IT’S only a short drive from the centre of Tamworth, but locals say there is something funny in the hills around Daruka.
Residents along Upper Moore Creek Rd say it’s Drop Bear territory.
And extraordinarily, Tamworth Regional Council has backed them up, claiming a quirky piece of Australian folklore, passing a proposal to name a local, unnamed road, Drop Bear Lane.
Tamworth’s newest icon has been warmly welcomed by the community and become a claim to fame for the local family who proposed the unique name.
Kylie Evans, with children Mikayla, Emily and Ryan Thompson, who live on a nearby property put the name forward.
“We bought the property several years ago and the road was unnamed and we had done lots of walks and things up there,” Ms Evans said.
“We were sort of thinking about it and we thought it looks like Drop Bear territory.
“Over a course of a few conversations with the kids, we decided Drop Bear Lane would be an interesting and novel idea.”
In her own research, Ms Evans said she couldn’t “ find the name in any other street in Australia or the planet”.
“We didn’t really take it seriously and I sort of thought we’re building a house up there now and we’ll put the application in and see what happens,” she said.
Emily Thompson, 17, said there had been a running joke within her family about the presence of Drop Bears on the previously unnamed street.
“Even years ago we joked about putting signs up ‘watch out for Drop Bears’,” she said.
While she wouldn’t confirm the existence of the mythical maruspial, she said “you just have to be careful”.
Kate Cook lives on the newly named street with her children Ellie and Bailey and was happy thta the new name would allay and confusion.
“It is hard to describe where your road is, so it would be easier if we had a sign,” Mrs Cook said.
“I don’t think I would have picked Drop Bear, but I don’t know what I would have picked.”
Daughter Ellie, 11, was pretty chuffed to be living on Drop Bear Lane and she was keen to tell her friends all about it. “It’s pretty weird and it’s very funny,” she said.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
