2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Tues, 9th Jan, 2024 Barbour Park, Gunning to Woomargama Rest Area, north of Albury, NSW (Gundagai)

Woke to the sound of pitter patter on the roof and the creek rushing over the weir. It is higher this morning with the rain yesterday and lots of foam.

Wet pack up with the roof but we will put it up later to dry off when we get out of the rain.

Back onto the Hume Highway towards Melbourne. The sheep are looking very wet and the little creeks we cross over are flowing well through the green and yellow grass fields.

Nice view as we crest a hill.

The sun is out but there are still heavy clouds over us.

A bit more sunshine as we go up and down the hills.

Passed the turn off into the Dog on the Tuckerbox Rest Area - we have visited it a couple of times over the years.

Into Gundagai for a few groceries. It was freezing in Woolies so I dreamt of a lovely hot pie for lunch. We put the groceries away and started up the main street which is called Sheridan Street, same as in Cairns. The sun came out and boy was it hot. Checked out the statues near the Info Centre. Bit dark with the brightness behind them.

Great mural and info about Melba the cow - amazing milker.

Amazing photo of the 1900 flood.

These info boards weren’t here when we last visited. There is always something new each time you visit a place especially if there are a few years between visits!

As we were reading this collection of info boards a shower of rain fell through the sunshine! Great sculpture.

Continued along reading all the signs. Lucky I take the photos as there is so much history to read and remember. At least with the blog I can look back if needed. Wahroonga, same as suburb Andrea lives in - interesting to note it means Our Home.

Great info. Up the road is the old Gundagai Gaol.

Tuckerbox Pup.

The Court House is always an impressive building in any town.

More history boards and great info about Captain Moonlight.

Still went for the pies for lunch as this is an historical bakery but unfortunately only had plain pies and sausage rolls today.

This was used as part of a Dunlop Reliability Trial.

Drove down to the park by Morley Creek - needs a mow, to have our lunch. Looking up at Mt Pamassus.

We stayed by Morley Creek but further out of town in 2015 - lovely spot. Chatted with a lady from Sydney who just did a short holiday south and said she recommended visiting Beechworth to see all the history and old buildings - also it is where Ned Kelly was born and grew up. We have done the Benalla-Glenrowan area before so decided Beechworth was worth the visit.

Across Yarri Bridge over Morley Creek.

Over the wide floodplain where Gundagai township was first built till it was washed away when the Murrumbidgee River flooded. We had spent time exploring around here on our last visit. The railway viaduct is still standing, just.

Up and over the narrow bridge across the Murrumbidgee.

Passed the old Bridge Inn.

Up to the lookout. I don’t think much has changed though the sign has been redone which is good.

Back to the Hume Highway and south towards Albury-Wodonga and the Murray River. New road to mark off on the map book as last time we had turned off towards Tumut.

Passed a sign near Tarcutta saying we are half way between Sydney and Melbourne. Stopped for a cuppa at Little Billabong Rest Area that had great information boards.

Some chaps from Young selling cherries and other stone fruit. I bought some cherries - limited myself to a handful - yum. I have been defrosting the mango from Christmas so still enjoying my Christmas fruits. Lots of little wrens flittering about in the bush by the rest area.

Blue sky and big puffy white clouds now - no wind, which is good for a change for the fuel economy.

Continued on to Holbrook to check out the submarine Terry had read about in a magazine. HMAS Otway - well the top half at least. The town wanted to change its name from Germanton during WW1 and wanted to chose a hero to name the town after. They decided on a submarine commander Holbrook so the name changed in 1915. The commander made a few visits to the town over the years and in 1982 his widow donated his medals to the town. Over time the opportunity came to purchase the top of the submarine which was being scraped and with a large donation from Mrs Holbrook the town had its icon. Fabulous story. We wandered about taking lots of photos.

Checked out the Duck’s Arse.

Into the museum where I grabbed a booklet for Terry to read.

Further over is a replica of Commander Holbrook’s B11 Submarine.

Across the road was a Torpedo.

Beside that the Pioneer Memorial.

We walked across to more signs about the Victory Cross recipients. Rest areas have been named after them. We stopped at one near Towrang.

I went to the toilet and came out then walked over to more signs thinking Steve was there. He wasn’t. I took some photos and read the info thinking he will turn up shortly.

He didn’t so I looked all around some more then walked back to the truck. Not there, now I was starting to worry. I had given him the phone and camera and brochures. I walked back to the toilets and he was there on a stool reading the brochures, not worried at all that I was taking forever, when in fact I was wandering up and down trying to find him!! I was nearly at the point of asking to use someone’s phone to ring him! He just laughed as he said, well I was just sitting here and you wandered off!! Obviously didn’t think it was unusual for me to take so long in the toilet!! Anyway we are back together and smiling - one last selfie.

Very hot - must be a storm building somewhere.

Back on the Hume Highway again for a few kilometers then we turned off to Woomargama. The sun is shining and it is raining - weird.

The highway used to go through here but it now goes straight and bypasses it so a perfect rest area for us. Bitumen car park next to the tennis courts.

Another van pulled in. Chatted with the couple from SA, only been on the road a few months. A group turned up to play tennis at 6.30pm and it was 33.7 degrees in the camper - mad! I am too as I had decided to oven bake the steak (Kerry’s recipe) and do roast vegies - should have done that last night when it was cold and raining but we didn’t have the groceries then!

Once I had them in the oven I went for a walk to read the info boards etc.