Mount Kosciuszko

It was a perfect day to climb the highest mountain in Australia. A clear blue sky, a gentle breeze and warm.

At Thredbo we bought tickets for the ski lift and it took us gently and effortlessly up above the treeline, up to the beautiful alpine herbfields. Then we walked the 6.6 km raised metal boardwalk to the top of Mt Kosciuszko.

When Phil climbed the mountain in about 1962 the family drove their car almost to the top and then walked a short distance but thankfully that isn't allowed any more. The boardwalk was installed 20 years ago to stop the erosion created by thousands of footsteps and has been very successful - for the most part people stay on the path and the vegetation on the original path is recovering. There was also a lot of damage done in the past by grazing cattle what is now a National Park. Just below the peak, where the carpark used to be, there is a marvellous waterless toilet block, the highest dunny in Australia, that looks like an underground bunker.

I was delighted to reach the top because I'm not the fittest person in the world and had thought I might only get to the lookout 2 km into the walk. The whole walk was an absolute delight because of the views and the flora. March is not the peak flowering season but the higher we got the more I found plants actually in flower. And we were also delighted to see a Bush Rat under the boardwalk, I'm posting a heap of photos, uncaptioned because I don't have references with me.

The chair lift at Thredbo

Metal boardwalk

Mt Kosciuszko is the middle peak.

Growing safely through the boardwalk

Bush Rat under the boardwalk

Bush Rat and Phil's shoe

Lake Cootapatamba, a glacial lake.

The toilet bunker at Rawson Pass.

Nearly there

At the top

Fish in a little creek on the mountain

The chairlift ride back down to Thredbo

The way I felt having achieved the climb.
'Mountain Dance' by Thomas Bucich, 2006. Thredbo.

The Snowy Mountain Scheme

c1962

In about 1962 Phil was a teenager when the Phelan family joined a guided tour of the Snowy Mountain Scheme. The scheme was a work in progress so they were able to explore power stations and walk into one of the huge tunnels that now carry water from one of the dams to power stations downstream. I'm not sure which power station this was, possibly Tumut 1.

Today we travelled along the Alpine Way from Jindabyne and visited Murray 2 at Khancoban. We went into the power station with a guide but could only see the top section of each of the turbine generators that are about four storeys high. None was actually generating power while we were there.

Murray 2 Power Station east of Khancoban.

Murray 2 Power Station east of Khancoban.

On the way to Khancoban we crossed over Dead Horse Gap, the highest point on the road - on one side is the Murray River watershed and on the north side the Snowy watershed.

Dead Horse Gap, Alpine Way.

Dead Horse Gap, Snowy watershed.

Dead Horse Gap, Murray watershed.

The dams that comprise the Snowy Mountain Scheme have euphonious names - Gheehi, Khancoban, Tooma, Jindabyne, Eucumbene and Blowering - and they look beautiful tucked away in the valleys below the mountains. And the engineering of the scheme itself is a marvel. But...it's easy to forget the environmental damage that was done, the fact that two towns had to bemoved, and the damage continues in the effect the reduced flow of water has on the rivers like the Murray and the Snowy today.

Jindabyne dam.

Jindabyne Dam

Finally. just a little bit of the macro life around the dams. I think this beautifully spotted creature is a Cunningham's Skink sunning itself on a rocky outcrop at Jindabyne.

Cunningham's Skink (maybe)

Lockhart

We chose to stay in the little town of Lockhart rather than the nearby city of Wagga Wagga. It was a good decision. We had no idea what a delightful town it is.

The whole of the main street has a heritage listing and it's no wonder. The buildings are of the art deco era and all have retained their verandah posts. But I'm not showing you those photos because I was more taken with the public art scattered around the town. We only had time to see a few but next time we visit we'll make sure we have time to explore more fully.

'Grazing Horse' by Stuart Taylor

'The Rain Dragon' by Andrew Whitehead

'Click go the Shears' by Stuart Spragg

'Get Round Back' by Stuart Spragg

Oh, alright. One photo of the the street.

Broken Creek

We camped beside Broken Creek near Nathalia, in a quiet spot, we thought. Perfect for an overnight stop on our way to the high country.

Bourkes Bridge is a delightful spot. The creek has timber debris and some reeds on the banks, the road is still dirt, the bridge made of timber. When we were there the weather was warm and still and over several hours I was able to record about thirty species of birds from the  comfort of my deckchair - Peaceful Doves, Striated Pardalotes, Fairy Martins, Grey Butcherbirds and friarbirds all calling beautifully. There were little skinks and dragonflies basking in the sunshine. The reflections in the water were glorious as night settled in.

But we had to laugh. Our peace was broken frequently by local farmers driving along the road, by backpackers walking to a nearby orchard to pick apples, by a farmer stopping to have a leisurely chat to us and by a flock of sheep being moved to another paddock along the road and across the bridge. But we wouldn't hesitate to camp there again. It was an absolute delight.