Weekend of 2nd August, 2008

Today's first stop was to the Junee and Chocolate Factory (Green Grove Organics). Apparently they don't actually make the chocolate there, it's organic chocolate which is imported from Belgium. Belgian chocolate is very different to common or compound chocolate, in that Belgian chocolate uses all the cocoa bean rather than substituting other ingredients. The result is a smooth and full flavoured chocolate that is actually good for your health (sounds good, eh?)

We had a look at the Junee Railway Roundhouse built in 1947. It's the only operated roundhouse in the southern hemisphere.

Next stop was Cootamundra. This place had a very interesting museum with people only too willing to explain things. The museum is in the old railway barracks so each room was set aside with it's own theme. One was someone's bedroom, then you had one with school things, navy items like the steering wheel from the HMAS Cootamundra. They had a church room that had old bibles and the specially built wooden structure that was along the inside of a church wall, it had opening where the stained glass window would be. I wish I'd taken a photo of the photo now! I can't remember what the structure is called either. Of course one room was set up as the rail engineer/driver's quarters with their steel framed bed and grey blankets, with a green and white towel. It looked very uncomfortable but had a good view of the railway from the windows!

Here is a photo taken near Cootamundra station, lots of signals!!

Then we stopped at Wombat, nope, didn't see any Wombats.

Next stop was Young. Pretty quiet in winter as the cherries and stoned fruit aren't in season so we stopped at an IGA supermarket and bought some Cherry Wine Port, haha. Not much to see in Young as I'm guessing it comes to life when their fruit is in season.

On the way home, Bruce figured we could have afternoon tea at Temora with Janet. Yay! So when we had mobile reception, we organised it and had a lovely time there.

We didn't do photos of Janet and I this time as we've done that a few times now. Here are the boys. Janet's husband Guy, Thomas standing and Angus. One boy was still in the bath.
Amongst all the toys are Guy and Janet's gorgeous girls Millie and Sarah.

Sunday we went to church and then went curtain shopping so I can replace some of the curtains at home. It's not easy buying fabric off the roll at home!!

Next weekend we're hoping to visit cousin Tim and Jenny at Griffith so will probably have a look around while we're there.

Weekend of 26th July, 2008

Word around town is that Urinquinty has the BEST bakery. Well, not so by the look of the odd things they put on bread rolls. So, Bruce had a pie, of course and I waited until we found a shop that sells ordinary things like lettuce and cheese. I don't know many people who have mushrooms on a ham and salad roll?? BUT their custard tarts are perfect, worth a trip back I reckon.

We also went out to The Rock Nature Reserve which is just that, a rock. There is a 6km hard walk. Besides the climb, the road is paved with huge rocks which made it very uncomfortable for your feet. We walked far enough to see The Rock. The Rock towers 250 metres over the surrounding countryside. Know as Kengal to the local Wiradjuri people, it is thought to have been a place where initiation ceremonies had been carried out.

We followed the mud map to Tootool Wetlands on Bullenbung Creek but didn't see any wetlands and are not sure what was growing nicely in the fields either (must find out). However we did cross Bullenbung Creek bridge on our way to Lockhart. Others have said they couldn't find it either!

Next stop was Lockhart to find a salad roll. They have a huge milk bar there that makes milkshakes the old way in a big silver cup and a glass. They managed to make a decent salad roll as well!

The main street of Lockhart, Green Street is paved and a lot of the bricks are etched with family history. It would be a very interesting place to visit if you were researching your family tree as the family names are there along with the name of their farm. As you can imagine, there were a lot of families with the same surname. Lockhart is know as the "Verandah Town".

After Lockhart we visited The Galore Hill Scenic Nature Reserve down Heckendorf Drive. We spotted a bush wallaby and an echnida who had his face hidden when he saw us coming! We also saw some wild rabbits.

This plaque is at the base of the tower.

1840

To commemorate the journey of Henry Osborne from Wollongong to Adelaide.

He climbed this hill and is reported to have exclaimed :there is land and galore!

If you have a close look to the right of the tower you can see a communications tower. So much for being away from civilisation!!

Adelong Falls Reserve

Adelong is located 416 km south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Snowy Mountains Highways. It is 340 m above sea level and currently has a population of around 900 people. It seems that the word 'adelong', or something similar, meant either 'river on a plain' or 'along the way' in the local Wiradjuri language. Europeans settled the area in the 1840s with Adelong Creek station being established in 1843. It wasn't until the discovery of gold in 1853 that the town really developed. A gold rush in the following years resulted in the population reaching an estimated 5,000 people by 1855. The result of this rush was that an Anglican parish was established in the same year and the following year, 1856, saw the formal establishment of the town. In 1857 William Williams discovered both reef and alluvial gold on Mount Charcoal. It is said that Williams, who went by the nickname 'Old Gold Dust', bought a mining claim for £40,000 and sold it for £75,000 later the same day. This rush of luck resulted in the town's population increasing to 20,000 by 1860 of whom nearly 3,000 miners came from China. The area yielded 7,000 ounces of alluvial gold and the reef mines reputedly produced 50 ounces to each ton which was crushed. In total the area yielded nearly 25 tonnes (or 200 tons - the sources are very confused) of gold. The 1860s and 1870s saw the town booming. Mines and batteries (to crush the reef gold) sprung up along the valley. The mines included such romantically named operations as Donkey Hill, The Challenger, Lady Mary, Long Tunnel, Great Victoria and Gibraltar which, at its peak, was employing 450 men and had tunnels reaching over 400 metres into the surrounding mountains.

Richie's Gold Battery at the Adelong Falls Reserve This is a very well preserved and fascinating area where the enthusiastic gold panner can try their luck in the creek where thousands of miners once made their fortune. The area is clearly signposted and many of the ruins are easy to recognise including the Richie's Gold Battery, the water wheels which were used to drive the battery, and the old brick chimney. A guide to the town explains: "The ruins of the Richie's gold batteries are the remains of a quartz crushing and gold saving installation, which was praised as 'a credit to New South Wales' and which ranked 'foremost of any in Australia' (Department of Mines annual report 1882). The ruins are made up of what was called a 'reefer machine' and was operated from the earliest 'rush' days up until World War I. "All the machinery at the site was worked by two large water wheels supplied with water from the Adelong Creek and carried down by races, either cut into the hillside or on wooden trestles."

This beautiful rose just near our house, just after the rain.

Walking home from work, there are guys sitting by the lagoon with their remote controls and thermos taking the boats for a sail. Some look made with love.

Thursday, 31st July 2008

The Hampden Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River, Wagga Wagga I wouldn't walk over this, see the water through the walkway?? Yikes!

Percy Allan in 1893 designed a standard type of timber truss bridge, called the Allan truss, which continued to be built at least until 1920. In its original form it was used for 21.3m and 27.4m spans. In 1895 he extended to the design to span 33.5m, the first bridge of this type being at Wagga Wagga, 1895. The system used timber Howe trusses, with timber top and bottom chords, timber compression diagonals and tension rods as verticals. Its chief features were because it had no counterbraces, it was possible to adjust the geometry by screwing up the verticals, counteracting the effects of shrinkage, the diagonal members were cut off square at their ends, pressing against special cast iron details and double timbers were used to allow for replacement. The shorter spans were half through. The deeper 33.5m spans were through trusses, with an upper lateral system. The span of 33.5m for a timber truss was, at the time of opening, exceeded only by the Lachlan River road bridge at Cowra (1893, 48.8m). Allan trusses of the same span were later built at Inverell, 1896 (since removed) and Morpeth, 1898. The bridge is of considerable technological significance.

Thursday, 31st July 2008

When we were in Tumut at the Information place, we came across a friendly wombat puppet and Andrew bought it We went to Wagga Wagga information and they had a nasty looking one, doesn't he look mean? He even had claws!! We left him there, he looked way too surly!