over easter weekend, we headed out of sydney along with thousands of sydneysiders, hitting the open road for the snowy mountains of new south wales (thankfully everyone else was headed to the blue mountains). although we've traveled a bit since we've been here, not having a car has limited our weekend adventures to the sydney area. so, jumping in a car and taking off for the country was really liberating for us.
since we were camping and didn't have to stick to any sort of schedule, we took our time getting down to the mountains. our first stop was at a little roadside rest area. to our pleasant surprise, an older mother and her son had set up a van in the parking lot equipped with an espresso machine in the back. they sold coffees, homemade sandwiches and baked goods to passing drivers. having skipped breakfast, this was a much welcomed sight - far more appealing than mcdonald's or the petrol station down the road. in fact, we thought it was such a genius idea, we are considering it as a future weekend career at home (maybe).
further on, almost to canberra, we stopped for lunch in the lovely city of goulburn. it was a cold day for australia and because it was good friday, there was a peaceful pre-holiday feel in the city. people were walking around bundled up in coats and scarves (a wonderful sight for our winter-starved eyes) and were shopping and lunching in the 1940's style cafes. we grabbed some savory pies and hot cross buns (an australian easter tradition apparently) and ate our lunch in the park. on the way out of goulburn we stopped for a fabulous photo opportunity with the world's largest sheep.
after 6 hours of driving (with a few more stops for free coffee and biscuits courtesy of organizations who were on a mission to keep holiday drivers awake and alert) we made it to the mountains. the snowy mountains are the tallest range in australia and are also considered to be an alpine range. but they don't actually seem that tall and look more like the green mountains than the swiss alps. still they were pretty. we found a great camping spot by a creek just outside the cozy ski resort town of thredbo. it was cold (our 55 degree sleeping bags barely cut it) but the air was crisp and fresh and the night so quiet, we slept well.
the next day we bundled up in long underwear and rain gear - since we don't have any other winter things - and headed up the tallest mountain in australia, mt. kosciuszko. we tackled the first third of the mountain via ski lift and then finished off the rest on our own two legs. there were massive rock formations all around and we were sometimes covered with a fog so thick we could barely see the hikers in front of us. but there were a lot of people - including little grannies and toddlers (it may be the tallest mountain in australia but it definitely wasn't mt everest or anything). so after reaching the summit we set off on another, less traveled trail down to a beautiful alpine lake where we had lunch. this extra bit really wore us out. but it was a beautiful hike along the barren alpine ridge. back down in thredbo we found a lively lodge to warm up with wine and hot food, readying ourselves for another night of cold camping.
the next morning we decided to pack up our things, jump in the car and head to warmer climes on the south coast. this is a story for another day, and almost felt like another whole weekend in itself. more to come...
since we were camping and didn't have to stick to any sort of schedule, we took our time getting down to the mountains. our first stop was at a little roadside rest area. to our pleasant surprise, an older mother and her son had set up a van in the parking lot equipped with an espresso machine in the back. they sold coffees, homemade sandwiches and baked goods to passing drivers. having skipped breakfast, this was a much welcomed sight - far more appealing than mcdonald's or the petrol station down the road. in fact, we thought it was such a genius idea, we are considering it as a future weekend career at home (maybe).
further on, almost to canberra, we stopped for lunch in the lovely city of goulburn. it was a cold day for australia and because it was good friday, there was a peaceful pre-holiday feel in the city. people were walking around bundled up in coats and scarves (a wonderful sight for our winter-starved eyes) and were shopping and lunching in the 1940's style cafes. we grabbed some savory pies and hot cross buns (an australian easter tradition apparently) and ate our lunch in the park. on the way out of goulburn we stopped for a fabulous photo opportunity with the world's largest sheep.
after 6 hours of driving (with a few more stops for free coffee and biscuits courtesy of organizations who were on a mission to keep holiday drivers awake and alert) we made it to the mountains. the snowy mountains are the tallest range in australia and are also considered to be an alpine range. but they don't actually seem that tall and look more like the green mountains than the swiss alps. still they were pretty. we found a great camping spot by a creek just outside the cozy ski resort town of thredbo. it was cold (our 55 degree sleeping bags barely cut it) but the air was crisp and fresh and the night so quiet, we slept well.
the next day we bundled up in long underwear and rain gear - since we don't have any other winter things - and headed up the tallest mountain in australia, mt. kosciuszko. we tackled the first third of the mountain via ski lift and then finished off the rest on our own two legs. there were massive rock formations all around and we were sometimes covered with a fog so thick we could barely see the hikers in front of us. but there were a lot of people - including little grannies and toddlers (it may be the tallest mountain in australia but it definitely wasn't mt everest or anything). so after reaching the summit we set off on another, less traveled trail down to a beautiful alpine lake where we had lunch. this extra bit really wore us out. but it was a beautiful hike along the barren alpine ridge. back down in thredbo we found a lively lodge to warm up with wine and hot food, readying ourselves for another night of cold camping.
the next morning we decided to pack up our things, jump in the car and head to warmer climes on the south coast. this is a story for another day, and almost felt like another whole weekend in itself. more to come...
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