We've had a big focus on the book "Cotter - a novel" by Canberra region author Richard Begbie, over the past month (choice of my two book clubs + two discussion groups with the author). So I have been keen to start looking at "Cotter" and "Onyong" country a lot more closely. We've neglected this beautiful area of the Namadgi National Park for too many years. Maybe it's a case of somewhere being so close to home - it's always easy to put off a visit until "later".
Our goal today was to walk to the Yankee Hat Aboriginal rock paintings, on the edge of the Bimberi Wilderness area of Namadgi. The start of the walk on the Old Boboyan Road, south of Tharwa was only about an hour's drive (67klm to be exact) from home in Campbell. The last 3klms or so was unsealed, but it was still an easy drive for us.
The Yankee Hat walk is only 6klm return, through open grassland ………...
Over the Gudgenby River ……….
A small hilly section, more densely treed …...
As we draw closer to the Bimberi Wilderness area and the base of Yankee Hat (hill) ……..
And find the Aboriginal rock paintings in the most amazing rock - cave formation at the base of the hill. ……... I could not believe how clean and fresh they look. No one knows how old they area but there is evidence that there has been human habitation in the "cave" for at least 800 years. There were great Bogong moth feasts in this region every Spring, up until a few generations ago. Aboriginal people believe the animals and human forms depicted here represent the totems of all the clan groups that used to gather here for the festivities.
We stayed for a while marvelling at this extraordinary site, so close to the nation's capital - and yet still so relatively unknown.
Walking back I realised what a great landmark Yankee Hat (hill) is …….
Getting back to the carpark we passed the big mob of kangaroos that looks after this part of the national park - doing their best impression of being rocks in the landscape.
There are around 30 identified walks through Namadgi National Park. I'm so glad we've made a start!
We moved into Saint Germain a year ago on the 3rd June 2017. It means we've lived here long enough to see the progress of all the seasons through our north facing glass walls looking towards Mt Ainslie. This past Autumn would rate as our favourite season so far …..
I took this pic from our window at the beginning of April when the first dusting of Autumn colours on the parkland trees started to emerge.
3 weeks later it looked like this …….
A month ago it looked like this - Autumn colour at its absolute exhilarating peak.
A week ago sunrise was looking like this ……. winter has arrived!
We had friends over this week and used it as an excuse to celebrate Wayne's birthday. Judy made one of her spectacular cakes for him ……...
Reminding us that a year ago Judy made us another spectacular cake to celebrate our move into the apartment ….. Hopefully this can become an annual tradition Judy ??
We've made more progress over the past 6 months making our apartment "home". David has just about completed this beautiful and unique timber storage unit in the living room, which we are really thrilled with ……
And we have made a bit more progress with the winter garden, after spending a year experimenting with the kinds of plants that will tolerate our regular absences OS and in Sydney, and the "glasshouse" conditions (succulents and semi-tropicals are good).
It's a great place to sit in the sun on a Winter's day admiring the views and the birdlife enjoying those parkland trees ……..
We've had the Coogee flat rented for a month now and we're just starting to ease into a more Canberra based life after an intense month of packing cleaning sorting and unpacking (again). We've never regretted any aspect of this move to apartment life despite minor regrets mostly to do with not having our own garden any more. Lucky there is such a beautiful natural environment surrounding us to fulfill our attachment to plants and earth.
This post is a celebration of Ella on her eleventh birthday. She's still the gorgeous, talented, bright and funny girl we've known for over a decade, but a lot taller now ........ always on the move ......... and always heading in the right direction!
This was the big birthday present this year - one for the whole family to share .......
Ella's birthday yesterday was also marked by the installation of her first (small) set of braces. They only affect her back molars at this stage so hopefully her megawatt smile will be unhindered by the new hardware.
We were able to see Ella's two and half hour gym session last night (no slacking off just because it's her birthday). She does some very scary stuff - and beautifully too!
Ella can walk the full length of this floor mat on her hands!
Happy Birthday beautiful Ella!
This year is the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur by Japanese torpedo off the coast of South Queensland around 4.00am on 14th May 1943.
We like to attend the commemoration of this wartime disaster each year at the Australian War Memorial, in memory of Rob's Dad Allan who was one of the few survivors. Of the 332 persons on board only 64 survived.
Each year at the Last Post ceremony there is a focus on someone who lost their life on the Centaur. Private Athol Povey (from Queanbeyan) of the 2/12 Field Ambulance was the focus of this commemoration. He was only 21 when he was killed, two years younger than Allan. There looked to be family members here tonight laying wreaths - so sad.......
The Last Post ceremony is perfectly beautiful; simple but exquisitely layered and disciplined. We were standing much closer to the presenters this year and got to admire up close the incredible synchronicity of the "catapault team" presenting arms. Their efforts were even more arresting than the the noisy mobs of cockatoos in the space of open blue sky above the Pool of Remembrance.
It's almost dark by the time the service has ended. We're surprised by the number of navy personnel and American Embassy people here tonight. Security is tight and there are quite a few black shiny cars waiting to pick up all the suits at the end of the night. The War Memorial however looks beautiful at any time of the day or night.
Abi is growing up fast. After years of avoiding having her photo taken whenever she could, she actually "asked" (told) me to take photos this week at swimming class (because I am so good at swimming - she said).
Abi executes a perfect dive!
I think this is the first time Abi has happily "posed" for me.........
Abi took this gorgeous shot of Ella!
The Yankee Hat walk is only 6klm return, through open grassland ………...
Over the Gudgenby River ……….
A small hilly section, more densely treed …...
As we draw closer to the Bimberi Wilderness area and the base of Yankee Hat (hill) ……..
And find the Aboriginal rock paintings in the most amazing rock - cave formation at the base of the hill. ……... I could not believe how clean and fresh they look. No one knows how old they area but there is evidence that there has been human habitation in the "cave" for at least 800 years. There were great Bogong moth feasts in this region every Spring, up until a few generations ago. Aboriginal people believe the animals and human forms depicted here represent the totems of all the clan groups that used to gather here for the festivities.
We stayed for a while marvelling at this extraordinary site, so close to the nation's capital - and yet still so relatively unknown.
Walking back I realised what a great landmark Yankee Hat (hill) is …….
Getting back to the carpark we passed the big mob of kangaroos that looks after this part of the national park - doing their best impression of being rocks in the landscape. 
There are around 30 identified walks through Namadgi National Park. I'm so glad we've made a start! 
