	21	Mill Street to Avalon Road – Nabiac	Y-intersection
				Fire Station Road	Y-intersection
	Gangat	57	35	Wallanbah Road – Bucca Wauka, Dyers Crossing	T-intersection
Avon River		69	43	Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown)
Gloucester	Gloucester	71	44	Thunderbolts Way – Walcha, Uralla, Inverell	Roundabout; southern terminus of Thunderbolts Way; Bucketts Way continues south
		74	46	Jacks Road – Waukivory, Upper Mayall, Bulahdelah
		80	50	Gloucester Tops Road – Barrington Tops National Park
Avon River		84	52	Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown)
Mammy Johnsons River		112	70	Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown)
Mid-Coast	Stroud	116	72	Stroud Road – Dungog
	Booral	127	79	Booral Road – Bulahdelah
Karuah River		128	80	Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown)
Mid-Coast	Limeburners Creek	145	90	Limeburners Creek Road – Clarence Town
Port Stephens	Twelve Mile Creek	151	94	Pacific Highway (A1) – Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Forster, Raymond Terrace, Sydney	T-intersection; southern terminus; road continues north and south as the Pacific Highway (A1)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Route transition

See also

• Highways in Australia
• List of highways in New South Wales

References

1. 154 Manning River Drive, Taree South NSW 2430, Australia to 39 The Bucketts Way, Twelve Mile Creek NSW 2324, Australia (Map). Google Maps. 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
2. "Bucketts Way - Formerly part of the Pacific Highway from 1928 until 1952". Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
3. "TOURIST Drive 2 - Bucketts Way - Kempsey Area". Destination NSW. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
4. "9232 Newcastle, 9233 Dungog, 9234 Upper Manning, 9334 Wingham" (Map). Department of Lands - Spatial Information eXchange. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
5. "Bucketts Way - Road Re-Naming" (PDF). Great Lakes Council. Retrieved 3 October 2009.