22nd April - Bathurst

The caves all done, it was now time for some speed!   We headed to Bathurst on our way to Dubbo.    Can't go past Bathurst without doing a lap of the track around Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit now can we??   I think Darl was a bit excited about taking me around for a lap in the ute towing the camper.   The race track is actually a public road when there are no races on.   Seems really weird, especially with all the pits, boxes, stadiums permanently erected.  

You guessed it, this is Fujitsu Corner..... this is where my Darl went into a bit of race mode, steady up Darl!!   I think I have said previously though, he is just a big kid and no matter what I say, my Darl will do what my Darl will do.....  I just had visions of the trailer swinging from one side of the track to the other.   Through the Esses, The Dipper, Hell Corner and Conrad Straight, it went pretty quickly. 

Hey Darl!   Did you see that???  "They" are watching you!!    Well I hope there won't be any little surprises turn up in the mail.  The speed limit on the circuit is 60kmph, I won't mention what I saw the speedo go up to.

This is the home of racing legend the late Peter Brock.    He is accredited with winning 9 Bathurst wins from 1972 to 1987 (no other driver has matched this record) plus in 2003 the 24 hour endurance race .  The "Great Race" as we know it, originated in Phillip Island in 1960.  The race moved to Bathurst after 1962 when the track was severely damaged at Phillip Island that year.  Held on the long week-end on Sunday 6th October 1963, at 9am the flag dropped  in the inaugural Bathurst race at Mount Panorama.

The George Reed special - George having built and raced cars in the 1940's and 50's.  This replica of his 3rd car the "Red Car" was built by the mechanics at the Bathurst Cit Council on a volunteer basis.  The car is powered by a Ford V8 239 cubic inch side valve engine with Offenhauser heads.  The most famous win for this car was the 1951 Australian Grand Prix at Narrogin in Western Australia.

This is the bike that Wayne Gardner "The Woollongong Whizz" rode to victory in the 1987 World 500cc Championship, becoming the first Australian to do so.

 Part of the memorial to legend rider/driver Gregg Hansford.  Born in Brisbane 1952, tragically killed Phillip Island March 1995.  The National Motor Racing Museum pays tribute to Gregg, as the champion rider, the champion driver and to those who come in contact with him as a champion bloke.  In fact, my Darl and Randy used to ride against Gregg back in the 1970's in Brisbane.  My Darl recalls Gregg's dad said to him if he got a hair cut he would buy him a GTHO Ford car for his 18th birthday, so Gregg got a hair cut. Greg had a string of victories riding Kawasaki 250cc and 350 Grand Prix machines from 1978 to 1980.

1972 Post Classic side car.   The chassis was originally built in New Zealand by Vic Pummer, it was known as a "Marina".  The racing history is sketchy until Bathurst rider Keith "Shamus" O'Brien purchased it in 1991 from Victorian Tony Powell.  An extensive modification and refurbishment was undertaken and then a Honda 940cc engine built by  Lindsay Donai Racing in Brisbane was installed.  The racing combo of O'Brien and passenger Gary Meyers, clocked up a total 13 wins, 5 seconds and 4 thirds from 29 starts..an impressive strike rate.

 The Corish Vincent.  Keith Corish combined the Vincent's power and the Norton's road handling to develop an invincable machine.  Using a Norton International Frame, a Norton Manx close ratio gear box, Manx rear wheel and two eight inch BSA gold star hubs back to back, he created the Norvin.   The bike was developed and raced (with success) over a period of 5 years, after which Corish sold the bike and then it was hidden away in a garage in Queensland for almost 30 years,when it was bought and restored to it's former glory for all to enjoy...... 

Peter Brock......King of the Mountain.   They have a fitting memorial tribute to Peter at the Museum.  

Double click for full view

 

20th to 21st April - Oberon

We had a slow start to today, after all, we don't have to leave by 10am.... I think it was around 11.30am when we said our good-byes to Wally and Nugget.   We didn't get too far, 45 kms up the road, when we come across Taralga.   It looked like a little interesting village, so we stopped to stretch the legs and have a look around.  Taralga differs from many towns in that a large proportion of its existing buildings date from the 1860s to 90s and becaue most of them are of stone construction - built from the vast number of stones and rocks which litter the volcanic soils for miles around.

 The ute above parked in the main street in front of the old NAB bank building, in a pile of fallen autumn leaves.    We found our way to the Taralga Pub advertising pizzas all day every day.  Well it is a Friday tradition so we decide to treat ourselves to a $15 supreme.   Supreme it was, very tasty, almost as good as my pizzas.  It was so nice we just had to eat the lot..... 

The condition of the road we were travelling was not that crash hot, but the scenery was beautiful.  We found our way to Oberon and booked into the van park.   We went to the pub for a drink, I do love a pub with an open fire place, especially when it's a bit cool.     Darl got chatting to an old mate, was a pea and lamb farmer.   Now days he reckons farming is all too hard, a lot of the farms around Oberon have been sold off and sub divided into 10-15 acre hobby farm blocks.   He also reckons the weather is ripe for snow in a couple weeks, that would a sight to see....

We're off to the Jenolan Caves today.  There is a very steep, windy road down into the caves.   Darl was cursing this car, going too slow but we couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her, a single mum of 3 taking the kids for an outing, didn't realise to put the car in low gear and just about burnt the brakes out in her car.   She was freaking out coming  down the hill, didn't realise the road would be like that..... Anyway Darl advised her to get the brakes checked when she gets home. 

Jenolan Caves are one of Australia's oldest tourist attractions.    A couple of the cave sites, Temple of Baal and the Orient Cave are reported to be the oldest known caves in the world at 320 million years old.   Jenolan has in total 350 recorded entrances, however only 11 are "show caves".   We chose to do the Temple of Baal.  The entrance of the cave is man made, but then you descend into the "dragon's throat" deep down into the cave system.  The spikes at left is how the first explorers navigated their way through, now that would be a bit tricky.... 

They make it easy for us today, with steel steps and pathways and stainless steel railings.   One of the most interesting formations on the right.   Looks rather like a beer bottle doesn't it?   Apparently it is a soft drink bottle left by a worker in the cave over 50 years ago.   This was confirmed by the worker who put it there, when he took a tour not long ago.    The caves never cease to amaze us.   The photos really don't do justice to what you see.    

This is one of the biggest shawls we have seen.  We saw smaller examples in the WA caves.   This is a guided tour and the guide is very informative and takes a light hearted approach.    We see the usual, straws, stalatites and stalimites, columns, water falls.    All still pretty amazing.   The cave system at Jenolan is largely an interconnected system with different chambers, each one linked to another.  Not all the connections have been located, and caves and passageways continue to be discovered.   Jenolan has so much on offer, cave tours, concerts in caves, wedding in caves, a number of bush walks, on site accommodation, adventure caving (no that I would like to give a go), my Darl was not so keen when I suggested it, but I reckon he would give it a go. 

Inside the Nettle Cave including the Devils Coach House.  When a ticket is purchased to one of the ten "show case" caves, you get a complimentary self-guided tour with audio through the Devils Coach House and Nettle Cave.    This is nothing quite like the caves we have been in before, it is quite open.   Though still very much amazing, in its size and openess.    Here's Darl standing against some columns formed when the stalagtites meet the stalagmites....

Craybacks, you can see why they are called this. We haven't seen this formation before in any of the caves we have done, but this is still a staligmite (or tite) - growing from the ground up.

Walking down the stairs from the Nettle Cave, I have lost count how many stairs we have gone up and down today.  The lush green embankments covered in a deadly stinging nettle, might be why they call it the Nettle Cave.  Apparently it is extremely painful if touched.  

Carlotta Arch Way - It is believed it was named after a surveyor General PF Adams - Adams is accreditted with taking some of the earliest photos in a cave at Jenolan.

Up at the look down to Devils Coach House - this is where we were not long ago, walking through Devils Coach House and into the Nettle Cave.    This is the north entrance to Devils Coash House, it is 150 feet high, 60 feet wide, total length 430 feet,  greatest height 280 feet, greatest width 132 feet.  Devils Coach House was created by a river, which now runs deep underground and can be seen on several of the cave tours.

We walked through the Coach House, up to the Look Down back past Carlotta Archway then down to the Caves House.   This was along the way, note the stainless steel railings.  They are on all the tracks, constructed at a great expense.

The Caves House, isn't it grand.  In 1880 Jeremiah Wilson erected the first accommodation at the junction of Camp and Surveyors Creeks.  By 1887 a large two storey wooden house had been built.  Between 1887 and 1895 a second two storey building was erected.   However in March 1895 a fire destroyed all the old accommodation leaving only the new building.  Construction of the Caves House as you see it today commenced in 1898.   Looks like a cool place for a getaway.

Back at camp for steak and vegies on the barby for tea..... A great day out exploring the Jenolan Caves and walk ways.

18th to 19th April - Goulburn

We headed off to Goulburn, we’ve crossed the NSW border yet again.  We’re off to catch up with Mel’s mate Wally Bush and his pooch Nugget.   Wonder how he got that name???   He wasn’t hard to find, we set up tent in front yard and had a few quiet drinks.  Next day we went out to “Do Goulburn”, have a look around

At the visitor centre in their amenties facility four walls are covered in blues artists signatures.

Every February they have a Blues Festival here and they have had the artists for a number of years put their monicker on the toilet wall.  Note for those who know them Chrome Daddies bottom centre.  A few of us girls followed the Chrome Daddies from their Sunday sess at the Cleveland Sands pub down to Tamworth Music festival one year......that was a BIG week.

We paid a visit to the giant Merino Sheep and did the Heritage walk around town.   We went up to the lookout tower, a WWI memorial.   Then back to town, I’m cooking roast tonight so need to get supplies.    We did have a drink at the Hibernian (Hibo) Hotel built 1850. 

The first Merino Sheep put foot on Australian soils in 1788 when they arrived aboard the first fleet.   Today Australia is one of the world's largest producers of wool.  The Australian Merino grazes a quarter of the Australian landscape and produces half a billion kilograms of fleece, worth around 2.8 billion dollars per year.    You can walk through a history display and up a stairwell to the eyes of the Merino.  Can't see a lot from up there.

We were doing the heritage walk around town, though this wasn't one of the listed buildings, I thought it was pretty cute, a "terrace house" florist.  However the florist has moved shopped but I still liked the gardens out front overgrowing the footpath.

The grand residence of the Brethren beside the Cathedral

There a quite a lot of the old heritage buildings still standing, some have been renovated some have not, a lot of the old facades remain on more modern buildings.   But what was special about a couple of the old buildings was these statue like figures set high on the roofs.  We haven't seen anything like this before.  

Some fast facts about Goulburn:-

1. Queen Victoria established the Anglican Diocese of Goulburn on the 14/03/1863 making Goulburn Australia’s first inland city.
2. Goulburn hosted Australia’s first Motorcycle Grand Prix in 1924 and Motor Car Grand Prix in 1927
3. When Australia’s wealth “rode upon the sheep’s back” in the 1800’s, Goulburn as a centre for fine wool prospered, giving rise to much of its grand architecture.
4. Population 28,349 (approx 22,000 in city of Goulburn) 32^nd out of 151 local government areas in NSW for fastest growth and 60^th for largest growth.
5. Wally’s has been collecting his firewood from the same property for 15 years and his back yard is just about full of wood……

The view overlooking town from the lookout on Rocky Hill.

Darl paying his respects to past heros at the WWI monument.   Check this building, hundreds of thousands of stones, cemented together and not moving anywhere.    This tower was planned before the end of WWI to commemorate "Those Who Served int the Great War 1914-1918.

Now Wally is a bit of a pro when it comes to chopping logs for his fireplace.   He has a special steel handle log splitter, which he reckoned my Darl wouldn't be able to handle.  Well my Darl being my Darl loves a challenge of any kind, I was inside when I heard some wood chopping going on and looking out to see my Darl getting right into it..... Wally didn't miss the opportunity and lined up a few of the harder logs for him to split.    Nice pose Darl!! 

Nugget!    A little Jack Russell, wanted to play but he is a cunning pooch, it's harder than you think to get the ball off him AND it's all covered in slobber, nice one Nugget.....

16th to 17th April - Canberra

Back at Jindabyne, a monument dedicted to Scientist and Explorer, Strzelecki - from 1839 to 1843 he explored and surveyed vast areas of NSW, Victoria and Tassie.  He was one of the first scientists in Australia to undertake investigations in many fields including geology, minerology, meteorology and zoology.           The original township was flooded when the dam was built.

At 991 metres above sea level, Jindabyne  lies below the permanent snowline making it ideal accommodation spot for those not wanting to camp in the snowfields.   We had a walk out along the wall of Jindabyne Dam.  This is one of the many dams built for the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric scheme.  100,000 people including migrants from more than 30 countries were involved in the building of this complex dual purpose scheme, incorporating 16 major dams, 7 power stations and one pumping station.

 145 kms of tunnels and 80 kms of aqueducts were built to carry water to the storage systems.

We found our way into Canberra and booked in to EPIC (Exhibition Park In Canberra).  We were a little concerned when we drove in to find a sea of tents and hundreds of young girls running around.  It was a girl guides gymkana but it wasn't a problem as there was camping facilities for us oldies on the other side of the grounds.   They held trots on Monday night right next door to the camp ground.  It is a safe, economical and close to the city and surrounds.  Surprised to see a lot of campers there also.

Now, we are here to see the National War Memorial and museum.   Above the view from out front, looking straight down the barrel to Parliament House on the other side of the Lake Burley Griffith.   If there is one museum in Australia that we say is a must do, this has got to be it.     It is a huge complex and a very comprehensive display, record and commemorates the service and sacrifice of all Australian men and women in wartime.

We took a free guided "highlights" tour of the complex, starting at the Roll of Honour boards set on each side of the pathway (above) leading to the eternal flame and up the stairs to the tomb of the unknown soldier.    When the ceremony was performed for the laying of his remains a lady attending placed a red poppy beside a name of significance to her in the roll of honour.  The boards are a sea of red poppys today.  Approx one third of the names stated on the roll of honour are in unmarked graves or remain missing overseas.

The tomb building is amazing, the walls and dome are laid with hundred of thousands mosaic tiles. The 4 murals adorning the walls (all laid with mosaics) and the 3 stained glass arched windows all have a story and meaning to life in and out of the armed services.   

Stained Glass windows beautiful....

Menin Gate Lions

These lions greet visitors to the Aust War Memorial, they once stood on either side on the Menin Gate in the walls of the town in Ypress, Belgium.  Ypress was destroyed and these Lions were recovered from the ruins.  In 1936 the Burgomaster of Ypress presented the lions to the Aust Gov as a gesture of friendship.  They commemorate the service of the Australian soldiers who helped to defend Ypress in 1917.   Many thousands of Australian soldiers where killed in the conflict in and around Ypress, some 6000 of which remain in unmarked graves there. 

Andrew our guide was very informative and shared quite a number of war stories with us.  One of a 14 yr old boy forged his age and enrolled when his older brother enrolled for WWI.   Their father then 54 forged his age to join, at 54 too old, so he could look after his boys.   The older boy was killed, the father then contacted authorities to tell him he was overage and his son was underage, the were returned to Australia immediately.   Later the young son, forged his age once again as he felt so compelled to return to the front line.  Surname Johnson and he did return home after the war.

Above is a Hawker Sea Fury Fighter bomber, was one of the last propellor-driven naval aircraft to see action.  Australians flew these heavily armed aircraft in Korea, attacking shipping and ground targets.    For many years there was little change to the diggers uniforms or weaponry, the one shown here is more of a modern day uniform. 

Throughout the Museum are life size exhibits with video simulations, this one is of time spent in Vietnam.    This complex is also the premier archive and centre for research into the history of Australian involvement in war.   In pride of place in the foyer is one of the original boats to land at Gallipoli in 1915, in as original condition bullet holes and all, rusted bottom.  Every war that Australians have ever fought in is commemorated here in one form or another and also peace keeping operations.

The grounds outside the complex dotted with wartime relics and memorial statues and gardens.   This is a Centurion Tank No. 169056.   In early 1968 Centurion tanks supported by bridgelayers, dozers and recovery vehicles were deployed to South Vietnam in support of the 1st Australian Taskforce.  Although many doubted the ability for these vehicles to operate in the jungles and paddy fields of Vietnam, the tanks and crews performed extremely well.

HMAS Brisbane gun mount and bridge.   This guided missile destroyer was built in the USA for the Royal Australian Navy in the 1960's.  This vessel saw service in Vietnam and the Gulf wars.  After decades of service the vessel was decommissioned in 2001.  In 2005 it was sunk off the Queensland coast and is now a dive site.

We spent quite a few hours here, the free guided tour was worth doing, then we spent some time wandering back through.    Too much to see in one day really.    We went for a drive by Parliament House, the grounds were of course dotted with security guards.   I wouldn't have minded going round again, but we didn't want to attract attention, it probably looked a bit weird anyway, an old blue ute with an old blue bike in the back doing laps around the house...... From there we went for a drive up to Black Mountain Tower to get some views of the city.   Well it also goes by the name of Telstra Tower.  

Yep you guessed it, the weather is looking a bit dodgy.   We actually watched a shower move over the landscape up here.   It was extremely windy and cold on the outside of the lookout, 870 metres above sea level.

It was quite picturesque despite the weather.  A patchwork of colour....Above looking over to the big house again with Lake Burley Griffith in foreground.     Could've spent a couple more days here to explore, but we are heading off tomorrow.