The early morning chill woke us before it was properly
light. Snuggling under the duvet offered
temporary respite but soon the demands for a cup of tea forced Mike to brave
the outside. Goodness was there a morning
dew! Much more and it’d be possible to
sail over it. Everywhere was dripping
and the outside of the tent was saturated yet again.
Kettle boiling and two dozen lads from a school in Canberra,
who had been camping nearby, trudged past, setting out for their day on the
mountain. None of them looked very
enthusiastic. Then two other lads who
were camping for the first time got into their car and drove off. Their camping gas stove had exploded with
spectacular effect the previous evening and despite the offer to use our stove,
had chosen to return to the comfort of a hot meal at home.
The sun eventually peeked over the mountain but it was a
watery affair with little warmth, so once again we packed up a wet tent. Not only that, but the damp had penetrated
our storage boxes, condensing on every surface that had any residual
warmth. After a couple of “oh dash
bothers” and the use of the ‘facilities’ we were packed ready to go.
Heading out past the small town of Thredbo on the Alpine Way,
we were immediately in the mountains again.
Our first stop was at the Murray 1 hydro electric power
station, part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Construction of the Scheme began in 1949 and was completed in 1974. Seven power stations, 16 dams, 80 kilometres
of aqueducts, 145 kilometres of tunnels and a large pumping station comprise
the Scheme. The Murray 1 boasts ten
turbine driven generators creating enough power to supply almost a million
homes. We thought the whole thing very
impressive and can report that half a dozen spinning generators make a lot of
noise, as well as a lot of electricity.
We drove the length of the Alpine Way. At 65 kilometres in length it’s possible that
as much as 400 or so metres do not have some form of bend. The road hugs the mountainside, first
climbing a valley side, then through a mountain pass, descending into the next
valley, then climbing again for a repeat performance. The views were spectacular, glimpsed only
when there was time to take your eyes off the road for a second or so. Even with a low gear engaged we eventually
had to stop to let the brakes cool and the smell of burning to disburse. Vin Rouge is heavily loaded and for the first
time uttered a few complaints about it.
But after a short rest we continued.
As we climbed higher into the Alpine National Park and
crossed the border into the State of Victoria, the clouds thickened and
darkened.
Soon there was lightning, then came the rain. Now we’re used to tropical rain in Queensland
but this was on an entirely different scale.
It fairly blasted down, turning the roads into rivers and washing mud,
rocks and bits of tree down from the mountain sides. Visibility dropped alarmingly and at times speed
was reduced to a crawl. The splendid scenery just wasn’t to be seen.
Eventually we came through the storm and arrived at the
small town of Tallangatta in the Murray Valley.
The rain subsided and finally stopped as we set up camp at the side of
Lake Hume. The lack of recent rain was
evident as the level of the lake was at least 20 feet lower than it should be –
and Lake Hume is a very large lake.
Him Upstairs put on a magnificent sunset, presumably by way
of atonement for what we had endured during the day. According to the locals, the rain was the
first for nearly three months and they are very glad of it.
Next morning was mild and dry, although high clouds were
building over the mountains. We lost no
time in packing up camp and just as we’d finished the heavens opened. The whole day was spent in rain, sometimes
light showers, sometimes heavy downpours.
Will it never stop?
The drive was ‘challenging’.
Twisting, wet, greasy roads littered with debris and visibility often
down to 30 metres. It seemed to go on
for hours. Finally, after looking for
somewhere to stay and getting nowhere, we stopped at the next pub, the Bruthren Inn where we checked
in, had a meal and a few beers with the locals.
Four star is was not, especially as the place had built in water features coming through the roof. However, the room was dry and we crashed out.
The forecast is for more rain tomorrow and better weather after that as
we leave soggy February and go into what we hope will be sunny March. We can’t wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment