Day 10 - Tumbarumba to Canberra
Another
long driving day through the Snowy Mountains. Slow progress as we
went along narrow winding roads.
So
today's entertainment was at the Tumut 2 hydro-electric power station,
which we reached after Rupert relaised you can do engine braking on an
automatic and so stopped incinerating the brakes on the long descent to
the the underground site.
Tumut
2 was built as part of the diversion of the Snowy River, which provided
irrigation to previously marginal farmland. So the son et lumière
that came as part of the tour focused substantially on images of happy
farmers producing beautiful crops in the sunlit uplands etc. And,
being as we were, a party of four blokes, we twitched impatiently until
we were allowed to start looking at bits of machinery.
David
had been warned that on no account was he to try to take the power station
apart "to see how it worked". However, no such restriction was necessary
as the Snowy Mountains Authorty had already dismantled one of their turbines
for maintenance. So the turbine room was already full of bits and
bobs and David was in his element. It was, however, notable that
even with all the juice available to them, the staff had powered their
Christmas tree lights with a portable battery.
And so on to Canberra. A bloody long way. And Mark, mindful of
previous episodes with traffic cops, was sticking fastidiously to the speed
limit. And, for reasons best known to the inhabitants of Australian
Capital Territory, the cricket commentary wasn't being broadcast on the
radio in that area. So the tedium was unrelieved as we approached,
with some trepidation, a city with a reputation for being dull and soulless.
However....
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