Gerry's cousin Mike worked on the Snowy River hydroelectric project many years ago. He lived in the area for a number of years and has fond memories of the project. An annual trip up there has been going on for a while and he asked if we would like to go on a road trip with him. We thought it over for a second and said let's hit the road.
Patrick drove us to the school where he teaches and Mike met us there to start the drive. It was a long drive and we stopped for lunch in the small village of Gunning, population 500. They had a neat old main street with a number of shops still in operation. Most of the land is used for sheep & wool production.
The only cafe was open and we stopped for lunch. As is the custom here, you order at the counter, pay for your meal and they deliver it to your table when it's ready. The dessert looked so good that Gerry and I split an apple crumb & a lemon bar. They both were very good and we walked out of there full and content.
The building next to the cafe had a neat mural painted on the wall. I couldn't get a straight on shot of the wall and had to settle for this one.
This old building housed a pharmacy, news agency & an antique store. It looked like it was one of the original buildings in the town.
It was a right neighborly place with a small Veggie & Herb garden planted on the street. Anyone who needed anything from the garden could take what they want. I wonder how long something like this would last in a large city.
Our next stop was Tumut where we spent the night. Mike knew the area quite well and we had a beer and dinner at the RSL club. It is a Veterans club but welcomes everyone to the bar and restaurant. Like many clubs it has a small gambling room where they have many games of chance.
The first butter factory in Tumut was on the site in Doepel Street, was opened in October 1906, and was built by well known local builder George Moore for the Upper Bellingen Co-operative Society Ltd. at a cost of 554 pounds. The factory turned out butter until 1963 when it ceased operations. It was used for a variety of purposes until 1991 when it was turned into a tourist information center.
It was very dry in the countryside for many miles as you can see from the photo below. It is mainly a sheep and dairy cow farm area.
We were at a crossroad and needed to head to Tumbarumba and Wagga Wagga. Most of the towns are aboriginal names and difficult to pronounce until you hear the names spoken a few times.
After dinner we took a ride up to the local hydroelectric plant and dam. We were too late to tour the dam but did manage to see a kangaroo feeding alongside of the road. It was dusk and he was a distance from us so the photo is a little grainy.
We had traveled about 240 miles and Mike was beginning to get tired out so we went back to the motel. Gerry and I were tired also and went to bed early.
There weren't any super great places to tour but we enjoyed the drive and seeing all the small towns. Tumut has a nice main street and a couple hotels, pubs and thriving businesses.
That was our day, how was yours?
I have been having fun following you two through Australia. What a gorgeous country it truly is. Love the kangaroo in the wild photo. Keep enjoying the good life.
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