Sunrise 13 - THREDBO to EDEN
Two weeks on the road, 2,700 km behind us, sunburn, flies, dust…and today we woke to true alpine conditions. Rain came overnight but alas hadn’t retreated. Morrison is an admirable protector and only the sun awning had to be packed away wet. Given the conditions, we decided to buy our first meal on tour in Jindabyne, but nothing is more indulgent before breakfast than a quick stop at the Wild Brumby Schnappery to stock up on some pre and post Xmas vodka & gin. The distillery is on the Alpine Road approximately halfway between Thredbo and Jindy and sells a wide range of award winning liqueur schnapps, gin and vodka through the distillery door. Lighter in cash but heavier in glassware, we hightailed it into town before making any more rash purchases.
The Bacon & egg rolls and barista made coffee from The Birchwood Cafe in Jindabyne were made even more palatable with the use of a NSW Dine and Discover voucher - thanks Mr Perrottet, that ones on you!
Gluttonous as always, Fatpap choose a sausage roll for the road only to discover it was in fact the worlds biggest snag roll ever. That wouldn’t stop him, but a few miles on, it did.
Wild Brumby Distillery, Alpine Way
Today we were heading for Eden. The start of our promised sun kissed coastal section of the adventure. Via the Snowy River Way, we passed through Dalgety, Bombala, Wyndham, Lochiel and Nethercote. This scenic backroad, with many sections of tarmac not even marked, was only marred by consistent rain. But that didn’t deter us. For along the journey many buildings, farms and natural vistas held our reverence, resulting again in numerous stops and photo opportunities. Light conditions varied at every one of them. ISO and white balance adjusted as often as aperture and shutter speed. But that’s why we photograph. To make the ordinary extrodinary.
Dalgety is a lovely little town on the banks of the Snowy River and once an important river crossing along the Travelling Stock route from Gippsland to the Snowy Mountains High Country dating back to the 1840’s. Interestingly, in 1903 a federal Royal Commission named Dalgety as the location for Australia's capital city based on several criteria and was even formalised in the Seat of Government Act 1904. The decision though was opposed by the NSW Parliament arguing the town was too close to Melbourne.
A little further on, the towering sails of Boco Rock Wind Farm began sprouting up on a ridge line of rolling hills. While wind turbines are nothing new, what was amazing is how close these 67 beasts were to the road. In fact at one point, the Snowy River Way passed through the line of turbines allowing us to get up close and personal to these quiet giants rotating on the increasing breeze.
Boco Rock Wind Farm
The rolling hills of Dalgety
Morrison the Van
Only a few kilometres beyond the town of Bombala, we visited a Platypus Reserve on the banks of the Bombala River. Due to the pristine river and stream system, the area is known as platypus country and a dedicated reserve with raised viewing platform and information abound has been establish to view these unique mammals in the wild. Platypi can stay underwater for up to 14 minutes, and we were lucky enough to visit on their National Holding Your Breath Competition day. While we managed to spot many of the loveable critters, by the time we framed the lens and focused, they had resubmerged. It was just like Wack-A-Mole. In the end we put the cameras away and just enjoyed this very special place preserved for very special creatures.
We arrived at Eden unfortunately carrying the conditions of Thredbo, but as our planned meals purposely expired the night before, we headed straight to Eden wharf Co-op for a bounty of obligatory prawns and freshly shucked local oysters. We can’t exactly remember what white wine we had that night, but all 3 of them accompanied the meal perfectly.
Eden Harbour, NSW