Another lovely grassy free campsite on Paddys River. Back to nature as there's no phone, WiFi or TV and limited radio reception. There are only a few caravans and motorhomes when we arrive but this place will be packed out in another week when the Christmas holiday season is in full swing. Regulars tell us that there will be close to 40 campers there between Christmas and New Year. We've put this spot on our list to come back to and will make sure we're there well before Christmas to get a good site close to the river for the holidays. Not far from our campsite are the picturesque Paddy's River Falls.
There's plenty to see around Tumbarumba and it's got good shopping facilities as well. A few kms out of town is the Jolly Berries blueberry farm. We call in to buy some of their berries and have an ice cream with fresh blueberry sauce - YUM!!
After the berry farm we drive into the nearby Sugar Pine Forest. This is a 2.5 Ha reserve of American Sugar Pines that were planted in 1928. The grove of majestic trees is a popular wedding venue.
The next morning we head further into the mountains and the Snowy Mountains National Park, checking out some campsites as we drive along Elliotts Way. O'Hare's Campsite looks pretty good, on the river with plenty of nice big flat sites. Travel is slow along narrow, steep and windy roads and we average about 50kph.
About an hour from our camp we arrive at our destination - Cabramurra, Australia's highest town at 1,488m. There are great views from the lookout. Cabramurra has many lupin plants, and they were all in flower and looking beautiful. The residents are gradually removing these imported plants as they are spreading so quickly they are now regarded as a noxious weed. Even so, they are very pretty.
On our way back we stop off to look at the huge electrical substation, part of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. This nation building scheme of the 1960s harnessed the power of the rivers of the Snowy Mountains and still produces large amounts of electricity for south eastern Australia.
One of the main reasons for our stop at Tumbarumba is to see the Pioneer Womens Hut Museum. This hands on museum is focussed on everyday women and how they lived. Visitors are encouraged to touch the exhibits and there are gloves provided to protect the fragile articles. One room is full of archive boxes packed with all manner of things - clothing and everyday articles from bygone days. This has been one of the best museums we've been to. Robert has been here before and this was one of the museums he used in his Master's thesis.
The complex is also home to the National Quilt Collection with quilts dating back to the late 19th century on display. Quilts here are made from rabbit skins, recycled clothing, various fabrics - anything that could be used for warmth.
Around the buildings are several sculptures. "George and His Dogs" is silhouetted against the landscape and there are many garden sculptures too.
We decided to drive straight through to Canberra after our 4 days in the mountains. We've struck very hot weather so opted to head for the air conditioned comfort of the EPIC Caravan Park in Canberra for a few days. On our way we stopped to check out the Three Mile Dam campground near Kiandra - another good one.
We'll be in the Canberra area for a few weeks. We're spending Christmas with family there and then will be doing a house-sit for a couple of weeks. Then we'll be heading north for the winter.
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