Monday, March 19, 2012

Travelogue: Australia – Tidbinbilla I (Getting There)

The last time I was here I showed this picture of a Kangaroo Crossing sign. You see them everywhere over here along the roads. They are ubiquitous and I opined in that piece that seeing them is a bit like seeing a Deer Crossing back home. You see the signs, you occasionally see the road kill, you rarely see the animals.


But on the way to Tidbinbilla we saw a different road crossing sign. I had to ask what this was, I had heard the word, but I never knew that this was what a wombat looked like. Apparently, hitting them (they are about the size of those pot-bellied pigs that were so popular a few years back) can be really bad for the vehicle that does it.

You know what they say: "Getting there is half the fun!"

We saw this sign on our first approach to the game park. There were only the two, but it was an unexpected treat, getting to see so much of the bush in the Australian Capital Territory. Due to the floods, the road was washed out about 4 KM from the park entrance.

The was a sign (about 10 KM from the entrance) but since it was unclear whether the road was closed or obstructed, we continued to see whether we could get through. We figured that we were too far down the road to turn back without actually taking a look. It was actually impassible. Perhaps if we’d had a 4WD we could have gone through, but as it was, we were turned back.

Which, since, there is little option out in the bush, meant we had to go all the way back to Canberra and take the other road. Tidbinbilla sits on what is essentially a circular route that can be reached (from Canberra) by going either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the circle.

But it was good fun, we got to see the flood damages, and a good bit of the countryside. And although it took us over three hours to cover a distance that should be covered in just over an hour the time we had to spend in the park was reduced.

Part II Tomorrow: Being There

Wherever you are this morning I hope that you have had a great weekend!

Don Bergquist – 19 March 2012 – Canberra, ACT, Australia




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