Day 2 - A morning coffee and back on the Putty Road
The winding Putty Rd, Colo NSW
The 168-kilometre (104 mi) Putty Road is very historic, closely following the Bulga Road (named after the Bulga Creek), first explored by John Howe, Chief Constable of Windsor, being the first road to link Sydney to the Hunter Valley. It was opened in 1823 and was initially a popular cattle-duffing (an Australian term for cattle-rustling) route.
Putty road was used by truck drivers back when it was the only viable route and later by those who were stretching the rules. Many lives were lost due to accidents on a very challenging road - A Truck Drivers Memorial has been established to honour the 140+ truck drivers killed.
Today, the road is fully sealed and from north to south, after leaving Singleton, passes through the settlements of Bulga, Colo, Milbrodale, Putty and on to Windsor.
The Putty Road is bounded to the west and east by protected national parks – the Wollemi National Park to the west, and the Yengo National Park to the east – both part of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Greater Blue Mountains Area. The road is narrow and winding in places and very scenic. It may be hazardous during wet weather. The road is popular with tourists, motorcyclists and cyclists.
Towards the end of Putty Road is the Colo River
Colo River is a bit high!
TA WWII Honour Roll white marble tablet and below a similar tablet for 'the Great War'. It is on a sandstone cliff, just up from the Colo River Park, beside Colo River, and below the Putty Road bridge.
Bambi and Buffy made good use of the park
A local council triuc turned up and emptied the bins and using a bucket of river water cleaned the public toilets.
We decided to move on and have breakfast elsewhere.
We made our way through some moderate traffic through Windsor avoiding Sydney as much as possible, following the road to Penrith and on to "The Northern Road" heading to Campbeltown.
Eventually Sydney is well behind us and we are $63 and a lot less traffic angst better off. Our Motorhome weighs 4950kg fully laden, 7.1M long and is driven on a standard car licence. Our motorhome is not eligible for the cashback and although the NSW government have been lobbied by motorhome groups to correct this, they are not budging!
Hume Motorway traveling south, Berrima NSW
Looking East - Hume Motorway, Sutton Forest NSW 2577
A settlement was established on a site chosen in 1818 by the explorer Hamilton Hume and was originally named Goulburn Plains after Henry Goulburn, then undersecretary of state for the colonies.
Goulburn is a railhead on the Main Southern line, a service centre for the surrounding pastoral industry, and popular stopover for those travelling on the Hume Highway. It has a central park and many historic buildings. It is also home to the monument the Big Merino, a sculpture that is the world's largest concrete-constructed sheep!
Teslas charging away at the Goulburn Visitors Center. We did the same and had a rest.
Through the fence - 81 class locomotives idling away.
Goulburn Visitor Information Centre
Next stop Badcoe VC Rest Area, Lake George, on the way to Canberra on the Federal Highway.
Badcoe VC Rest Area, Lake George, on the way to Canberra on the Federal Highway. Lake George is one of the most studied lakes in Australia. unexplainably dries up and reappears.
On the other side of Lake George is the Capital Wind Farm near Bungendore, the largest wind farm in New South Wales.
Michelago is a tiny settlement just off the Monaro Highway, 54 km south of Canberra and 340 km south of Sydney, on the main route from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains. Now little more than a few houses, a service station and a motel it is a cold and isolated location which was first settled in the 1820s when an ex-convict couple, Emmanuel and Catherine Elliot, took up land at the edge of the official limits of settlement. By the 1830s there was a sly grog shop and a short time later it became a stopping point for the mail which was passing through to Cooma and Bunyan.
By the 1860s settlers had arrived in sufficient numbers to lead to the establishment of a police station (with a lockup), the Hiberian Inn, a store, post office and two churches.
In 1866 the Clarke bushranger gang which operated in the area arrived in town, stole supplies from the store and got drunk in the pub, before heading off. They were captured a year later. The railway arrived in 1887 and the Bombala Line closed in February 1976.
Michelago railway station looking north
Michelago railway station opened on 8 December 1887. It officially closed on 8 February 1976. The buildings are Heritage Listed. The line to Cooma saw 100 years of rail services, until the line was closed by flood damage to the bridge over the Numeralla River. During its life, the line was used to convey tourists to the ski fields in the winter and many recreational fishermen and women for trout fishing in the warmer months. Freight was profitable in the day and Cooma railway yard was very busy with freight arriving for the Snowy Hydro Scheme, and plenty of wool-laden wagons heading back to Sydney.
Across from the Michelago Railway station. No trains or traffic to keep us awake and we had a pleasant nights sleep.
Our Dining Room.
Across from the Michelago Railway station.
Day 3 Next
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