Easter in Kosciuszko National Park

This entry starts with a sad bit of reality. Wednesday evening March 31st I got a cruel bit on not so funny April Fools. When going to my truck to drive to my sax lesson I found out someone had broken into my truck and stolen the radio and my GPS. Just the Sunday before I fixed the radio that had been broken for 3 months. I don’t drive very often maybe 2 or 3 times a week. The city is very public transit friendly and the tram or trains take me where I need to go. Besides parking in a city of 4 million people is a bitch! But I digress.... The truck was parked in my gated driveway and behind my building where it’s not even seen from the road. Something I always thought was a good thing. The creep managed to pry a piece of moulding off the window and use a slim jim to unlock the door. Now I don’t really miss the radio it was crap. No CD player or even a cassette. Just AM/ FM and the reception wasn’t great either I had trouble getting a good signal in the city let alone in the countryside where radio stations are scarce. I usually just used my IPOD on road trips anyway. But my GPS that I was sorry about! I just bought it back in September for my trip to South Australia. I used it frequently around the city and always stashed it out of sight when I parked the truck. Nothing else was taken, thank god, because my brand new 2 room, 4 person tent was in the back seat. The criminal didn’t break anything and even left the moulding on the running board so I was able to put it back on. After my sax lesson I had more time to think things through and Thursday morning I called the local branch of Melbourne Police and filed a report. To my amazement they wanted to fingerprint the car. So after work I took the Tommy the Tank around the corner and filled out a police report. The chance of getting my stuff back is pretty slim but it did feel better the talk to the police about it.


Thursday evening about 6pm and I was able to get back on track with loading the truck up for my camping trip to Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. The plan was to pick Iral up at his home around 8pm. Have dinner and hit the road. We had booked a cheap hotel in Albury just over the state line 4 hours drive away. Then Friday morning we’d only have a 2 hour drive into the park and able to find a camping spot early in the day. We arrived in Albury and found our CHEAP hotel in the centre of town. It was an old Australian/colonial style building with a bar on the first floor with 3 stories of rooms above. The door to the front desk was locked and Iral had to go into a load crowded Irish bar, Paddy’s, full of drunk 20 something or younger (the drinking age in Australia is 18) to find someone to let us into the room. Once in room 408 we found it technically qualified as a room with a bed and bath. But with paint peeling from the ceiling, cobwebs in the corners of the windows and only 1 electrical outlet in the entire space. This meant we had to figure out a way to plug 2 CPAP machines in. A word to the wise if you ever find yourself in Albury New South Wales stay away from “The New Albury Hotel”! I’d hate to see what the old one was like. Tired and thirsty from a work week and 4 hour drive we headed down to the bar for a couple drinks. The place was packed and most people were very drunk. The security was kept busy keeping young men full of testosterone and beer from showing how low their IQs had fallen and the ones smart enough not to get in a fight were proving that drunken white men can’t sing karaoke to Guns and Rose or anything else for that matter. It was a humours place to be for about 5 minutes. Sucking down 2 quick drinks Iral and I were back up stairs in bed in less than an hour.

Friday morning we made it up and on the road by 9 am. I found a cafe to get Iral some coffee while he checked us out and we were headed east and towards the park with a beautiful sunshine in our faces. This area of Australia is rolling hills with open fields of farmland. It’s called the Australian Alps, with most peaks around 1000m (3280’) it’s more like the Berkshires of Massachusetts then the majestic Alps of Europe. As we drove into the park I had to stop and get my first photo of the trip.

After checking out the Ranger information station in Khancoban and filling up with petrol (gasoline) we started to seek out the campgrounds for an isolated place to spend a few nights. The road took us southerly along the western edge of the park before heading east again into the top skiing resort town the Thredbo New South Wales. The 4 day Easter weekend is considered the last holiday weekend of summer and EVERYONE gets out of town if possible. So as we toured the campgrounds we found them to be full of caravans and families. Not really our scene as I tend to like the smaller places without a lot of people. One of the reasons I love camping is the solitude and nature. Hanging out with Ma and Pa kettle while 9 bogan (redneck) little ones run around under foot wanting to poke their curious eyes into everything I’m doing isn’t my idea of a relaxing weekend. (No offense to my friends with children, but the queen is getting OLD and many of you know  patience is not my strong suit)Iral and I had to drive a little farther than I’d hope but we managed to find a FANTASTIC spot in the Indian Head campground. There we’re no facilities and the closest general store was about 15 kilometres away (9.3 miles). The camps sites were large and open to the sky. They all had rock fire pits but no picnic tables and were spaced far apart. All this was perfect in my eyes as it meant the people that come to this type of spot are ones well stocked and wanting privacy. We found a spot that was literally about an acre in size. I’m talking an imperial unit of measurement acre not a metric one! We had a large fire pit that and a nice flat rock to prop up and use as a hot plate for cooking. It took Iral and I a few minutes to set up my new tent. Then we gathered fire wood from the ample fallen debris around our new home away from home. It was about 3pm by now and the sun was setting fairly early, about 6:30pm. We decided to relax for a little while. I broke out my sax to practice and Iral worked on some vocals. He has a lovely voice and will be singing a couple songs at the next band performance in May.

Near 5pm we started to prepare the fire and our items for dinner. Iral cooked some wonderful marinated chicken quarters with roasted veggies. I tried to advise him on campfire cooking techniques but took the hint after a few evil eyes and just shut up! (I know some of you are thinking it’s almost impossible for me to shut up.) I went back to sipping my vodka and reading my book with my lip buttoned as best as I could. The evening had clouded over and as the darkness approached to we realized there would be no star gazing tonight. After dinner I threw the jumbo log on the fire and settled in to watch the flames dance for a while. It was a cool evening you can really tell that summer is over in the southern hemisphere. We had piled the blankets high on top of the air mattress in preparation for temps in the low teens (mid 50) not really that cold for most of you. But it hasn’t been below 65 degrees even at night for the last 6 months here and I have to admit I’m getting acclimated to the Victorian weather. About 10 pm we brought all our gear into the spare room of the tent and zipped it up for the night.

Rising with the sun ,as campers do, is a much more refreshing thing than most think. The crisp clean air opens your sinus while the squawk of the cockatoos opens your ears. I rustle around in the fire pit checking to see if there are any good coals left to start a new fire with and there are some. A few minutes later water is heating in the billy (saucepan like pot) and in no time at all Iral and I are having hot chocolate and coffee warming our feet by the fire. We make the muesli for breakfast, do a hobo wash and head west towards Charlottes Pass where the trailhead is. We stop in Perish Valley a little ski town about 15 kilometres away so we can use a real bathroom and get a REAL latte at the cafe for Iral. There are about 5 buildings in this little town most are fairly large since it is a ski resort place. But it resembles a ghost town at this time of year. The lady at the counter let us know she’s the only thing open in town. Why would there be anything open there are barely any people here at all.

Back in the car all refreshed and we continue on, arriving at the trailhead we’re surprised to find the parking are over flowing with cars and people parking all along the roadside. I had no knowledge of this hike other than a dotted line on the national park map. I knew this route we were taking was the longer of 2 options. There is another trail that started with a ride up the hillside on a ski lift from Thredbo. But we had come around the ridge line and were starting from the back side of the peak. Looking at the trailhead sign I realized the walk was 18 kilometres (11.5 miles) round trip and had 400 metres (1300’) of elevation gain not really all that bad after years on the trails in the Columbia River gorge, Mt St Helen’s and Mt Hood. But still a little longer than I expected and I wasn’t sure how much of a trek Iral was up for. But he was game and I just had to stand on the highest point on the Australian continent, no matter what!

We started out at 1835 metres (6020’ in elevation) with several other small groups of people and a few mountain bikers along a wide well travelled gravel road. All around us was wide open expanse of valleys and rocky peaks. You see the well worn paths the Mother Nature had made as water headed for the lowlands and eventually the oceans. The walk was easy and we made a fairly good pace. At the 6 kilometre marker (3.7 miles) and at 2000m in elevation (6550’) there was a sturdy stone hut for day use and emergency overnight use, named Seaman’s Hut in honour of a group of people that didn’t make it over the pass back in the winter of 1928. It was a great place to take a rest. Inside there was 2 small rooms an old cast iron pipe stove and a large pile of wood. The place was fairly busy and about 20 or so people were milling about.

After a bite to eat and a short beak we continued on the trail. We rounded a corner and you could see our destination clearly across the valley to our right. The trail curved and climb up the hillside. The last mile and a half climbed a little more steeply as we had to gain 800’ in that stretch. Not too hard core but at the elevation we were at you feel each step. We came to the pass level where the trail from the Thredbo side of the mountain met ours and all of a sudden the few people we had been hiking with became a mass of families with Grandma in her brand new sneakers and purse right down to the littlest wee little ones being carried on Dad’s shoulders. This was a bummer for the 2 of us. We had spent the better part of 2 hours enjoying the scenery, the vistas and the peacefulness of the open country. Once reaching the summit we found a tiny little spot to rest amongst the other 100 plus people that we up there. We snapped a few pictures and this one of me standing on top of the rock monument with a survey marker in my usual hiking pose. Then finding a person to snap our picture and headed back down the trail.

The stroll home was much easier. But a little colder the rest had allowed our bodies to rest enough to feel the cool temperatures and our sweaty clothes made it even worse. Once down pass the pass level were most of the day tourist went the other way we got out of the wind a little bit and it was better. As always the trip down hill is faster and we only stopped once. With about 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) left Iral had mentioned several times how sore he was so in an effort to take his mind off the pain. I sang him “99 bottles of beer on the wall” Yep all 99 verses too! He had never heard the song and I’m fairly sure doesn’t ever want to hear it again. We made it back to the car in about 4.5 hours too bad for a hike completely above 6000’ in elevation. I grabbed us a couple Dr. Peppers and some moon pies and we drove down the road. We stopped at one of the caravan parks, Sawpit Creek, to pick up some ice and got back to camp shortly after 3pm. We chatted about what to eat for dinner and what to do with the rest of our time now that our main goal had been reached. It was decided we drive to Canberra about 200 kilometres (124miles) away and we’d stay in a hotel. So dinner was a smorgasbord of meat. The evening ended much like the one before with vodka and another giant log on the campfire.

Easter Morning we got up and made scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and veggie breakfast by the campfire. Eddie and Corina know just what I’m talking about. It’s an old favourite I’ve been had many times. After breakfast we cleaned our dishes and started to break camp. I took all the things out of the truck to repack and Iral started to work on removing things from the tent.

On Wednesday night before we left, while shopping for supplies, Iral had a great idea that we have our own Easter egg hunt. So we purchased a couple small packages of chocolate eggs with a big bunny and planned to scatter them in our campsite. After we had packed up everything except the tent and chairs we split the campsite in half did a coin toss to see who hid their eggs first. Iral started and I stepped into the empty tent for a few minutes. When he was done we swapped places and I hid Iral’s treats. Once I was finished we both set out on our sides of the field and hunted for about a dozen various sized eggs and one 8” chocolate bunny each. Iral managed to find several very quickly and I had to turn over every rock, leaf and piece of bark to find some of the ones he had hidden quite well. After about 15 minutes of each of us searching on our own we started to give hints to each other. The day was sunny and warm we were afraid the chocolate might melt before we found it. I was finally left searching for a few medium size eggs and the last 2 tiny ones we never did find and left them for the animals to enjoy. Iral had found all of the ones I had hidden fairly easily but I really hid the bunny well and I had to give him some focused tips for him to find it. I don’t remember the last time I hunted for eggs and it was a great time bringing back found memories of search in my grandparents yard for the plastic ones containing chocolate and coins with me cousins.

We packed up the tent and hit the road by about 9:30 am. It was Iral’s turn to drive Tommy the tank and I was able to relax a little in the passenger’s seat. The drive wasn’t very long just a couple hours and along the way we found a 3 Rivers clothing outlet store and stopped in see what they had on hand. I got 3 new shirts for work and a pair of stylish boots. Iral got 2 pairs of boots. We’re in a little competition to see which one of us can become Imelda Marcos first. Stopping again for a meat pie and coffee we arrived in Canberra about 2pm. We did a little driving around in circles to find the Information centre and then to our hotel by the Parliament building. Once checked in it was time for a LONG HOT shower and a nap in a proper bed. We got up about 4pm and got in a little sightseeing before dark at 7pm. We had just turned back the clocks the night before or should I say the people in the civilized world did. You tend to lose track of time while camping and an hour doesn’t make much difference. We left the hotel and went straight for the Parliament building.

Canberra is NOT like Washington DC at all. Sure it has all the monuments, a range of national galleries and museums. But it is a fairly young city, less than 100 years old and VERY quiet. It was a selected as the site of the national’s capital in 1908 and construction began in 1913. But only after World War II did it really get a foot hold and begin to grow in size. Today’s population is only at 345,000. You can read more about by clicking in this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra

We only really had one night in town and less that 24 hours at that. We were not able to go inside the building because it had just closed minutes before we arrived. So we snapped a few pictures and then took a tour of the world Embassies located nearby. Several of the buildings were done in an architectural style befitting that country. My favourite was the Papua New Guinea building.

The American one was an entire complex of several colonial style buildings. Complete with an iron gate surrounding it and several Australian Federal Police officers keeping a close eye on anyone venturing too close. When we first saw it I stopped Tommy the Tank nearby and got out to snap this picture. Just by pulling over it made this cop get out of his car and start walking towards us. When I mentioned I was a Yank and just wanted to take a picture he nodded and stoped approaching us. But he never relaxed or retreated in any way until we were back in the truck and on our way out of the area.

After the embassy tours we headed into town to find a place for dinner. We stopped at the casino and we’re severely disappointed. It was a small room with about 10 tables. 2 blackjack, 1 roulette wheel, a poker table, an electronic roulette table and a off track betting area was all that was running. Not slots machines at all. The place maybe had 40 people in it and that included the staff.

So we headed for the “city walk” area, a pedestrian friendly zone with shopping, bars and restaurants. Find just a few things open we had a nice dinner and then tried to locate the only gay bar in town we had been told about. It took some time to find the doorway and that was only cause we saw 2 guys standing out front trying to figure out if it was open. They were international tourist and we helped them confirm it was indeed a gay bar and I saw the sign inside the glass entry way stating opening hours began at 10pm, which was too late for all of us, as it was only 8pm at the time. Iral and I went back to hotel to get a good night’s sleep before our 700 km (435 miles) long drive home in the morning.

We slept in a little and grabbed breakfast at a McDonalds along the freeway in a town called Yass New South Wales. I can tell you we made a LOT of joke about eating in Y’ass and driving through Y’ass as I’m sure you can imagine. We stopped back at the CHEAP hotel in Albury to pick up the power cord to Iral’s CPAP machine that I forgot to repack the morning we left. We also got some lunch there at the local Pokies club (slot machines) filled the tank and hit the last stretch of road home. The closer we got to Melbourne the heavier the traffic became. Lots and lots of people trying to get home after the 4 day weekend just like us.

Well friends I’m going to end there. 3800 words and you all are probably saying THANK GOD!

Sorry this has taken so long to post. I’ve been working 50+ hour weeks and am just too tired when I get home to sit in front of the computer for any length of time.

Happy Birthday goes out to my Stepmom, Marian on the 23rd.

The next blog will be sometime in late May after the next band concert. So until then take care my good friends.