BigRedBusTouringCo.com: Canberra - Week of February 10th

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: Canberra - Week of February 10th: "Well Hi there everyone - Running a little behind time with this blog this week, but will endeavour now to bring you up to date with our goin..."

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: Todays Another Day

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: Todays Another Day: "After a busy day yesterday running around Goulburn, we decided to play it quiet over the weekend and have a couple of days in camp catching ..."

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: Its A Sad Day - RIP - Our Little Mate Pache

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: Its A Sad Day - RIP - Our Little Mate Pache: "It is hard to believe I am writing this today (as the tears well up yet again!) 'Pache - our beautiful little cockatiel that we have had for..."

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: As We Leave Warri Reserve

BigRedBusTouringCo.com: As We Leave Warri Reserve: "Packing up camp in the morning and heading to Nelligen. Situated on the Clyde River about 10 kms upstream from Batemans Bay, the history of ..."

As We Leave Warri Reserve

Packing up camp in the morning and heading to Nelligen.

Situated on the Clyde River about 10 kms upstream from Batemans Bay, the history of the village of Nelligen is closely linked with this beautiful waterway.

In the early days, Nelligen was the end of the line in the sense that all commerce and goods from the hinterland made their way to the town from where they were loaded onto ships for the ensuing sea journey to Sydney and more distant destinations.

Conversely, trade to the Southern Tablelands or people wishing to travel to that region used Nelligen as the final staging place from where they could ascend the escarpment to their destinations. In those days, Nelligen was a busy trade and commercial centre and much larger than it is today.

Today, Nelligen is a peacefull little village, popular with the tourists for a relxing time away.

We have to drive the big bus down the big Clyde Mountain (something for me to worry about tomorrow lol), but its not as bad as it used to be when I was here over 20 years ago - Will have to take some photos as we negotiate the windy mountain road.

Still quaintly historic - still living in the past with no mobile phone service and I gather no internet service either- so you will all have to wait till we get back to civilisation to get our  blog.  Cant believe you can only be 8 kms out of a major coastal centre and no service - hard to believe in this day and age.

Meeting up with Barrys sister and husband Barry for a few nice quiet days, while we contemplate our next move - Victoria??? South Australia - toss a coin tomorrow and see what the day brings.

Leaving our little mate Pache behind here at Warri will be hard, but we know she will be happy in her lovely resting place beside the Shady banks of the Shoalhaven.  Fly Free our little mate.

On the recommendation from an avian vet in Sydney we are attempting to collect samples of Freckles and Muddies droppings, to make sure they havent been contaminated with the same infection that Apache has succumbed to.  Very interesting experience - collected many a sample in my life, but never a birds. Always a first for everything

See you all when we return from the historic past - 

Will leave you with a sunset photo I took the other night of the sun going down over the Shoalhaven River.

Sun Setting over the Shoalhaven

Until next time friends

Its A Sad Day - RIP - Our Little Mate Pache

It is hard to believe I am writing this today (as the tears well up yet again!)

'Pache - our beautiful little cockatiel that we have had for nearly three years - died early this morning.  We are just devasted - and this after her escaping last month when we were at Gogelderie Weir, and the whole miracle story of getting her back after 4 days in that sweltering heat - how she survived those days is just a credit to her stamina and character, of which she had so much - what a great little mate she has been and so many memories we will have of her.

But the fact that she will now longer see the rest of Australia with us just makes us so sad.  You miss the little blighters so much and you just get so attached to them.

We noticed yesterday that she really wasn't herself and we got in touch with the vet in Braidwood who was just wonderful.  He gave her an injection of antibiotics and some water with Antibiotics in it to bring back.  We took it in turns to get up during the night and check on her, and at last check at 4am this morning she was sitting up on her perch, but when we got up this morning she was gone.

Our Little Mate

We have buried her here on the banks of the Shoalhaven- a spot that she has so enjoyed, under the shade of a large gum tree and left her mark.

 

'Paches Resting Spot

RIP Our Little Mate

Oh how we will miss you little girl, life is so quiet without you-life will never be the same without you...RIP little darlin'

Todays Another Day

After a busy day yesterday running around Goulburn, we decided to play it quiet over the weekend and have a couple of days in camp catching up on a few things, but if only the weather would let us.  It has been so windy with patches of rain during day, it has made it hard to get much done - there are the odd things that can hardly be avoided.......

Life Goes On

Barry helped some young backpackers get their car started after trying to push the car up a hill so that they could get enough leverage to clutch start it down the hill - after a few attempts Barry felt sorry for them and went over to give them a hand.

Helping Out

Short of that nothing out of the ordinary today.  We were going to go to the Braidwood races, but cant imagine with the weather the way its been it would have been all that good. Just waiting on Kay to arrive tomorrow or the next day, before we head up and meet them down at Nelligen on Friday.

A quiet walk over the bridge tonight to get these couple of photos - almost an attempt at a sunset tonight, but not quite.

Shoalhaven River

This is where we are Camped - Warri Reserve on the Banks of the Sholhaven River...

Well thats it for today folks - plenty of other campers here tonight - some a little creepy!!! and never sure whether to go away and leave the bus for too long lol

Lets see what tomorrow brings......

Canberra - Week of February 10th

Well Hi there everyone - Running a little behind time with this blog this week, but will endeavour now to bring you up to date with our goings on in the world of the Big Red Bus.

Of course whilst visiting Bungendore it is almost a compulsory thing to do, to do the tourist route through Canberra.  So leaving the bus in Bungendore, we travelled each day in to Canberra, as there are not too many facilities that cater for the size of our bus, and if you can find one - they charge the earth - much nice to stay in Bungendore anyway.

Australian War Memorial - Canberra

Our first visit was of course to the Australian War Memorial.  One can spend much time within the walls of this great Australian Institution.  We spent the entire day there, and Barry even went back for a second day on the Friday, and enjoyed every bit of it.

Looking Down Anzac Avenue towards Parliament House

Took the time to peruse the Wall of Honor where my Uncle Gordon is remembered for his participation in the Korean War.  In this image I have combined 2 images to form this collage of the wall of honor and Uncle Gordons name on the wall. RIP Uncle Gordon.

The Memorial is full of wonderful memories, minature sculptures called diomarges and old photograph and diary entries - I hope I have have managed to capture the spirit and atmosphere of the memorial in these collages I have done in Photoshop

One of the many fascinations for Barry is the many war planes on display - boys toys lol.  He seems to be able to spend endless hours fascinated by these amazing pieces of engineering.  They are incredible and much like these huge ships  - just how do they manage to stay afloat or fly with all that weight behind them.

The Eternal Flame Collage

A visit to the memorial is not complete without a visit to the eternal flame - once again I have collaged this print to give the effect.

One Of the many War Planes on Display

Of course when visiting Canberra - no visit is complete without traversing the Black Mountain Tower - some 800 feet up off the ground - once a tourist mecca, this tower is now more or less just a telecommunications tower used by Telstra - much of the lookout facilities are in disarray and full advantage of the magnificent views cant really be affored.

Low cloud cover on the day of our visit made it difficult to photograph to full advantage.

Black Mountain Tower

We returned to Canberra later in the week and visited the Zoo and Aquarium - Whilst nothing on the scale of Dubbo or Taronga Park, still a worth while visit, with the highlight for me being the fairy penguins. They really put on  a show for us at feeding time and was fortunate enough to snap these 3 quik shots of one little fella having his lunch.

Gulp

Gulp Gulp

Almost Gone

Sorry if any one is eating lol.

We were fortunate also the see the first baby zebra born at the zoo.  Only born 2 days earlier - here he was waiting to be photographed with his Mum.  Of course all zebra photos must be in Black and white.

Anyway folk, think that is going to do me for to day . Its the end of another hard day in the life of the grey nomad.  More photos from Canberra to come in another enthralling epsidoe of the bigredbustouringco.

Tune in again real soon

Another new day dawns

Well today we are off to the Canberra Zoo - the weather is cool!! 11oC overnight and expecting 24oC, so should be good.

Been wet and miserable most of the weekend so haven't done a lot but today should make up for it and you can be assured that tomorrow you will see some interesting photos from todays trip.

Moving camp tomorrow - just down the road a bit to the Warri Reserve on the Shoalhaven River, not far from Braidwood which should give us the opportunity to do a bit more sight seeing around this lovely area, including a trip down to Deua River National Park and surrounds - something for you all to look forward to.

So until tomorrow folks - thats all for now

 Thought For The Day

 

“To get the rainbow,
you’ve gotta put up with the rain.”

On The Way To London Bridge - No We Are not in England!

Yellow Box Tree

Well were off to London today??

London Bridge NSW that is!!Travelling 10 kilometres south of Queanbeyan, on the Old Cooma Road, you will find Googong Dam located on the Queanbeyan River and the main water supply for Queanbeyan with a catchment area of 873 Square Kilometers and a capacity of some 121,000 million litres.

Googong Dam

The Dam Wall

The Spillway

Barry At Googong Dam

There are some lovely picnic areas and facilities scattered throughout the dam area, along with some great walking trails - some easier than others.  Which we were about to find out!

From the Googong Foreshore area, turning left onto Burra Road, you travel another 10 kilometers before following the signs to the London Bridge Walk.

The London Bridge property was originally purchased by John MacNamara in 1857, and for which he paid the princely some of 30 pounds per acres (the property consists of 30 acres).  It was one of the first properties in the area.  As you look at the collection of buildings which make up this homestead - there is a variety of architectural designs and different uses of building materials.  The main homestead is only available for viewing by appointment or on special open days - so we saved this for another day.

In the main picnic area the old shearing shed and shearers quarters still remain and are in wonderful condition.

Front of the Woolshed

The Back View

Shearer's Quarters

As you walk down the track which is best described as a 0.8km walk from the shearing shed!!!  turned into nearly 4kms - you see the different varieties of gums but the most spectacular is the Apple Box Tree, with its magnificent yellow bark.  The vegetation is adorned with many varieties of wildflowers and butterflies and birds.

Very small Butterly (about 1cm across)

Looking over the Valley

The London Bridge walk takes in what is described as an easy walk????, but along the way the scenic views allow you take a breather and take in what is in front of you.  

the valley follows the Queanbeyan River.  At last we come to the London Bridge Arch.  If only for a better day for taking photos!!  The limestone archway is the sediment and coral remains deposited from the ocean floor some 420 million years ago.  The arch was formed by water slowly leaching through the limestone, enlarging cracks until a passage became big enough for Burra Creek to pass through - first discovered by Europeans in 1823 by explorer Captain Mark Currie.  It is quite spectacular in its formation and well worth the walk down - the walk back - well I am not so sure!!!

Finally made it back to the picnic area and collapsed under the shade of the great old trees to recover our breath before heading back along the Burra Road via Williamsdale Road and back into Queanbeyan.

On the way back to Queanbeyan we continued on up the Federal Highway to visit lake George.  Due to the ongoing drought, Lake George dried out completely in November 2002 and remained so until February 2010 when it started filling.  When you see the photos now, it is very hard to imagine it any where near full.  In the background is the 140 megawatt Capital Hill Wind Farm.

Lake George as seen from the Highway - Capital Hill Wind Farm in the Background

The Beautiful Yellow Grasses that are Lake George

Before heading back to camp for the day, spotted this photo opportunity - Sleeping Rough!!-now work it out - yes there are two pair of feet in there, and yes it was two people sleeping atop the picnic table

Sleeping Rough

Can still afford the beer though! (as seen on the table behind them).

The end of another day has come and how good was it?

Thought of the Day

“Example is not the main thing
in influencing others.
It is the only thing.”

~Albert Schweitzer~

Captains Flat

The trip to Captains Flat from Bungendore is a leisurely  3-4 hour drive.  The road varies from a good surfaced road, to some rather ordinary forest tracks - some we discovered-very poorly sign posted.  (We sauntered off down one track for a few kilometeres, only to find a "track closed" sign!!! -  Why it couldn't have been at the beginning of the road - is anyones guess) - oh well- 

Along the way we stopped off at the town of Captains Flat,   a sleepy little village nestled on the Molonglo River, among hills adjacent to the Jingera Mountains. There is some dispute as to the exact origins of how the town got its name. A Captain William Sawyer settled in the district in 1833. It was believed that he received land as a wedding gift from Governor Arthur (Tasmania) who had been his wife's former employer, but it was subsequently discovered that he in fact, only rented the land. Furthermore, it transpired that he was not a captain at all, but a private Gold was discovered in the Captain's Flat area in 1864.It wasn't until 1882 that a large productive reef was discovered on a ridge above Captain's Flat township by Hugh McNeill, William Harkness and Edward Holehan. The Molonglo River Goldfields were proclaimed on 27 September 1882, which started the Molonglo River goldrush. Over the years, many miners lost their lives while extracting the ore from deep within the bowels of the Captain's Flat mine. It is said that one miner died for every year that the mine was open, a terrible price for any town to pay for its industry.

After attempting to find somewhere to eat within the town - only managing a meat pie ($4.00 ea!!) at the local general store (half of mine still lays on the footpath) .On the weekends, a couple of small Cafes and galleries are open to cater for the tourist, so you may well find more than a pie!

Heading off we followed the signs to Lowden Park Forest and located the Old Water Wheel, which was used to generate power and lighting for the old logging camps that once inhabited the area - There was also the remains of an old steam engine and jig still in the area.

Getting back into the car, we followed the signs towards Braidwood.  Travelling through some of Australia's most beautiful country side, we were unfortunate enough to find ourselves behind a logging truck, which we followed all the way into Braidwood.

Overlooking Captains Flat

The Entrance to Lake George Mine

Old Bridge

Mine Artifacts

Snow Gums

Old Railway Bridge

Delias Nigrina Butterlfly

Snow Gums

Purple Berries Growing in The Forest

Plaque (The names mentioned on there - Spencer Hush was an ex-landlord of mine

The water wheel built by Spencer and Bill

Following the Logging Truck

If time had,  permitted, this trail finds it way to the Deua National Park, which holds its own special delights.  Save that for another day.

The beautiful butterfly you see here is called the Delisas Nigrina - usually confined to the east coast of Australia, but when seen flying around they are fairly ordinary white with a black edged wing, but when they land they look like this.

A Great Day - lets see what tomorrow brings.

Thought of the Day

There is more logic in humor
than in anything else.
Because, you see,
humor is truth.”

~ Victor Borge

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

bigredbustouringco: The First Blog of The BigRedBusTouringCo

bigredbustouringco: The First Blog of The BigRedBusTouringCo: " Like the new sunrise of the day, this is the new and wonderful blog of our travels. We hope you enjoy travelling with us along the roa..."

Australian Photographs For Sale

Feel Free to purchase any of the photos posted on our blog.

Please contact me via email for pricing and delivery arrangements.

These are just  a few of our gallery and we will be adding more as we go