Mallacoota mon amour
This is the first of possibly 6 posts covering our Winter trip to Mallacoota in Victoria.
The title has two references.
First up I am currently “into” the cadence of phrases and this fits
nicely into the cadence of “Hiroshima mon amour”: a classic movie. Secondly I do love Mallacoota (except when150mm of rain are forecast).
So this week the weather forecast was a lot better with just a few showers around,
which for Victoria is a very promising forecast indeed!
The only dipterid in the vaseline was that as a result of me
not telling our landscaper where electrical lines had been laid (in self
defence, because I didn't know) on our day of departure I spent from about 9am
to 11:30 assisting a local electrician - great job, Clint Dixon – restoring the
power supply to our big shed. Thus we
didn't hit the road until 12:30, rather than 8:30.
Whatever, we rolled away with well laden Pajero (aka the
Beast – we took it as Beauty the Jetta would probably not enjoy some of the
tracks around the Mallacoota airport and West thereof). The drive down to Cooma was a drive. Notable only for the occasional showers we
encountered, and sighting a Cattle Egret near Burra. The Tinderry range was pleasant.
The same could not be said for the stretch from Cooma to
Nimmitabel. I regard this treeless plain
as one of the most desolate stretches of road in NSW: it doesn't even have the
emus to liven it up a la Hay Plain.
(When we finished the drive, Frances was looking at an (English) Country
Life magazine featuring one of England's best views – from Berkshire: a white
horse was visible but no Hunt. Very
like the Nimmi Plains. Perhaps Nimmi
needs some chalk hills into which a white macropod could be carved?) In addition
to a few showers the area was well endowed with cold. When we got to Nimmitabel (elevation 1070m)
about 1430 it was a magnificent +6 degrees C.
By the time we got to Bombala the thermometer had soared to
+8! The town boasts of being platypus
country, but although there was a good flow in the river not a wake did we
see. The other advert for Bombala is
their interest in bikers: however in contrast to our previous trips to the area
we didn't see a single one. Would you
ride a motorbike at 8 degrees?
Despite a slight contretemps with road works we found our way
on the road to Cann River and started to drop off the Monaro. This was the signal for low cloud and more
showers!
However we got to Imlay Rd and
rumbled along it marvelling at the high number of Traffic Hazard signs (and the
low number of tangible hazards – other than stupid signs which distract
drivers). Somewhere along here I saw a
Superb Lyrebird beside the road – always a good sight.
We stopped at the Imlay Creek Rest Area to have a squizz at
the flow in the Creek through the Rockpool.
It was magnificent. Lyrebirds
were calling in the bush as were Bell Miners.
Although it was still only 4pm the roos were beginning to
emerge on the roadside. They all stayed
where they were but I was glad:
1.
it was no later in the day; and
2.
that we had a good roo bar fitted!
Getting out to the Princes Highway we were surprised to find
how little traffic was on it, compared to the Monaro Highway (and in fairness
many of trucks on that seemed to be triple-deckers leaving the Cooma
market). Just about as soon as I thought
that we approache the State border to find the curvy road well occupied by a
Victorian registered campervan doing 80kph.
Whatever: the paramedic who followed me along the road from
Genoa is probably filling in an official report as I type complaining about me driving
slowly. I'm sure he would not front to
hose out the car if I had induced Chunder Pooch!
So we turn into Karbethong Road and see a sign warning of
Lyrebirds. About 500m past this Frances
called to stop and go back to see something in the bush. This turned out to be two male Superb
Lyrebirds getting a tad competitive inncluding raising their tails at each and
then crossing the road in front of us. A
magnificent sight: a definite contender for bird of the year.
Links to all pages
Drive home in the rain.
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