Eventually, and with a tear in our eye, we farewelled him off to work and the boys set in for a decent session of Lego. Jack and Jarrah tore themselves away from the Lego for long enough for whip up a new batch of Mark's Mixed Fruit Slice and to write a farewell note. Clearly living with a Health Inspector has had its effects on the kids. Before any cooking began I heard Jack remind Jarrah in no uncertain terms about the importance of the hand washing procedure!
By the time we'd packed up, patched the wall, done some washing, created some Lego Masterpieces and eaten a fair percentage of Mark's Mixed Fruit Slice , it was 1.30pm. A late start to say the least. Nevertheless, down the mountain we went.
The trip down the Snowy Mountains is well known as one of the most spectacular drives in Australia. It is picturesque, VERY steep and VERY winding. Jarrah thought putting the window down might help with his car sickness but all it did was gave us all a gutful of burning brakes! Yuk!!! However, the shock of the sudden and unexpected death of Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather, took all of our minds far away from the twists and turns of the Alpine Way.
We stopped in at the Murray 1 Visitor Centre just short of Khancoban. Murray 1 Power Station is the second largest power station in the Snowy Mountains Scheme. There are 10 turbines at Murray 1, each capable of producing enough electricity to supply over 95,000 houses.
Unfortunately we hadn't put a lot of thought into this visit. Arriving less than 30 minutes before closing, we missed the last daily Power Station inspection, and had very little time to explore the Visitor Centre, with its interactive experiences, displays, hands on models and exhibits.
So on we went. Late in the day we once again crossed the border into Victoria to arrive at the sleepy little hamlet of Towong - on the Murray River and just a stone's throw from Corryong.
We arrived to the very warm welcome of our travelling friends Jerry and John, who we had befriended at the Theresa Creek Dam in central Queensland more than two months ago. It took a little convincing to coax Jerry out of her Oc-Sober program but before long we had her back into the swing of things!
We were offered the use of Jerry and John's delightful self contained bungalow for the night, and while our van is perfectly comfortable, the idea of not having to unpack and repack for an overnight stay was very appealing. So we took them up on their generous offer and enjoyed the luxury of a night in the bungalow!
We had lots of laughs and a lovely meal at the local Corryong Hotel and the boys were thrilled beyond belief to get a ride there in Jerry's Batmobile! With blatant disregard for the temperature and approaching electrical storm, we rode topless through the night in search of the elusive short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupial and my all time favourite - the wombat. Alas all we managed to spot was a frog and an owl, but with the wind in our hair and the stairs shining brightly above us, it was still great fun!
Some of us enjoyed a leisurely sleep in while the rest of us (insert Andrea) was up at the crack of dawn with Fletch, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start the day. The problem we had was that we had all had such a beautiful, snuggly night together in the bungalow that we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave. Our hosts were more than happy to indulge us for another day, so we settled in for a long overdue day of rest and relaxation.
The boys took charge in Jerry's kitchen, and with culinary tips from Todd (Jerry and John's dairy farmer son) they whipped up yet another batch of Mark's Mixed Fruit Slice.
In the afternoon we spent a couple of hours at The Man From Snowy River Museum at Cooryong. Run by the Upper Murrray Historical Society, I must say it is a bit of a stretch to call it The Man From Snowy River Museum, but I guess they've got to get the people in the door somehow! Nevertheless the nationally significant ski collection, war memorabilia, mining items, clothing, local artefacts, photos and local family histories were interesting.
As for The Man From Snowy River...well Jack Riley was a mountain cattleman in the late 1800s. Tough, wiry and self reliant, he emigrated from Ireland and worked as a stockman, living in isolation in a hut in the Snowy Mountains. Allegedly Jack provided the inspiration for the poem, after a chance meeting between Jack Riley and A.B. "Banjo" Paterson in 1880.
Jack Riley is buried in Corryong Cemetery and The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival, held I April each year, honours the mountain stockman's spirit in its search for the modern day equivalent of Jack Riley!
The rest of the day was spent in the pool, reading the newspaper for the first time in weeks, and generally relaxing.
I remain utterly amazed about how warm it has been in the Snowy Mountains. How is it possible that I could have almost frozen to death wearing practically everything I own in Queensland, and yet am stripping off to t-shirt and shorts in the snow in New South Wales and Victoria?
I finished off the day with my first run in what felt like weeks! With the sun on my back and the beautiful vista of the Snowy Mountains in the distance, the pain in my body was soon forgotten.
We enjoyed a lovely BBQ dinner with Jerry and John. The steak was hands down to die for, the best steak I have eaten in a very long time! And it was cooked to perfection amidst a somewhat intimidating electrical storm! Thanks John!
Jerry got us back for ruining her Oc-Sober campaign by enticing us to share her limited edition Bundaberg chocolate and coffee liqueur! Let's face it, she didn't have to twist our arms too far! It was another great night, with wonderful conversation and big belly laughs.
We feel privileged to have made friends with such beautiful people in such a beautiful part of Australia.
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