Wednesday 1 February, 2006.

On the final day of the Get-together we headed to Cooma. A few kilometres west of the city we drove to the top of Mt Gladstone (1075m) for morning tea. Black Cypress-pine, Manna Gum and other eucalupts grew near the summit. Shrubs included Woolly Grevillea and wattles.

In Cooma we visited the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority Information Centre. We watched an informative video showing spectacular scenery of snow-covered mountains, wombats in the snow and this was linked to the water supplying energy for the hydro-electric scheme. An interesting display of historic artifacts and pictures gave a better understanding of the construction of the Snowy scheme. The pair of bicycle powered generators led to friendly rivalry between energetic contestants.

Lunch at Cooma. With the temperature in the mid 30’s the green lawns and shady trees of Centennial Park provided an inviting place for lunch. After lunch some people inspected places of historical interest along a town walk but many were content to sit in the shade and chat. A small group walked to the display of wreckage from the Southern Cloud aeroplane. It crashed in 1931, but the wreckage was not discovered in Kosciuszko NP until 1958.

Lambie Gorge. We then continued on the Lambie Gorge Walking Track that follows the Cooma Back Creek to the gorge carved through Cooma Granodiorite. The rock was used in many of buildings in early Cooma. The SMHEA used to area to test the newly design steel rock bolts now widely used in mining. At this time of the year Spiny Bursaria one of the few plants flowering. Red-stemmed Wattle, Woolly Grevillea and Elderberry Panax were also growing among the rocks. Icecream and cold drinks were enjoyed on return to Centennial Park

John Gregurke

Insect construction.
Cooma. Photo: Rosalind Smallwood.