It was late afternoon by the time we reached our destination – the sleepy fishing port of Eden. And what a coastline it was. We had plenty of opportunity to enjoy it, since this was the view from our balcony.
Nearing the Coast
Once again, I was at Brown Mountain, although this time I was heading for the coast, not the mountains. After crossing the treeless Monaro Plain, the wooded hills that lined the Bega Valley provided a welcome change of scenery.
Gig – Jonsi
BB and I went to see Jonsi last night. And it was marvelous. He really does have a voice of an angel. And the songs were glorious live.
Gold – Kiandra
Another gold fields sight in the region was Kiandra, but unlike Adelong, no town remained after the gold was gone.
This area was stark and very cold. I can’t imagine prospectors walking in from the coast, to pan gold in freezing cold streams. The lengths people went to for gold…
You can see the trees in the background were bare. This was probably due to the 2004 fires that burned 1/3 of Kosciuszko National Park.
Rural Sunrise
Our last morning in Tumut was a cold, frosty, but majestic one. I was so excited about capturing this sunrise from the balcony that I nearly slipped on the ice! No harm done, luckily.
Gold – Adelong – Part 3
Today we visit Adelong Falls, a few k’s out of town and the site of the gold processing plant. Adelong Creek flows fast and cold, there are a few ruined buildings left.
These are the remains of the Wilson and Ritchie Battery.
The battery site comprises: two water wheels with associated weirs, races and aqueducts; a 24 foot buddle; a series of holding tanks; a small quarry; a reverbatory furnace with separate brick stack; a weighbridge; a works office; a cottage with a terraced garden; a metalled entry road with stone revetments; three paths and an unidentified terrace. (Winston-Gregson 1985: 35)
We can see a close up of what remains of the biggest water wheel. Those prospectors were a pretty enterprising lot!
Gold – Adelong – Part 2
Where do the Adelong residents go for a feed and a drink? First stop is of course the pub (and it’s not called the Royal Hotel).
The second (much better option, in my opinion) is Beaufort House, which is now a boutique hotel/bar/Vienese restaurant. Yes, you heard it, a Vienese restaurant. We only had coffee and cake, but I would have loved to have eaten there.
Now, if Adelong can support such an establishment, why was Tumut bereft of restaurants (except for the fast food variety). It has to be one of the great mysteries of the world…
Gold – Adelong – Part 1
Not far from Tumut is the village of Adelong. Its claim to fame is:
1. Its well-preserved heritage-listed buildings.
2. The remnants of the gold diggings a little out of town.
I was surprised that to find that there was a bit of gold in south-east NSW, since the gold rush that happened in this area didn’t make it to my history lessons at school (the ones that did were the Victorian and the Central NSW gold rushes). The gold rush during the 1850’s and 60’s brought in more than 30,000 people, hence why the town has such a ‘grand’ collection of buildings, such as…
The post office.
The theatre.
The store.
The River – Valley
Finally, we drove away from the river…
Up to the ridge to view the valley that it flowed through.
The River – Flowing Part 2
One more shot of the burbling Goobarragandra…
Strangely, the camp ground where I took these shots from was part of Kosciuszko National Park, while across the river was pasture land.
Static and Silence 