Exploring Tumut
Door: Devils Uncle
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Paul
25 Februari 2008 | Australië, Sydney
A new place means also loads of new things to discover and new opportunities for work, which I started to look for as soon as possible. Because mum and dad would not fly back to the Netherlands before the beginning of March I also accompanied them on the various trips we made.
As we had to recover from a long busy week in Tasmania, as well from the long journey to Tumut we decided to take it easy on Monday. We only did go for a short evening walk along the Tumut river to see a bit of the town. The next day we did do a bit more, but still not much. Dad and I went for a walk along the same river, but this time we took a longer loop. During this walk we spotted loads of Galahs, Rosellas and Cockatoos. It’s unbelievable how many different types of parrots there are in this region, as we heard that there are more different sorts than the 3 I just mentioned. I’m sure I’ll see them rather soon than late. Around noon we walked back to the temporary home as we felt the temperature was already running deep in the 30 degrees. The difference in temperature between Tasmania and here can be described as the difference between a pat on the back or a punch in the stomach.
The same evening Rob, dad and I went on an adventure in the forests around Tumut, by taking some 4x4 trails. The trip took a bit longer as planned. After touring around we descended a track that was pretty steep. At the bottom of the hill this track suddenly became so small that our mirrors were in the shrubberies. At the moment we entered some open land again we realized that the track had disappeared. Dad decided to walk down the single track that was in front of us and a few minutes later he came back with the news that he found a concrete road. On our way to this road we had to slalom around the trees and we had to tailgate a couple of times to be able to make the turn. And when we arrived at the road we only had to drive up a steep hill to get onto it. This hill was so steep the towing bracket scraped the ground. But after all we were happy we were on a road again as it turned dark already. After a few minutes we arrived at a closed fence that carried the sign: ROAD CLOSED. Not a bad thing if we were able to read this sign, yup we were at the wrong side of the fence. After we looked for a way through without any success we decided to turn around and drive down the road in the other direction only to find another closed fence. Just before this fence there was a steep hill on the right that seemed to be driven on more often. After checking out the terrain behind the hill Rob drove the Challenger up the hill. And about an hour later we drove down. Yup we did get stuck on the top of it. The bottom of the car rested on the top causing the wheels not having any grip. After various attempts to get loose we finally used the jack to be able to put the stones we used during the other attempts under the wheels. And back home? Gerda and mom thought we were spotting wild life. The funny thing is that the last photo I took was the one with Rob driving up that hill. After that we were to busy to even think about taking photo’s of our bizarre situation.
The next evening we went to Adelong Falls, about 20km from Tumut. I wouldn’t really call it falls as the water drops a few meters in different cascades over a longer distance. The nice thing about this location are ruins of an old gold mine. Well gold mine, it was the site where the gold was processed. This site had been operational from 1859 till 1914 and alongside the route you can find numerous of signs containing information about the sites history. Some of the signs contain information about things that have disappeared throughout time. Adelong Falls is a worthy place to stop to stretch your legs if you pass it on a longer journey as the walk around the site takes between half an hour till an hour. But it’s also worth to visit when you are just in the area.
The next morning we left for Wagga Wagga, the according to travel time closest city (population of approx. 30.000) in the area, about 90km from Tumut. The city is regarded as the main shopping city of the region as you have to go to Wagga if you look for other things than the basic things you can find in the smaller towns. After a short walk through the city centre, booking flights to Melbourne for mom and dad and having lunch we went to the Botanical Gardens. Here we mainly visited the local zoo, which I probably would have called a pretty big animal farm. Here you can see animals that are mainly found in Australia such as Kangaroos, Emus, Alpacas (sort of lama), Wallabies, donkeys and loads of different birds. The great thing to see was how the Kangaroos were relaxing by laying on the ground like people do. After leaving the zoo we took a short walk through the rose garden before we headed back home.
Friday morning we visited Gundagai as Gerda wanted to drop her resume at the local dentist. This little town is about a 30 minute drive from Tumut and is located along the Hume Highway, the main road from Sydney to Melbourne. The town itself is nothing special but as it hosts a historic railway station and 2 historic bridges it’s worth visiting. The station is built in 1886 and since its extension in 1962 it has become the longest timber station in New South Wales. It has been operational until 1986 when the line from Tumut to Cootamundra was closed. Just down the road from the station you can find the 2 bridges which are build across the Murrumbidgee flood plains. When you look at the river you wouldn’t say these bridges are needed as it is pretty small. But when you hear that a floods in 1844 and 1851 caused a water level of 1 meter and the flood of 1852 even caused a water level of 4 to 5 meters you can understand that these bridges were needed. The flood of 1852 completely destroyed the old town with 78 recorded deaths and became the worst natural disaster in the Australian history so far. After an even greater flood they decided to move the town site to its present location on the banks of the plains. The railway bridge is built in 1903 and is with 819 meters the longest timber truss bridge ever built in Australia. It contains 72 timber trusses and an iron bridge where it crosses the river and until the closure of the rail line. The other bridge has been build between 1896 and 1898 and is with 921 meters the fourth longest timber girder structure ever built in Australia, but now the only one that retains its original form and length. It contains 76 timber trestles of which the first 6 you can walk on from the Gundagai side. Until 1977 it carried the traffic from Sydney to Melbourne across the Murrumbidgee. Nowadays the traffic drives over the Lachlan Bridge, with 1144 meters the second longest bridge in NSW (the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge is only 5 meters longer). Although the 2 historic bridges aren’t been used for over 30 years, they have been fallen into such decay that it looks that they haven’t been used for almost 100 years. Nevertheless they are 2 impressive pieces of engineering. After a short walk through little town we headed back home.
In the evening Rob, dad and I went to the Koscioszko National Park for a walk to spot some wildlife. The park is part of the Australian Alps and has a length as the same as from London to Birmingham. Not to be called a small park. The walk we did was only in the most northern part of the park. During the walk we spotted mainly Kangaroos and not just a few. I think I saw about 100 of them if not even more. Every where you could see open land, you could see groups of Kangaroos grazing and hopping around. Although they were to far away to see them well, we also saw 2 Emus walking through the valley. After night fell we walked back to the car and drove home.
Back home I told the rest I wouldn’t go with them on the trip to Yarrangobilly Caves as I was wanted to continue looking for work. And this time it was with success. After visiting the local orchard and calling its manager, they called me back on Sunday telling me I could start in Batlow the next morning. Batlow(35km from Tumut) can be described as Australia’s apple capital as it has so many orchards you can’t miss it. The coming weeks I’m working, finally some income.
As we had to recover from a long busy week in Tasmania, as well from the long journey to Tumut we decided to take it easy on Monday. We only did go for a short evening walk along the Tumut river to see a bit of the town. The next day we did do a bit more, but still not much. Dad and I went for a walk along the same river, but this time we took a longer loop. During this walk we spotted loads of Galahs, Rosellas and Cockatoos. It’s unbelievable how many different types of parrots there are in this region, as we heard that there are more different sorts than the 3 I just mentioned. I’m sure I’ll see them rather soon than late. Around noon we walked back to the temporary home as we felt the temperature was already running deep in the 30 degrees. The difference in temperature between Tasmania and here can be described as the difference between a pat on the back or a punch in the stomach.
The same evening Rob, dad and I went on an adventure in the forests around Tumut, by taking some 4x4 trails. The trip took a bit longer as planned. After touring around we descended a track that was pretty steep. At the bottom of the hill this track suddenly became so small that our mirrors were in the shrubberies. At the moment we entered some open land again we realized that the track had disappeared. Dad decided to walk down the single track that was in front of us and a few minutes later he came back with the news that he found a concrete road. On our way to this road we had to slalom around the trees and we had to tailgate a couple of times to be able to make the turn. And when we arrived at the road we only had to drive up a steep hill to get onto it. This hill was so steep the towing bracket scraped the ground. But after all we were happy we were on a road again as it turned dark already. After a few minutes we arrived at a closed fence that carried the sign: ROAD CLOSED. Not a bad thing if we were able to read this sign, yup we were at the wrong side of the fence. After we looked for a way through without any success we decided to turn around and drive down the road in the other direction only to find another closed fence. Just before this fence there was a steep hill on the right that seemed to be driven on more often. After checking out the terrain behind the hill Rob drove the Challenger up the hill. And about an hour later we drove down. Yup we did get stuck on the top of it. The bottom of the car rested on the top causing the wheels not having any grip. After various attempts to get loose we finally used the jack to be able to put the stones we used during the other attempts under the wheels. And back home? Gerda and mom thought we were spotting wild life. The funny thing is that the last photo I took was the one with Rob driving up that hill. After that we were to busy to even think about taking photo’s of our bizarre situation.
The next evening we went to Adelong Falls, about 20km from Tumut. I wouldn’t really call it falls as the water drops a few meters in different cascades over a longer distance. The nice thing about this location are ruins of an old gold mine. Well gold mine, it was the site where the gold was processed. This site had been operational from 1859 till 1914 and alongside the route you can find numerous of signs containing information about the sites history. Some of the signs contain information about things that have disappeared throughout time. Adelong Falls is a worthy place to stop to stretch your legs if you pass it on a longer journey as the walk around the site takes between half an hour till an hour. But it’s also worth to visit when you are just in the area.
The next morning we left for Wagga Wagga, the according to travel time closest city (population of approx. 30.000) in the area, about 90km from Tumut. The city is regarded as the main shopping city of the region as you have to go to Wagga if you look for other things than the basic things you can find in the smaller towns. After a short walk through the city centre, booking flights to Melbourne for mom and dad and having lunch we went to the Botanical Gardens. Here we mainly visited the local zoo, which I probably would have called a pretty big animal farm. Here you can see animals that are mainly found in Australia such as Kangaroos, Emus, Alpacas (sort of lama), Wallabies, donkeys and loads of different birds. The great thing to see was how the Kangaroos were relaxing by laying on the ground like people do. After leaving the zoo we took a short walk through the rose garden before we headed back home.
Friday morning we visited Gundagai as Gerda wanted to drop her resume at the local dentist. This little town is about a 30 minute drive from Tumut and is located along the Hume Highway, the main road from Sydney to Melbourne. The town itself is nothing special but as it hosts a historic railway station and 2 historic bridges it’s worth visiting. The station is built in 1886 and since its extension in 1962 it has become the longest timber station in New South Wales. It has been operational until 1986 when the line from Tumut to Cootamundra was closed. Just down the road from the station you can find the 2 bridges which are build across the Murrumbidgee flood plains. When you look at the river you wouldn’t say these bridges are needed as it is pretty small. But when you hear that a floods in 1844 and 1851 caused a water level of 1 meter and the flood of 1852 even caused a water level of 4 to 5 meters you can understand that these bridges were needed. The flood of 1852 completely destroyed the old town with 78 recorded deaths and became the worst natural disaster in the Australian history so far. After an even greater flood they decided to move the town site to its present location on the banks of the plains. The railway bridge is built in 1903 and is with 819 meters the longest timber truss bridge ever built in Australia. It contains 72 timber trusses and an iron bridge where it crosses the river and until the closure of the rail line. The other bridge has been build between 1896 and 1898 and is with 921 meters the fourth longest timber girder structure ever built in Australia, but now the only one that retains its original form and length. It contains 76 timber trestles of which the first 6 you can walk on from the Gundagai side. Until 1977 it carried the traffic from Sydney to Melbourne across the Murrumbidgee. Nowadays the traffic drives over the Lachlan Bridge, with 1144 meters the second longest bridge in NSW (the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge is only 5 meters longer). Although the 2 historic bridges aren’t been used for over 30 years, they have been fallen into such decay that it looks that they haven’t been used for almost 100 years. Nevertheless they are 2 impressive pieces of engineering. After a short walk through little town we headed back home.
In the evening Rob, dad and I went to the Koscioszko National Park for a walk to spot some wildlife. The park is part of the Australian Alps and has a length as the same as from London to Birmingham. Not to be called a small park. The walk we did was only in the most northern part of the park. During the walk we spotted mainly Kangaroos and not just a few. I think I saw about 100 of them if not even more. Every where you could see open land, you could see groups of Kangaroos grazing and hopping around. Although they were to far away to see them well, we also saw 2 Emus walking through the valley. After night fell we walked back to the car and drove home.
Back home I told the rest I wouldn’t go with them on the trip to Yarrangobilly Caves as I was wanted to continue looking for work. And this time it was with success. After visiting the local orchard and calling its manager, they called me back on Sunday telling me I could start in Batlow the next morning. Batlow(35km from Tumut) can be described as Australia’s apple capital as it has so many orchards you can’t miss it. The coming weeks I’m working, finally some income.
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
