Our free overnight camp at the Visitor Information Centre in Goulburn was great. Goods trains travel past about 40 metres away, but they didn’t bother us. It was disappointing to see other travellers park in restricted areas and dispose of grey water on the garden beds, contrary to the clear rules.
We went for a short walk up to the railway station. While this building was well maintained, other historic railway infrastructure was neglected and had broken windows.
Our first stop was the Metro service station to refuel, and our second stop was the dump site outside the showground on Braidwood Rd. We told Google maps to take us to Yackandandah, but the chosen route involved a 2.7 metre low bridge under a railway line. Fortunately, we spotted the problem before it was too late!
After turning right off Braidwood Rd onto Garoorigang St, there is a sign warning the road is not suitable for caravans, and another sign showing the height of the tunnel. We need at least 3.5 metres before we would drive under a tunnel or service station roof. The tunnel is historic and clearly marked on Google maps as being a 2.7 metres low bridge. We hadn’t spotted that detail and just started following the route. Several caravans have come to grief under the tunnel, losing their rooftop air conditioners.
A reviewer has posted photos of debris left by caravans that have been damaged under the bridge and another specific warning. I will contact the Visitor Information Centre to suggest they warn caravanners about this bridge, particularly if, like us, they give directions to the dump site. If we hadn’t made that diversion, we would not have driven near the tunnel.
We eventually turned around and found the alternate route southbound out of Goulburn that does not involve any low bridges!
Our drive along the Hume Hwy was uneventful except for one scary situation involving several trucks. We tend to travel at the same speed as trucks, about 100kph on straight roads, slower on windy roads.
A couple of trucks had overtaken other trucks, but as we got closer realised one truck was travelling very slowly, almost walking pace. The last truck overtaking the slow-moving truck was reduced to jogging pace as it had lost its momentum going up the hill. We stayed way back and put on our emergency flashing lights to warn other vehicles of the danger, but two cars drove past us and had to brake suddenly when they realised how slow both trucks were moving. Luckily, they avoided colliding with the back of either truck.
We stopped for lunch at MacDonald’s at Gundagai after reading a sign advising it was on the highway, and we wouldn’t have to drive through the town. There was parking around the back beside a wide nature strip. Anita went over to order, and I followed later with Bluey. In the outdoor seating area, he was ambushed by three look-alike poodles. Their Japanese owners told me one was the offspring of the other two, and they had one more at home. I only managed to get a photo of two of his new best friends. I didn’t get a chance to ask about their fancy coats.
We chose Yackandandah as our two night stop because it is an historic village. We stayed here at least 8 years ago with Max, Coco, Miki and Riki when the ground was sodden and the rain persistent. Today, it was a much nicer dry and sunny caravan park for $40 per night for a powered site.
Once we had backed onto our site, I tied Tilly to the outside of the Bushtracker, where she was immediately tormented by a young magpie looking for human food. I took Bluey for a walk around the park, admiring the autumn folliage when I heard this paragliding overhead.
Tonight the minimum temperature is forecast to be 6°, so Bluey has his coat on under the doona. Tilly stays in her warm pouch unless she needs extra warmth.
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