Australia
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Linda drove us to Hertz to get the rental car. AD was still sleeping when we left. Our bags were all packed and only needed to be loaded in the “boot” (trunk). We want to get on the road so Linda could finish up with their packing and plans. They fly out at 4 PM for Hong Kong and on to UK via Switzerland. However you can get the best price!
The highways out of Sydney are toll roads and it cost a surprising amount to reach the Hume Hwy, which is the main south road. We passed by the signs for Olympic Park where the Olympics occurred in 2000. A lot of infrastructure had been built for those games.
We drove to Canberra which is the capital
city. It is 280 Km south of Sydney. Most of the land was
rolling pasture sprinkled with trees. Canberra is a beautiful
city which was built from a plan. You can tell by the layout
that it didn’t just haphazardly grow. The Assembly building is
a stunning structure placed into a hilltop. We drove around
the embassy district and enjoyed seeing the many embassies.
Our destination for the day was historic
Gundagai. It was settled in the 1820’s on a track that led
from Sydney to Port Philip where the waters of the
Murrumbidgee River were shallow enough to cross. Today, it’s a
sleepy country town not far off the Hume Hwy . Lots of
colonial houses and a commercial district line the few streets
of the town. We choose one of the motels with a pool and swam
after unloading. AD is enjoying a shark toy that you throw in
the water. The corner park gave us a place for him to throw
his boomerang after dinner.
We picked up breakfast at McD’s before
continuing our journey down the Hume Hwy. McD’s in Australia
don’t have bagel sandwiches to the chagrin of AD. It’s a clear
day and the sun is heating up in the south. The highway
reverted to 2 lanes in many sections but there is little
traffic to slow you down. Trees have been allowed to grow
along both sides of the road. Not only does it add natural
beauty but it cuts down on the glare and heat. The countryside
continues to be rolling, dotted with trees. Cattle graze in
most of the fields. The farm houses are far apart.
Albury was the largest town, we passed through. It sits on the north side of the Murray River, which separates Victoria and NSW. Our trip went quickly. We got off the highway at Wangaratta to find a large grocery store. It was a busy little town. Agriculture and service seemed to be the main industry.
We made it to Manfield by noon and called Michael to come in and get us. He and Andrew (AKC) were already headed into town. They met us at the post office. Mansfield was amazingly busy. I couldn’t believe how many people were in shopping. We went to the grocery and bought other supplies before heading out to the lake.
Lake Eildon was created in the 50’s by
damming a creek and flooding the valleys. It is very large but
the size has been effected by the rainfall. Australia has been
suffering from 4 years of drought. Last year the lake had only
6% of it’s water capacity. We are lucky to be visiting after a
wet winter and spring. It is now at 40%. One odd feature of
the original flooding are the tree skeletons standing in the
water.
After eating lunch, we took a boat ride. It’s almost 30 minutes to get to the dam. There are lots of houseboats in the lake. People park along the many inlets. Most of the watershed is national park land. Downstream farmers use the lake water to irrigate their fruit orchards. We took a swim before coming back to the house.
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