Sunday and a visit to Charlotte's Pass

On Sunday we watched almost everyone pack up and leaver, and when we had the place almost to ourselves we moved the caravan up near our friends' van, putting it at right angles so we have a nice area to congregate.

Then after lunch we set off for Charlotte's Pass, another ski resort place in winter.  Our directions said to take the road through Perisher Valley, and at the end of the road is Charlotte's Pass.  So that's what we did and so did many other people - the parking area was full and lots of cars were parked up and down the road.  But there weren't many people in sight - most were hiking off along the long tracks to different places.  We just went a few hundred feet up the hill to the lookout.  From there we could see several mountains in the distance and we took several shots that I will eventually put together for a panoramic scene if I can.  For here I will show them individually and reduced in resolution.

From this distance the mountains don't look very big but the one  second from the left in the top photo is Australia's highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko.  At 2228 metres  (7,309 feet) it isn't Everest by any means but it's our highest.  Our mountain ranges are said to be very old and worn down.

The  snow gums are all twisted and gnarled with the pressure from wind and snow.  Their trunks have a lovely striated pattern on them, and when they are damp and the sun is shining on them they are beautiful.

On our way back down towards Jindabyne, we stopped at part of the Snowy River Scheme to look at a huge surge chimney.  It wasn't very attractive but the view itself was, with a good outlook over part of the huge Lake Eucambine formed when they flooded the area to form the catchment for the Scheme.

This is just a tiny bit of Lake Eucambene.  Whole villages were flooded to make this water catchment area

Pretty scene - glimpse of the lake through the snow gums.

There were two white-backed magpies singing away in part of one of the gums there.  Their song was beautiful as they carolled away.

Further on we stopped at this area to take more photos of the little streams that chuckle along and eventually form the mighty Snowy River.

This is part of the early section of the Snowy River- the sound it makes it so peaceful

There are hillsides covered with silver trees that shine brilliantly in the sunshine.  They are where a bushfire has obviously gone through and killed a lot of them, though many are showing signs of new green growth.

 Among the native plants and flowers was a fair bit of Patterson's Curse.  It is a pretty flower, brought out to Australia by early British settlers to remind them of home.  But it has become a noxious weed here in Australia.  Shame.

Patterson's Curse - a pretty flower but a noxious weed in Australia.  Brought out by early British settlers to remind them of home.

There were lots of these alpine daisies - can you see the tiny butterfly on the one on the right?  It is about the size of my thumbnail.

These pretty bell-shaped flowers are also tiny, about the size of a fingernail.

As we entered the Village again on our return a mob of around 40 kangaroos was grazing all along the road in.  They are used to people and just stood and looked at us as we passed, except for one little joey which hopped into its mother's pouch and hid.  It is always comical to see their little legs sticking out of the pouch and the rest of them hidden.   But eventually after a couple of tries this little one was able to get its legs inside too.  No photos of this particular one but I have lots of others because there are kangaroos everywhere here at the village and we see many of them every day.

More to tell you, later.