Like almost everyone at the present time Cabin Fever is a "thing"....but probably not as bad for us as it is for the Victorians.
Like our visit to the outback, the things we had intended to do when we are more into our "dotage" have become higher on the priority list; and a visit to the Snowy Mountains became a reality after other plans had been "covided".
Years ago a colleague regaled me with stories of her holidays in the Snowy Region during summer when everyone else was at the beach. Summer in the Snowy actually sounded good .....without snow. Horse riding, no crowds, bush walking, trout fishing and the like ...... so I had it tucked in my back pocket for an experience at a later date....a date that came much earlier than expected.
Our friend Liz had been down to Lake Crackenback Resort a few weeks before... and that was it. Her very positive recommendation was enough for us, so we booked a chalet and off we went.
We decided to go the long way via the South Coast to see a bit more of the country...and some places we hadn't been to in many, many years...probably more than forty years.
We went via Milton, Mollymook and Ulladulla ....and then past Pretty Beach, Pebbly Beach and Depot Beach....such beautiful places (even after the disastrous fires) through Batemans Bay and past Lili Pili where we used to visit when I was a boy growing up in Canberra.
The Cheese Factory at Bodalla - not far from where my mum bought a block of land in the 1960's. The cheeses went well with a red in the evening "debrief" sessions!
We ended up in Narooma for the night and had a magnificent meal at the "flash" restaurant attached to the motel. It was lucky we booked (Covid requirements) because it was very popular and we could see why....the view, the service and the food...bellissimo!
Drinks before dinner....and our table view was even better!
The second day we continued our sojourn down the coast through the delightful towns of Tilba Tilba, Bermagui and Tathra where we could see pods of large whales breaching quite close into the bay. It was impressive being able to see them clearly from the shore.
The famous Tathra Jetty - the only remaining "open ocean" jetty remaining in Australia - quite a feat of engineering.
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| The whales. Even without a 400mm lense, they were close enough to see clearly. |
From there we meandered inland through some quite hilly country to Bega and then headed further inland via the road "less travelled".
We followed our noses along smaller country roads through Candelo, Kameruka and Bemboka to Nimmitabel for lunch at the local bakery. And then through fertile country, green and lush after the rains along unsealed dirt roads, heading for Jindabyne via Dalgety, dodging tractors and being amazed at the size of the wind turbines of the local wind farms.
Before we knew it we had popped out of the rich farming country and found ourselves in the Snowy Mountains with undulating hills and paddocks covered in outcrops of granite tors .......and stands of dead trees. Why they are dead we don't know, but the damage is extensive.
When we arrived at our digs...the Lake Crackenback Resort, it was all that Liz had described.....and more! Nestled around a man made lake on the Little Thredbo River it consists of modern units and chalets, set up for and owned by keen, well-off skiers ....but available for us "mere mortals" to rent in the off season.
While waiting for Kath and Maurits (sister & brother in law) to join us, we checked out our "digs" for the next few days ....and were a bit awed about how the "other half" live. It was clearly a million dollar residence ....and it was just their weekender!!
The central lake is quite a feature and there are many activities for families including fishing, canoeing, archery and riding segways. We were too busy doing our own thing to take advantage...this time!
Our chalet at 1 Wombat Gully Lane in the resort. It was very flash and very comfortable with a two bedrooms & bathrooms, a large kitchen, quality inclusions, a gas log fire, central heating and plenty of space to spread out.
Not only was the resort well located next to a national park, it was a haven for wildlife.....quite at home wandering throughout the grounds. Each morning while having my early cup of coffee I would just sit and watch the kangaroos and deer nibbling away at the new grass shoots and being entertained by the joeys jumping in and out of their mother's pouch. How annoying that must have been for the mothers!There were wombat burrows all over (but we didn't see any wombats), roos, deer, emus, wild brumbies and, if you are patient, platypuses in the lake.
View from the back window having my early morning "cuppa"...and just watching the wildlife. Perfect entertainment!
One of the wild brumbies wandering through the resort grounds as we returned one evening from a day out. A group of brumbies wandered across in front of us so I jumped out of the car and followed them for a while to get a shot. This one may have been the "alpha" male and was quite wary about me getting too close!
We had a number of purposes for our visit.
One was to get away somewhere "else"; one was to enjoy some good food and wine; one was to visit Wendy's father's first school appointment as a nineteen year old in 1950 at Rocky Plains; and one was to do the walk to the top of Australia....Mt Kosciuszko.
The weather on the first day was magnificent so, after an early cooked breakfast at the resort restaurant (included in the deal), Maurits and I headed to Thredbo Village....and the girls were happy to explore the shopping at Jindabyne.
All the chair lifts at Thredbo were undergoing "off season" maintenance...except one, the Snowgums. It was the style of lift where you "jump on" as the seat rushes up behind you and then quickly drop the safety bar as it scoots you off up the mountain. It is open to the elements and sways a bit but it gets you up the very steep valley sides fairly quickly....but not all the way to the top. When we jumped off there was still a few hundred metres of switchback path to the beginning of the Kosciuszko Track at the top of the ski runs.
We found this broken down "skidoo" part the way up the climb to the top. With my "Iceland" experience I was hoping I could get it going!
It's a 12-13 K round trip on paths and weathered steel walkways over an undulating glacial landscape. The fauna is quite fragile so we had to clean and disinfect our boots at the beginning and keep to the walkway that was lifted off the the ground to protect the alpine plants and mosses.
There were still some patches of snow but essentially it was a straightforward walk with some magnificent views. What we lack in elevation in our Australian Alps (only the islands and atolls of the Pacific have lower "high points" than us) is more than made up for in the beauty of the landscape...an opinion shared by others we met along the way.
Taking in the view over Cootapatamba Lake approaching Rawson's Pass.
The shots above give an idea of the landscape we were walking through....stark, harsh, impressive ......and the panoramic shot taken with my phone shows the vastness, the emptiness of this place at the top of Australia.
It was a few steady hours to the top with rests along the way to enjoy the views ......and a couple of hours back.... grateful to be heading downhill!
Climbing up from Rawson's Pass - 2100metres.
The track in the far distance is where cars could get up to from Charlotte's Pass until the 1970's when they closed it because of ecological concerns. Our family drove up there in the early 1960's and parked at Rawson's to walk the last few hundred metres to the top.
The Summit - Mt Kosciuszko - 2228 metres...and what a magnificent day to be there!
We were a bit weary on our return to Thredbo village...but those beers back at our Chalet went down very well!
Another of our objectives was to visit the local area including Cooma and Rocky Plains.
Rocky Plains was Wendy's father's first appointment out of Armidale Teachers' College in 1950....and he had many fond memories of his stint there. He boarded with a couple of old spinsters on a farm a couple of miles away and, being a country boy himself, he really enjoyed the community and the life of a teacher in a very small country school.
There were ten students (four to fourteen years old) and they rode in on horses from farms all around the district...even through the snow during winter. It was the beginning of his very successful career, and he was always happy to recall the wonderful times he enjoyed there.
Rocky Plains School in the early 1950's.
And the school today. It isn't actually a school with students these days, but the building hasn't changed much at all.
We spoke to a local farmer (originally from Wiseman's Ferry?) and he recognised some of the names of the children in the photo.....indicating those that he knows are still alive and living in the district... and he also pointed out the farm where Arthur used to board, up the road a couple of miles.It was quite a nostalgic visit.
We visited Cooma which, by the number of old bank buildings, galleries and fine old stone houses, must have been quite a "well to do" town in its time.
It had been a long day and on the way home we stopped in at Jindabyne in the hope of getting a meal...even though it was not long after 4.00pm. We found a "closed" Italian restaurant with a beautiful view over the lake and the chef (standing in the doorway) insisted that we come in and he would feed us...ignoring our embarrassment about the time of day. The proprietress (Angie) however, wasn't so keen. She had been tasting wines with the wine rep since lunch time. They had been "tasting" all afternoon and she was quite..... well, quite loud and boisterous ...... and she had lost all her "filters". She was "full as a goog"!
But we managed to win her over and she soon forgot her initial reticence. We quickly became "bosom pals".... her plying us with wine from the "tastings" and very strong Aperol Spritzes. Being Italian, social distancing went quickly out the window and she wasn't shy at all sharing with us outrageous stories, experiences and opinions....and us steering well clear of topics regarding politics or religion!
The chef was true to his word whipping up fantastic fresh dishes, and, with all the drinks we consumed and the fact we were the only ones in the whole place, it was one of the most "entertaining and freewheeling" meals we have ever had. What a character!
And that was another reason for our visit to the region....fine food and wine. We were not disappointed. The food at the resort was pretty good but there were some fantastic meals had at the Crackenback Farm restaurant (run be Len Evans' daughter) as well as at a local distillery called "Wild Brumby".
They are both local Crackenback establishments and we really enjoyed our visits there...and came home with more than we had expected to...including some delicious Butterscotch Schnapps.
Coffee and Cake at the "Wild Brumby" distillery....mmmmmm!
What a wonderful few days away it was.
Great company, great accommodation, great food and drink...who could ask for more!
