The fear of a spider biting me and causing me death in the night is beginning to interrupt my sleep. I tossed and turned last night trying to fall asleep so I could stop thinking irrational thoughts. It worked eventually but it took some time.
Breakfast was included in our room rate so we ate as much as we could before leaving Thredbo Village. On our way out of the township we paused and sought out the cost of ascending the chairlift partway up Mount Kosciuszko. Deterred by the AUD 22 return per person we strolled back to the car and watched children descent the luge. We were both attracted to the alternative fun ride at AUD 5 per person and made for the luge instead.
As expected, I was nervous, of course I was, I am a woose! Ian and I hadn't done it before so we were given brief instructions before clambering on. We were both simultaneously dragged up a steep slope 20 metres apart and released from the top, descending down the 700 metres luge track. Straight away I was enjoying it, I had a permanent chuckle chortling its way out of me for the duration! However, the thing didn't move very quickly, twice it nearly stopped completely and I wondered how I would get it moving again. I was leaning into corners and leaning forward to make it go faster. I guess I don't weigh enough although the children don't seem to have any trouble!
We departed Thredbo Village and travelled back towards Bega where we would rejoin the Princes Highway and head along the 'coastal' route to Lakes Entrance. Lucky for us we chose that route and not the road into Victoria as it happens, because it transpired that there are forty or so bush fires just west of Thredbo which have closed the road we would have taken. [Editors Note: the fires were still burning uncontrollably a week later.]
As we journeyed to Bega we stopped for a couple of photographs of landscapes and generally barren land. We also heard on the radio that the area of New South Wales stretching from Newcastle to Bega has been declared a national disaster due to the very high winds that the east coast received yesterday. The bush fires appeared to have been instigated by lightening storms yesterday also. We couldn't see any evidence of any wind damage as we headed into Bega.
When we reached Nowa Nowa I spotted something dark, low to the ground and fairly slow moving, travelling across the ground 50 metres from the roadside. I urged Ian to turn the car around and we stopped nearby. I thought it was a tortoise or hedgehog. Ian, it seemed, thought it an armadillo. When we got closer and started photographing it it was obvious it was a porcupine with a wonderful shuffled walk and exquisite black long snout. The highlight of our day! We had been on the road for 7 hours! [Editors Note: it was actually an echidna.] One notable thing so far about the wildlife in Australia, is that what little of it you see other than birds is mostly dead, roadkill. There are an awful lot of dead kangaroos by the side of the roads.
We checked into our accommodation for the night and stood out in the cold photographing galahs, bright pink breasted cockatoos, then drove down to the town and photographed a beautiful blood red sunset with perfect orange reflections in the still waters. It was stunning. A huge stork appeared just before I ran out of film. I have never seen such a huge stork before! It was a giant! [Editors Note: it was a pelican.]
We travelled 516 kilometres today from Thredbo Village to Lakes Entrance.
We had another fairly expensive meal tonight which was followed by a fairly early night. I only hope I have less trouble getting to sleep...
Copyright 2003 Helen Fuller. All rights reserved.