Please Note: A link to a short video covering the material in this blog post can be found at the bottom of the blog.

There was something to blog about in our family visit at Drouin. On reflection, I think our visit there should be recorded, as it is part of the experience of our trip.

Family group. Lest to right: Colin, Aileen, Ruth and Bernard

Our reason for coming so far south on a trip to South and Western Australia is the medical condition of my brother Winston. He has been assessed as terminally ill, with probably only months to live. We visited him in his nursing home and on the following day he was able to attend a family lunch at his old home. He is wheelchair bound and can only move to other seating with a great deal of help. But it was a happy occasion. He was able to spend time with his only grandchild, an eight month old girl, and other members of his immediate family.

We parted after we had delivered Winston back to his nursing home. As we shook hands we were both very aware that this might be the last time that we would see each other. We can only hope for a miracle.

The Noojee trestle bridge at deck level

The following day, in company with my sister Aileen, her husband Colin and my youngest brother Bernard, we drove into the hills to the north of Drouin in search of the restored Noojee trestle bridge. The bridge was part of the now long closed Warragul to Noojee railway line, built mainly for the transport of timber. The bridge was partially destroyed by fire many years ago. It has been restored as a tourist attraction. If success is to be judged by the number of people visiting it then the strategy has worked.

Trestles supporting the Noojee bridge

We had stopped for coffee at the Neerim South Bakery, another place enjoying a brisk tourist trade, visited the bridge and then drove into Noojee for lunch. We enjoyed a pasty at the general store, and then drove out to the parking area for the water falls on the Tooronga River. The walk takes in the Tooronga and Amphitheatre Falls during a brisk walk of a bit more than two kilometres. There are some steep parts and steps, but generally an easy walk.

Family group minus Ruth at Amphitheater Falls

Tooronga Falls

The river runs beneath rock falls in some places

Next morning we moved on to Melbourne, to a caravan park at East Doncaster, to visit long time friends Thelma and Joe. Our caravan won’t fit on their property because of narrow streets, so we commute from the caravan park. Short visits like this are mostly spent talking, catching up with news and the doings of family and friends. We did a very pleasant lunch with them at the Ringwood Club, near their home.

A street in Maldon

Planning the next move forward always includes keeping an eye on the weather. We were a bit shocked, after the cold weather we had experienced, to find our planned route would lead us back into southern summer like extremes. We planned to go to Castlemaine and then to Mildura, before following the Murray River to South Australia. But temperatures were forecast to be in the high thirties. Clearly it was advisable to stay in the south for a few days.

View from the mountain top. The water is Cairn Curran Dam

Keith and Lynda have a great spot for a caravan at the front of their house in Castlemaine. We had planned a one night stop over but, at their invitation, extended it to two. Again much chatting, but we did fit in a tour to the nearby gold town of Maldon, for lunch and a stroll along the historical streets. There are many fine restored buildings in streetscapes which preserve their heritage. There was no time to research gold rush history, but we did return home via the panoramic views from Mount Tarrengower and a park by the waters of the Cairn Curran Dam.

Parked in the guest space at Halls Gap

It’s Saturday 7^th April and time to move on again. The plan is to do a short leg to Ararat for perhaps two nights, but we want to catch up with an old friend at Dunkeld, so we called ahead to her mobile. She answers it from her hospital bed in Geelong. She had a mild heart attack on Easter Friday. She awaits news of future treatment but meanwhile is bored. Know the feeling? After hearing our proposed schedule she suggests that we overnight at Halls Gap, where her daughter and son-in-law manage the Big 4 caravan park. I suggest that it will be booked out with school holidays and we say our goodbyes. Five minutes later, she calls back to say that she has talked to her daughter and they have a site for us. So here we are!

Update: Do has had two stents inserted into the troublesome artery. She is fine and will soon be back to normal. In her early eighties, she is planning another tag-along tour in a desert somewhere in Western Australia.

The park at Halls Gap was busy

To reach Halls Gap we passed through the larger towns of Maryborough and Ararat and some smaller settlements. We crossed the sheep country of the Moolort Plains and through some of the hills of the Pyrenees Ranges. Finally we drove the Great Western Highway from Ararat to Stawell before turning off to Halls Gap. The entire area through which we drove needs rain.

The Grampians on the way to Dunkeld

We left Halls Gap at about 9.00 AM, bound for Dunkeld, then Hamilton and on through the small towns of Marino and Sanford to Casterton. After lunch we continued to Penola and turned south west to our final destination. The quiet caravan park at Millicent, near Mt. Gambier, should be ideal to catch up on washing, blogging and general record keeping.

Brown farm land near Casterton in Western Victoria

The Autumn colours were appearing in Casterton

A lighthouse stands above Beachport

Sunday 8^th was Ruth’s birthday and we had travelled all day. Ruth spent part of the day fielding telephone calls and Facebook posts. By way of celebration, we went to a local hotel recommended by the caravan park management and enjoyed a pleasant relaxing meal.

After lunch next day, with chores substantially complete, we drove the 35 km west to the beach side town of Beachport, located at the south eastern end of a chain of lakes that run just inside the coast to the north west to the better known holiday and lobster town of Robe. Beachport is an attractive town with a great deal of tourist accommodation. I suspect that many Adelaide residents find it to be something of a refuge during the summer heat of holiday time.

Beaches along the scenic drive

A scenic drive follows the rugged coast to the north west, with observation points that provide views of the rocky promontories and small sheltered beaches that reach up the coast and views back over the town and along the sweep of the beach to Southend in the far distance.

The barrier at the mouth of the drainage chanel

At the entrance to Beachport a drain reaches the sea, but its entrance is protected by a barrier to stop the entry of salt water. We noticed a number of such drains the next day. The area is very flat and near to sea level. It was drained to make it suitable for farming activities, many long years ago.

Weathered rocks at Southport

On the way back to Millicent, we did a detour to Southend. It is a typical seaside village with almost no commercial centre. But a does have a headland with interesting erosion patterns in the rocks, which seem to be of a material that selectively weathers. From the headland you can see back to Beachport.

With forecasts suggesting Adelaide weather returning to sanity, we left Millicent on Tuesday 10^th, bound for Port Elliot and Victor Harbour. It was a 400 km drive into a strong head wind. Unpleasant conditions made worse when the caravan tyre that had been repaired in Orbost again went flat. So out with the compressor to add some air! We made the 15 km into Meningie before it went flat again. But this time it has suffered mortal damage, probably from a sharp edge to the pavement. Fitting a tube got us back on the road, but the tyre will have to be replaced before we go too far.

Views over The Coorong

The drive from Millicent is over very flat terrain for most of the way. It is mostly dairying and grazing country with both cattle and sheep. Pine forests can be seen in the distance to the right. The road was rather bumpy. The views are of brown land in need of rain. The highway joins the coast at Kingston SE. Soon after that a long strip of water enclosed within its own National Park, known as the Coorong, appears to the left and stays there for most of the 130 Km to the next town of Meningie.

The Victor Harbour to Goolwa steam train runs through Port Elliot

We turned left and took the ferry over the Murray at Wellington, travelling through the vineyards of Langhorne Creek and via Strathalbyn to reach Port Elliot. We set up at the showgrounds where a basic caravan park operates. You have to save money when you can. The tyres on an off road caravan are expensive.

A walking track follows the coast as Port Elliot

As we approached Port Elliot, Ruth phoned her long time friend Margaret who is retired, with her husband Brian, in the town. We found that her retirement village backs on to the Showgrounds. Brian was in hospital in Adelaide having a new knee fitted. Margaret was not visiting him the next day so we arranged to meet for coffee. We met in the street and did a short foot tour, walking up to the headland that provides views to Victor Harbour to the west and

Protected stone buildings in Port Elliot

Goolwa to the east. Brian’s forebears were among the earliest settlers in the area, so we heard some interesting stories before returning to the coffee shop/post office for coffee and a long chat, as Margaret and Ruth covered many years of not seeing each other very often.

The Granite Island horse drawn tram

The granite pile in the centre of the island

With coffee long finished, we took our leave and drove to Victor Harbour. One of the features of that fine resort town is the off lying Granite Island, which is linked to the mainland by a timber causeway. There is a regular and popular horse drawn tram service to transport tourists to the island. The alternative is to walk. And a pleasant walk it would be.

The Hindmarsh Island or “Secret Women’s Business” bridge

But we caught the tram. I ascended the wooden stairway to the top of the granite pile for the view and photos. Then we caught the tram back to the mainland. The island also hosts an under water observatory and, just off the island, a circular enclosure where you may swim with tuna, if that activity takes your fancy.

After lunch we drove back east to the old river port town of Goolwa, to visit the restored wharf area which includes the Goolwa station of the Victor Harbour to Goolwa steam railway. The train normally operates on Wednesdays but was dormant for our visit, probably undergoing maintenance in preparation for a coming busy school holiday schedule. As we stood on the wharf, towering above us was what I call the Secret Women’s Business Bridge.

Houses at the Hindmarsh Island Marina

Do you remember the kerfuffle when activists used the secret women’s business ploy in an attempt to stop the building of the bridge and a marina on Hindmarsh Island? The protest failed, as the completed bridge demonstrates. Accompanying photo illustrates that the marina, which was being protested at the same time, was also built. Where do the people come from with the money to buy all of the houses and units this far from Adelaide, I wonder?

The bridge and the old wharf

During our drive, Margaret called to invite us to dinner. So a pleasant evening was spent with old times getting a thorough going over. Margaret is a retired nursing sister, with most of her working life spent in the Northern Territory, but she has also worked in the United Kingdom and Zambia. There were some interesting stories. Oh, yes! Brian’s knee operation went well.

Thursday gave us a leisurely start. The appointment to get the new caravan tyre fitted was at 11.30 with check out time at the caravan park at 10.00, so we found a high spot with good views to spend the intervening hour or so. I had ground some coffee beans that morning, while we had power, so we enjoyed homemade cappuccino while we admired the view.

New tyre fitted, we set out for the northern suburbs of Adelaide, where we are set up in the Gawler Gateway Tourist Park for four nights. The forecast for our stay is for cool weather, with winds to 45 kph and some rain. That will be horizontal rain, no doubt. I will let you know in the next post.

Marlo Caravan Park

Please Note: A link to a short video covering the material in this blog post can be found at the bottom of the blog.

Monday 26^th March. We are coming up to our second windy night in Marlo. Last night was rather wild. We had our awning out. That proved to be a mistake. The rafters that reinforce the awning fell out at about 12.30 AM with a loud crash. That got me out of bed in a hurry. I then had to wait for the wind to ease at about 4.00 AM to take the awning in. Not much sleep until then.

Marlo jetty in the Snowy River

We have spent a quiet day. Ruth did some washing and I completed my first blog for this trip. There is not much to see in Marlo. The town boasts a general store, pub, fishing tackle and coffee shop, a couple of caravan parks and a small motel.

The park that we are in is substantially empty. The tourist season is over. There will be a burst of activity for Easter and school holidays but that’s about it until next summer. Local businesses will be reliant on local people until tourist season comes again.

We have neighbors in the park. They are a young Swiss family. While we are rugged up and staying inside they are getting about in shorts, having their meals outside and playing with their children in the full blast of the cold wind. They don’t think that it is cold at all.

On Tuesday morning the first order of the day, as we moved on, was a call at Orbost Tyre Service to have a slow leak in one of the caravan tyres fixed. That, and a bit of grocery shopping done, we set course for Omeo. So we travelled west to Nowa Nowa, then to Bruthen for the start of the Great Alpine Road.

Tambo River near Tambo Crossing

Bruthen is on the Tambo River. The Great Alpine Road follows the Tambo Valley for much of the first 80 km, although the first 10 km of the drive is over a forested mountain range. The road re-joins the river after crossing the range.

Poplars by the stream

As the trip progresses the scenery becomes more alpine. Farm land occupies the valley floor and the lower slopes, the upper slopes covered in forest. Clumps of Poplars start to appear along driveways and the banks of the streams. The grass is green but there is no sign of any recent heavy rainfall.

There are a few named localities along the road and a couple of towns, the largest of which is Swifts Creek, situated on a creek of that name that joins the Tambo at that point. Road side signs advise that Easter Picnic Races will be held on Easter Saturday.

Omeo’s main street

Swifts Creek is at an altitude of about 350 metres. Just past the town the road turned out of the valley and over the next 10 km we climbed a further 400 meters to reach the tableland on which Omeo stands.

Autumn colours in the mist

The Omeo Caravan Park is located in a narrow valley with the park facilities built beside the stream, which runs along the foothills on one side. Steep hills rise from each side of the parking area. Well established deciduous trees provide summer shade and let the sun through in winter. It was quiet when we arrived but getting crowded when we left. The High Country is popular at Easter. Numbers also increase because of the Easter Saturday rodeo in Omeo.

A busy caravan park

We used Omeo as a base for two mountain tours.

The Blue Duck Inn at Anglers Rest is near to the turn into Bogong High Plains Road

On Wednesday we headed along the southern end of the Omeo Highway and turned into the Bogong High Plains Road, where a serious climb commenced. The winding road was lined in bright yellow paint with yellow snow posts marking the outside edge. The altimeter on our navigator showed 1,740 metres at the highest point.

Typical Bogong High Plains scenery

One of the features of alpine areas is dead trees standing above the green vegetation, looking at a distance something grey stubble on a green face. The impact of bush fires lasts for decades. Strangely, the dead standing above the living adds to the grandeur of the scenery.

At that altitude the weather was crisp and clear with some cloud cover. The wind was strong and cold and quite invigorating. Pity there was not time for a walk.

Caravans on the Bogong High Plains Road

The ski runs of Falls Creek were soon in view at a distance, becoming clearer as we approached. At one point four large caravans stood by the roadside. This is not easy caravan country. I’m glad it was them and not us.

Rocky Creek Dam and Falls Creek ski runs

An idle chair lift at Falls Creek

Visitor accommodation at Falls Creek. There is much more than this.

Mount Bogong from the Mount Beauty to Bright road

We had intended to have lunch at Falls Creek, but there was nothing open that we could see. Work was under way in preparation for the ski season. We continued down the mountain to Mount Beauty where we found a cafe attached to a bicycle shop.  Many businesses in that town seemed to still be closed from the summer season.

From Mount Beauty we crossed the range to Bright, famous for its

A tree lined street in Bright

autumn colours. We knew that we were too early in the season for the full Autumnal glory of the trees, but it is an attractive town at any time. We have not spent much time there. It is worth a longer visit.

A mountain view on the climb to Hotham Heights

With daylight hours reducing, we pressed on. The climb starts just past Harrietville and is steep, winding, narrow and about 30 km. Travelling east, as we were, we were on the outside of the road. I must confess, when safe to do so, I drove straddling the bright yellow centre line, staying left on approach to right and bends, of which there are many. I had much time to ponder the placement and scarcity of Armco protective barrier.

More mountain scenery

As you approach the 1,830 metre summit, the last few kilometres of road stretches above you, clinging to the scrub covered mountain side like a sloping shelf. Pre-winter road works added to the entertainment.

The western approach to Hotham Heights

But the mountain scenery makes it all worthwhile. As you round the final turn at the top, the first buildings of the Hotham resort comes into view, the remainder unfolding as you proceed along its main street. It has, unsurprisingly, substantially increased in size since we drive through many years ago.

Kosciuszko View near Omeo. Mount Kosciuzzko is the peak second from the left.

Another 100 km brought us back down the mountain to our caravan at Omeo.

Omeo from Kosciuszko View

A farm on the way to Hotham

The second tour, on Easter eave, fulfilled a long standing desire to drive over the Dargo Hugh Plains, from Hotham to Dargo. To do this, we returned up the mountain to Hotham Heights, making a short detour into the alpine village of Dinner Plain. This quintessential ski village is 11 km from Hotham, so provides access to the ski fields there as well as its own skiing areas. A number of businesses were open with signs of activity.

An idle ski lift at Hotham Heights.

We paused at Hotham, in a partially protected spot right under the summit, for the most elevated coffee ever, except for coffee in an aircraft. But airline coffee is not really coffee, is it, so it doesn’t count.

A view from our morning coffee stop

Part of the Hotham ski runs

Mount Feathertop viewed from Hotham Heights

View towards Hotham from the Dargo High Plains Road

The turn into the Dargo High Plains Road is 4 km past the summit on the western side. It commences with a short sharp and narrow sealed decline but soon becomes a gravel road, narrow on mountainous sections but quite wide in flatter areas. We stopped at the appropriately named Mount Freezout rest stop to reduce tyre pressures.

Dargo High Plains pasture land

The Dargo High Plains are more timbered than their Bogong counterpart. I have the feeling that driving over them does not reveal their extent. We initially wondered as we drove when we would find them, but suddenly we were driving through undulating pasture lands that reached to the fringing forest. There is evidence that grazing activity continues but it may be on privately owned land. Grazing in National Parks is a live political issue and tends to change with governments.

The road was in good condition generally, with speeds of 60 to 70 kph easily achievable, but some sections were pot holed and there were areas of exposed stone, particularly at the crowns of rises. The sealed road reaches 20 km north of Dargo, so the descent into the valley is on good sealed, if somewhat steep, winding road.

Historic Dargo Pub

Because of the number of people coming into the area for Easter the Dargo pub was doing a roaring trade. We satisfied ourselves with a picnic lunch in the park and an ice-cream from the general store, before starting our return journey to Omeo.

The plan was to take the Upper Dargo, Jones and Berrigan Roads directly back to base. We were about 16 km into the trip, on Jones Road, when we decided that we had not chosen well. The Parks Victoria officer has assured us that the road was good. Two wheel drive road, he said. The reality was a narrow ever ascending track, badly washed out and comfortable at no more than about 20 kph. That meant that we would still be on the track late in the day.

Dargo General Store – ice cream time

We continued until we found a piece of track wide enough to turn and made our way back to Dargo. We had two choices. Either to return over the High Plains to Hotham or go south via Bairnsdale and the Great Alpine Road. The latter is sealed all the way, so much the quicker route, and only about 20 km longer. It was no contest. Via Bairnsdale it was. We arrived back at the van at about 7.30.

Good Friday dawned cool and foggy. A heavy mist hung over the valley and lay in dense banks along the face of the mountains. We met many vehicles making their way into the high country for Easter and school holidays. There were a good number of caravans, more camper trailers and hosts of four wheel drives, pack racks piled high with camping gear. By the time they all arrived there would scarcely be a vacant camp site to be had.

But it was back at Bruthen, on the Princes Highway, that we really met traffic. You could almost have believed that Melbourne was being evacuated. The combination of Easter and school holidays sure had Victorians on the move. The continual strings of traffic, moving at near the speed limit, did not abate until we were approaching our destination at Drouin, quite late in the day.

We are taking a four day break here for some family visiting. Then two days in Melbourne with friends, so activities will not become bloggable again until we head out of Melbourne.

Please Note: A link to a short video covering the material in this blog post is located at the bottom of this post.

You may recall that last year we set out on a second circumnavigation of the Australian continent, but our plans were disrupted by medical imperatives. Expert medical intervention has either fixed or deferred the problem. Time alone will tell.

So on Monday last, 19^th March, we set out again. Our initial objectives are Sydney and West Gippsland, albeit in an indirect manner, but the detail will be the substance of the story. Hopefully the track will lead to South Australia, Western Australia and those parts of Northern Territory through which we must pass to come home.

We have travelled, and blogged, the East Coast sufficiently to render another journey along it as no more than a commute, so comments about this early part of the trip will be restricted to the highlights.

We reached Grafton on the first day and pulled into the basic caravan park associated with the Grafton Greyhound Club. Monday night was a race night, so we arrived as part of a procession of greyhound trailers and vehicles with dog carrying capabilities.

The main street of Bulahdelah. I remember it differently.

Payment of camping fees entitled us to watch the races and use the bar and canteen facilities. Instead we went to bed. After spending Sunday packing the van and then finalising everything and driving about 350 kilometres today, we were bushed. Lights out was before the last race. We slept through the race calls over the PA and the departing traffic, much of which drove right past our camp spot.

Wade’s grocery store is now a real estate agent. Bulahdelah Mountain in the background.

We spent the next night at my old home town of Bulahdelah. We intended to stay at the free camp by the river but when we arrived it was packed out, so we moved on to the caravan park. Our arrival had coincided with the annual run to the top of the Bulahdelah Mountain. This is an annual event, apparently. It was only Tuesday but folk were already there for the weekend run. I always knew the mountain as the Alum Mountain, as deposits of alum were mined there long before my time in the town. We were always

told that it was the only alum mountain in the world, but I have no proof of that claim.

The weather forecast was ominous with heavy rain predicted. We experienced a couple of showers but the real rain started as we moved on towards Newcastle for a call for morning coffee with brother Ivan and his good wife. The sky opened and at times we almost needed to stop. The deluge paused for our social call but returned as we drove on to Sydney. But again it ceased as we arrived at our caravan park to set up for the night. Arriving and departing caravan parks in the rain can be a very miserable business.

Well satisfied after a sumptuous meal

Visits to Briony in Sydney usually involve a memorable dining experience and this time was no exception. We only stayed over night so met her in the City for dinner. She booked us into the Glass Brasserie at the Hilton Hotel in George Street, for 6.00 PM, because she knows that old people eat early. But the decision was influenced by the policy that bookings before 6.00 PM get half price.  And that helps, because it is one expensive eatery.

Despite the substantial discount, no short cuts were taken by staff. We were treated in the same manner as all the diners who arrived later and presumably paid full price. The service was superb and the food exquisite. My King fish sashimi entre and lamb loin main was beyond description. Ruth and Briony shared my opinion in respect of their meals. A cheese platter to finish ensured that we didn’t go home hungry.

Again, fine weather to pack up in Sydney but more heavy rain as we made our way to Wollongong. Briony has a school and current friend who runs a coffee shop in a suburb

Brown Sugar Espresso, featuring the barista

of Wollongong near the highway. We have been there once before and enjoyed the experience so much that a repeat visit was almost mandatory. The concept on which the place is based is “come into my kitchen for coffee”. The shop is one room with the coffee and serving facilities along one wall, the food is displayed in a display case on a table in the centre, with the clients seated around the walls or at part of the table. The locals love it. By the time we arrived at about 11.30 AM most of the food was gone, but what remained was of the normal high standard. The cakes are mostly sourced from home bakers.

We have known Lucy for almost as

Ocean view from the caravan park

long as Briony has so we did enjoy the visit.

More rain as we drove through the lush green countryside of the Illawarra area towards our still undecided destination for the day. At about 5.30 PM we rolled into Narooma and chose a caravan park with quite lovely views over the ocean. But it was a bit grey.

A view of Bega and the Bega Valley. The home of Bega cheese.

Day 5, 23^rd March. We made a late start, fuelled up and headed on south. Our destination today was Bombala on the south east corner of the Monaro tableland. The shortest route would have been to turn onto the Snowy Mountains Highway just north of Bega, but instead we continued south to the coastal town of Pambula where we turned west into Mount Darragh Road. This alternative route provides a much gentler ascent of the Great Dividing Range and

Mount Darragh Road

delivered us to the very doorstep of Bombala. We selected a snug site under leafy trees beside the Bombala River. Lots of leaves also on the ground were testament to the season and relative to the predicted overnight temperature of 10 Celsius.

We have a planned activity for Saturday but it is rather weather dependent.

A quaint bridge near Bombala

The early morning sky was mainly blue with a rising sun reflecting on the edges of some scattered clouds. Mist drifted up from the river and lay in low areas.

The Deddick River joins the Snowy just upstream of McKillops Bridge

The forecast was for some rain but, with sunny periods and a top of 24C. So after a leisurely start we set off for McKillops Bridge, a drive of about 125 km to the upper waters of the Snowy River. The drive took us briefly into Victoria. Today’s trip is another in the “Things Kevin Did In His Youth” series. I last saw McKillops Bridge about 57 years ago. The trip took place before Ruth and I were married, while I was working in Morwell.

Part of the narrow Bonang Gelantipy Road

A work mate and I set off after work on a Friday afternoon, mounted on our step through Vespa motor scooters and loaded with food and sleeping gear for a long weekend. We camped late at night near Nowa Nowa and rode on to Buchan next morning. After looking through one of the caves we continued north on the road that leads to Jindabyne, but turned east before

reaching the NSW border, towards

Part of the narrow Bonang Gelantipy Road

Delegate and Bombala. It was on that road we discovered McKillops Bridge. We were amazed to find such a structure in the middle of the bush. A very substantial bridge was needed to span and withstand the Snowy River’s floods, to provide an all weather road. It remains a tourist attraction to this day.

McKillops Bridge from the banks of the Snowythis day.

Pioneer squatter George McKillop, crossed the Snowy River at the place where the bridge now stands, in 1835. He pioneered a cattle route that was used to stock new grazing properties in the Snowy Mountains. Cattle to stock other parts of the Colony of Victoria also travelled via that route. Construction of the bridge was commenced in 1931 and was completed by January 1934, in time to be washed away in record floods, before its official opening.

So back to the old drawing board!

About to cross the bridge

The concrete pylons were made higher and a new deck constructed. The rebuild was completed in 1936. The road and bridge were important links between Victoria

Down stream view of the Snowy from the bridge deck

and New South Wales.

The road that we took today is the same one that we travelled that day, as we continued our journey. It is the Bonang Gelantipy Road and intersects with the Bonang Highway about 58 km south west of Bombala. The road is in very good condition and a good width most of the way but has some narrow mountain side sections. On the way in we only met one vehicle in the 65 km of mostly gravel winding road. There was a bit more activity at the bridge, including four motorbikes that we had seen roadside on our way in. We met a few vehicles on our way out, but this is lonely country.

The photos will tell the rest of the story.

The Ambyne suspension bridge

We found another bridge of historical significance. The Ambyne Suspension Bridge was built in 1935, partly from material salvaged from the flood stricken first McKillops Bridge. It is now, after restoration, for pedestrian use only, but more importantly, to preserve an example of the construction method developed by the Victorian Country Roads Board for use in that state. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in the late 1970s.

The suspension bridge and newer road bridge from the near dry bed of the Deddick River

On our arrival back at the caravan, it was evident that a decent shower had gone through in our absence. Rain started again at dusk.

It rained overnight but again was fine for us to pack up. But our run of luck ended when we arrived at Marlo, the small town at the mouth of the Snowy River. As we drove onto our site at just after midday a squall blew through with strong wind and heavy rain. We took refuge in the van and had lunch while we waited for it to blow through. We are here for two nights. Cold wind and rain are predicted. But it is cold everywhere.

Main street, Bombala

Footbridge over the Bombala River in the bicentennial gardens

Hitched up and ready to roll at Bombala caravan park

Which is why we are here and not at Adaminaby, as planned. Overnight temperatures on the coast will be down to 10C for the next couple of mornings. On the other side of the range they are forecast to be much lower. And that raises the prospect of icy roads, not something that you want when towing a caravan. But we are not yet finished with the mountains. After a lay day here we will turn back inland for a couple of days. Temperatures are forecast to be on the rise. Possibly Up to 26C on Thursday.