Road hazards and Gundagai

Sunday 7th October - 2018

While we were fuelling up in Balranald, we were advised by another motorist who had just driven over from Hay that it would be very dangerous to attempt the Hay Plains at that time of the afternoon because of the hundreds of Kangaroos & Emus that were along the Highway.

In America recently I had to deal with the excessive heat driving through the desert, here in Aussie I had to deal with the Kangaroos & Emus that shared our highways with us at dawn & dusk.

Don’t mess with a 1931 Model A Ford, because you will
definitely come off second best.

I can assure you that weaving my Model A Ford through these animals was very intimidating at times & of course very, very dangerous, we made it unscathed thank heavens and my Model A Ford performed magnificently on the journey.

This afternoon bought back many memories driving into the Town centre of Gundagai, this old wooden bridge that is now derelict, is the same bridge that I have driven over many, many times in my youth on my way to Melbourne to watch the car races at Calder Raceway in the early to '60s.

The old Gundagai Prince Alfred timber road bridge

The timber viaducts & trusses are a wonderful example of early engineering solutions to crossing the major flood plain of the Murumbidgee River. First built in 1866, the bridge formed part of the Hume Highway until it was replaced in the '70s.

I can remember driving across it as clear as yesterday, if there was a semi-trailer coming the other way the whole, rickety-old bridge felt like it was going to fall apart. Not longer open to any traffic, it was listed by the National Trust as being of national significance. 

Parked across the street from the Lotts Family Hotel and the old
Gundagai Theatre on Gundagai's Sheridan Street.

We had a great evening meal at the Lotts family Hotel in Gundagai, it's a great old-fashioned country pub - perfect if you've had enough of fast food and drive-thrus out on highway. Quaint country towns like this have suffered with advent of highway by-passes that see small towns receive less passing traffic and their small businesses suffer accordingly.

Cheers
Warbo