[Mishmash] FW: [ulysses] Great shot taken on Australia Day in Perth-

[David Brown]

I am not one for overt patriotism.  I don't go for flag flying and singing
the anthem with my hand on heart.  Before we had Advance Australia Fair as
our official anthem circa 1973, I did not even stand for God Save the Queen
J  

 

That said we had a great time and enjoyed our long weekend.  Anna and I went
riding to the Blue Mountains.  The following is a story I sent to friends in
Paris.  I have sent a link separately to the photos.

 

Anna and I went riding over the Straya Day weekend.  We took the road
through Taralga, via Black Springs to Oberon.  I used to travel this way in
my climbing days and did not have fond memories but it is now so good.
There are only two sections of gravel remaining; one 5 km and the other 2k.
The second is billiard table smooth and I imagine it is going to be sealed
soon.  Our progress was slowed unfortunately by a copper who followed us for
20 k.  He turned around when I warned a rider coming the other way by
signing a beacon over my helmet.  I guess he finally figured he had been
busted.  Sharp as a bowling ball that boy.

 

We planned lunch in Oberon (a town of a 1,000 or so) but it was shut so we
went on to Lithgow and ate an ordinary pie and sangers at the workies.  We
then found a very pleasant caravan park on the edge of town.  It was well
serviced with a micro waver, a fridge and a barby.  There was a farm next
door and the goats visited us regularly.  Thankfully they only ate grass.

 

After setting up we visited Hassan's Walls.  This was beaut.  An easy ride
over dirt took us virtually to the lookout.  There was limited protection so
Anna did not venture too far.  I had a ball with no supervision.  After this
we checked out the Zig Zag Railway station.  The run up the beginning of
Bell's Line of Road is fantastic but the advisory signs beggar belief.  They
are stupidly conservative.  Anyway we went back to camp and settled down
with some vino and went to bed just after dark.  We had planned to look for
the comet but we were a bit used up.

 

On Saturday we rode to Katoomba and took the trolley bus tour.  Since
visiting Paris we have become real red bus fans and now do this everywhere.
Of course we had the mandatory stop at Echo Point for a coffee.  The point
is chaotic.  Traffic everywhere.  From there we visited Everglades.  This is
a mansion built in about 10 acres of landscaped gardens overlooking the
Jamieson Valley.  It was pretty warm but walking under the trees was
pleasant.

 

Our next stop was an antique shop in Leura.  The items on display were
incredible but a bit cluttered for my aesthetics.   I was terrified that I
would brush a table and cause damage to rival the national debt.

 

After Devonshire tea (two for the price of one for red bus tourists and just
as well as it still cost $9) we collected our bikes and headed for the Zig
Zag Railway past Bell.  When we got to Blackheath I got lost.  I thought we
were in Mt Victoria and could not find the turn to Bell.  I swallowed my
pride (Australian men do not ask for directions) and asked a local who
quickly put me right.  We travelled across The Causeway which is really a
pass between the Megalong and Grosse Valleys.   The views were better than I
remember due to the bush fire damage.  We got to the Zig Zag just in time.
I had not planned on navigational errors J

 

The Zig Zag is a must do.  It costs a lot but is fabulous.  They use steam
locomotives from Queensland on a narrow gauge track and run through tunnels,
bush land, around the edge of valleys and over convict built viaducts.  The
railway is a big Z with each arm going progressively downwards towards the
valley floor.  At the end of each arm, the loco changes ends and you can get
up close and personal.  Coming back up is the best.  The loco works its
heart out and the smoke flies, not to mention the cinders.  I felt like a
boy of 12 with my head of the window soaking in the atmosphere.  Who needs
to buy cigarettes when you can get smoke included in the tariff?

 

Being brave souls we returned to the workies for dinner.  This time it was
great.  Anna had enough pepper steak to feed two families and I had a
similar quantity of seafood mornay.  We suffered for our sins later though.

 

On Sunday we returned via Bathurst and Wyangala.  Around the Blue Mountains,
Lithgow and Bathurst it is quite green but you would not believe how dry it
is around Wyangala Dam.  It is just a dust bowl and a heap of the mature
trees are dying.   We did not hang around, pressing on to Boorowa for lunch.
Believe it or not, the thermometer I bought with Paul in Paris said the
temperature was 31 but we were freezing in the south westerly wind.  After
our lunch stop it was a bit warmer but the wind had gotten up and it was a
real trial to ride through.  We were truly shot ducks when we arrived home.

 

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