On the Banks of Lake Hume

We've extended our stay at Tallangatta because we're having such a good time here on the banks of Lake Hume.

The Tallangatta Lookout has commanding views of the area. Unfortunately Lake Hume is getting lower by the day as water is released downstream into the River Murray.  We haven't been able to take many photos of the mountains as we've been driving around.  There's a lot of bushfire prevention burning off at the moment so we've had a lot of smoke haze.  One thing the smoke ensures is some spectacular sunsets.

The twin towns of Albury (NSW) and Wodonga (Vic) are about 40km away and are the main commercial centres for this border community.  We drove through the mountain foothills through Granya to Bellbridge (Vic) and drove across the impressive bridge over the Murray River into NSW and on to Albury where we visited the Museum.  The Museum has a great exhibit of Egyptian Tentmakers.  These highly decorative, hand sewn, appliqué panels are made by men.

On our way back from Albury, we called into the Bonegilla Migrant Experience.  We were lucky enough to get a tour of Block 19.  Bonegilla was a WWII army camp which was used from 1947-1971 as the first Australian home for about 320,000 post-war refugees and immigrants.  Cherryl and her family lived here from 1954-1957 when her father worked here as an employment officer.  We found a photo of him, aged about 30, in one of the books on Bonegilla.

The migrant hostel reverted to the Army in 1971 and all except Block 19 was sold off.  Block 19 received National Heritage status due to its importance in building the multicultural Australia we know today.  Migrants lived in cubicles in the ex-army huts, with large extended families sometimes taking up a whole hut or more.  Each block had communal facilities - laundry, toilets, bath & showers and a communal mess, with steam powered kitchen, for meals.  All basic requirements were provided because the migrants only had what they were wearing and could carry.




Cherryl always thought she started school at Mitta Mitta, about 60km away.  The visit to Bonegilla provided the information that she would have attended Mitta Junction State School about 10km from Bonegilla.  The school isn't there any more, but there is a sign.  (The 5 year old's experience is no less traumatic!)  Memories of Bonegilla State School are happy.

There's been plenty to see around Lake Hume.  The Dam was built in 1936 and is 195m deep when it's full.  Water is released annually to help keep the Murray River healthy, to provide water for crop irrigation and to provide water for Adelaide.  Although the lake around Tallangatta is pretty empty at the moment, it usually fills up again after the winter and spring rains and snows in the mountains.  We saw where this mighty river meets the sea a few weeks ago when we visited Goolwa, now we're seeing where it begins.

We're not far from the Victorian Alps, with Mount Beauty only about 85km away.  Mount Beauty, at 343m altitude, is one of the kick off points for the Victorian snowfields.  After a drive along the Keiwa River Valley, through dairy country for about an hour we arrived at Mount Beauty where we stopped off for coffee and a look at the small Museum at the Information Centre.  The Museum has a Winter Olympics Hall of Fame with photos of winter olympians from the area.

About 30km west, along a windy mountain road, we had lunch at Bright overlooking the Ovens River before making our way along the Great Alpine Road through the Ovens River Valley and then back to Tallangatta.




We're leaving here tomorrow, making our way towards Canberra where we plan to arrive on Thursday.