Harvie Wall Bangers: Politics and Pinnacles

Canberra and the Snowy Mountains

November 6 to November 13, 2016

Garry punches the air on top of Australia

Majestic alpine country

I'm kicking off with several photos from the Snowy Mountains. We chose the most exquisite day to ascend Mt Kosciuszko - sunny, warmish and with just a little wind. A rare day on the mountains. The experience proved to be one of the highlights of our trip ... and that's saying something.

More to come on the stunning Snowies later.

We left Dubbo on November 6, checked out The Dish at Parkes and stopped for a night in Yass, a lovely town but oh so cold, even in November.

The CSIRO radio telescope - still one of the world's leading radio telescopes and the main player in the film The Dish which recounts its role in relaying images of man's first steps on the moon in 1969.

Then on to our grand capital Canberra.

The view from Mt Ainslie to New Parliament House with the War Memorial in the foreground.

From the War Memorial to New Parliament House.

Both houses were sitting so we booked a seat for Question Time, a most unedifying experience. There was much showmanship and little leadership. Members mocked and ridiculed, sneered and baited, many were ejected from the chamber. No business was achieved, no serious questions were answered. A complete waste of time. There was a delegation from China also sitting in the public gallery. They left after half an hour with incredulous looks on their faces. It also happened to be the day Donald Trump won the US election. Democracy is a strange beast.

From the roof of Parliament House looking back to the War Memorial.
Do we look traumatised? Grimaces after sitting through Question Time.

On the steps of Old Parliament House, the home of Federal Parliament from 1927 to 1988. It houses the Museum of Australian Democracy and we were able to roam freely. Heaps of political history and a fascinating insight into the early workings of the press gallery.

Garry in the old House of Reps.

Below the War Memorial is a labyrinth of galleries depictingAustralia's war history. You can have spend days absorbing the information and viewing the exhibits. A sobering place.

No visit to the capital is complete without a bike ride around Lake Burley Griffin.

Swan Lake: A family cruising the waters

Scrivener Dam which holds back the waters of the Molonglo River to create the lake.

Yarralumla - Government House.

Canberra is awash with museums and galleries and we made a valiant effort to visit most of them. We particularly enjoyed the National Gallery, returning a second time.

Garry in an art gallery? Yup, and loving it.

Fabulous exhibition of Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly series.

After four days in the capital we were in information overload. Time to move on and chill out in the Snowy Mountains, "chill" being the operative word as two days later the weather deteriorated. But the first day - the day we climbed Mt Kosciuszko - was superb.

Going up. We caught the chairlift from Thredbo to Snowgums and hiked from there - a 14km round trip.

Looking down at Thredbo Village from Snowgums

Off we go. Plenty of snow still around.

Our first glimpse of Mt Kosciuszko.

About a third of the track was covered in snow. This was the final ascent. All snow.

Top spot at the top of Australia.

Curiously snow free at the pinnacle.

The scenery was stunning. We were in awe. Many pics of Snowy Mountains following.

Going back down.

Hoody Garry being tongue in cheeky

Filling our water bottles with clear cold mountain water.

We had a beautiful camp spot on the foreshore of Lake Jindabyne.

We were eager to learn the history and ingenuity behind the creation of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme, one of the civil engineering wonders of the modern world. It not only provides clean energy to Australia but turns much of the river flows west to irrigate swathes of Victoria and NSW. The Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Cooma provided detailed information but a 400km round trip through the mountains gave us a real understanding of how it works - a maze of underground tunnels, miles of pipelines, holding dams and pumping stations. An astonishing project.

The upper reaches of the Murray River. We have followed this river throughout this trip, from South Australia, through Victoria and into NSW.

We were disturbed to see how many snow gums had succumbed to dieback, however, the regrowth in many areas was strong.

During the late 1980s I managed a resort called San Michele near Adaminaby. It wasn't a particularly happy chapter in my life but Garry was eager to see it as it forms the basis of many stories.

It looks idyllic from a distance ...

... but it has broken many hearts.

The current owner is obviously suffering.

Only the slab remains of the restaurant, kitchen and reception. We later discovered the building had been hit by lightening and destroyed by fire a year ago. A battle with the insurance company continues.