On a drizzly morning we packed up, making first use of the blue polytarps we had purchased to cover bedding if we had to pack up camper while still wet. (This proved to be a good investment as all beds were still dry when we got to next stop).
The drive through the Northern end of the Kosckiuszko National Park was beautiful - absolutely spectacular around the "Hydro" town of Talbingo. This had obviously been a thriving little town in the 60's & '70's, with an influx of labour while the Snowy Hydro Project was undertaken. This was the neatest, most manicured town we have so far come across, but now has an, obviously, reduced population these days, with empty shop fronts and the supermarket being the takeaway, newsagent, post office and gift shop all in one.
 |
| Tumut 3 Power Station at Talbingo |
 |
| Tumut River |
We travelled through some picturesque, almost European looking countryside with the series of water ways, reserviors and dams surrounded by tree covered slopes - pines and eucalypts. Our plan was to stay overnight along the way to Canberra, at a campground and then spend a few days in Canberra. So much for planning...! Along this stretch would have been a perfect spot to stop. However, between indecision, bad communication, too many people about and frayed patience (see, nothing's changed!!) we found ourselves, instead in a caravan park in Tumut. Tumut itself was a pretty town, but the caravan park did not live up to it's potential. Oh well you can't win them all!
 |
| Dog on the Tucker box - as we passed through the "track winding back" |
Roll on Canberra!! (What a joke! - our weekend was set to continue as it had started!) We had heard 'along the way' that Monday was "Canberra Day" and the ACT had a long weekend, with lots of events on. Consequently, we thought we should p'raps ring ahead for a site at a caravan park. We did - but NOWHERE had any spare sites. (Canberra only has 3 caravan parks). We had also been told about cheap camping at the Exhibition Centre Grounds, so on arrival in Canberra (after packing up in the rain again), this was where we went to claim a spot for the night.
Well... at only 10.30am in the morning, there were very few, not so flash spots to park and I can put up with all sorts of amenities as long as they are maintained and clean, but these were awful. Along with that, the "circus" was in the region with their accommodation base at the Exhib. Centre. And we weren't sure about our ability to get a good night sleep once all the workers returned from the Queanbeyan show!
Our next option was to find an 'out of town' campsite to set up, and there was only one we could discover, close enough to Canberra. We had a lovely drive to the Cotter Dam, which is undergoing all sorts of extension and renovation, once we found the right road out Canberra. But you guessed it... the Cotter Reserve campground was closed, due to blasting involved with the dam reno's!! By this time we were thouroughly cheesed off, not to mention hungry, so we made our way back to the War Memorial, had lunch, had a look around there and gave Canberra up for a lost cause! Instead we decided to head for the coast again and after negotiation with a couple of Caravan Parks in Bateman's Bay one finally found us a .Evidently, all of the Canberra-ites head to Batemen's Bay for the long weekend!! We pulled in to the park at about 7.30pm after a very long and frustrating day.
 |
| Australian War Memorial - beautiful day in Canberra (weatherwise)! |
 |
Jed, checking out the warships above the surface
|
 |
| Lily at the controls of a "black hawk" helicopter (Jon isn't around to confirm I have the correct name!!?) |
Just as well 3 out of the 4 of us have been to Canberra previously and experience a lot of what it has to offer, and Lily will probably head there on the biennial Keith school Canberra trip next year. This time tho' it was a thoroughly bad timing and disappointing.
No comments:
Post a Comment