To the Blue Mountains – Day 20

This is just about the half waypoint of our Australian adventure, and it has flown by. Today was low-key following on from the packed schedule that we had in Canberra, we left after breakfast initially on the motorway to Goulburn, reputedly the first inland city in New South Wales. The sat-nav took us through the back streets, really interesting as it displayed something that we have seen throughout the country. The houses, mostly bungalows are so close together, which seems strange in such a vast country where apart from in the major cities space is not at a premium. Few seem to have much garden.

We then took a rural road on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains across the Great Divide. It was predominantly above 1,000 metres, through hilly country that was much greener than we have been used to. For the first time the road kill was wombats rather than kangaroos. We stopped at the village of Taralga for coffee, and there got a lesson in rural NSW politics by reading a local paper. There is an election in NSW this weekend, and in this constituency there is a hard fought battle between the incumbent Liberals (conservative) and Labour (left wing but oddly in favour of more liberal gun laws). The opinion polls show that this traditionally Liberal seat is on a knife edge, but it reflects politics everywhere, the government have suddenly found money for local projects, while the opposition say that they will stand up for rural people rather than throwing money at big city (Sydney) vanity projects. I shall look at the outcome on Monday with interest.

We purchased a picnic lunch and stopped in a park in the town of Oberon to eat it. Oberon takes every opportunity to stress its tenuous links with a Mid Summer’s Night Dream including a Titania Motel. No mention of Tom Sheppard’s Bottom though!

As we approached the Blue Mountains the heavens opened and there was a thunderstorm. Also the traffic grew heavier, so it was relief that we reached out hotel just after four. The hotel is old fashioned and really could be situated in any English Spa town. However it is very comfortable, the service excellent, and had a great indoor swimming pool in which we exercised this afternoon. Unfortunately it has very a slow Internet connection so you will have to wait for some more pictures until we arrive in Sydney on Sunday.