Back to the Snowy Mountains

The first camp (for me) included a return to the Snowy Mountains for three nights in company with Dave from Shintara. We did decide to do things a little differently this time, where I suggested a place to eat - a place where Dave hadn't been before and my last time there was something like 30 years ago. The Paragon Cafe in Auburn Street, Goulburn was the place and we headed in on the first night of the camp to get stuck in to the tucker on offer. Dave opted for the works burger and a Coke whilst I had the flathead and a chocolate milkshake - in the metal cup, no less. I will be going back!

From there we headed to the Denison Campground near Adaminaby - a place we've camped at several times before. We did arrive late and were careful to get out roof tents up and a few things unpacked without disturbing the other campers nearby. After sorting a few things out we called it a night but it wouldn't stay peaceful for very long. About thirty minutes went by before a pack of truly inconsiderate arseholes rocked up and spent the best part of an hour, leaving their engine running whilst setting up the camper trailer they towed in, including operating four very noisy levelling jacks. It really does go without saying that there are people in this world who do not deserve to participate in camping trips because there are some unwritten rules (which we did abide by) and one is that there is no fucking noise after 22:00hrs. The lack of respect for those around these people was astonishing and the length of time this went on for just demonstrated that they simply didn't care who they were disturbing.



The next morning, we had brekky and then packed for the journey to where we'd stay the second night - Old Snowy Campground. Before setting up, Dave took the opportunity to sort out the spooling of his new winch and this simply required him to unroll the cable and then roll it back on to the winch neatly so when in use, it won't jerk about. I parked my car about 25m ahead and attached the rope to my towbar, then whilst I moved Dave's ute forward, he watched the rope to make sure it was going back onto the winch correctly.



Following that, camp was made for the night and some relaxation by Gurrangorambla Creek was had before meals and the campfire prepared. As does often happen, we were welcomed to the site by a kangaroo and her joey who both decided to inspect our fire before it was lit. We couldn't help notice that a lone female camper had shifted away from yet another noisy bunch. I guess it is a sign of the times - groups of people just running amok and not showing consideration for anyone else. Because all these remote campsites and online site bookings and are no longer patrolled by park rangers, people think it is a licence for 'anything goes'. Tea time came around and for me it would be curried sausages and rice. I did want to pre-cook this and just reheat in camp but circumstances meant that cooking it all fresh and having a big wash up to do afterwards was the only way it was going to happen.



In preparation for Sunday, 26th January, which is Australia Day, it was mandatory to wolf down some barbequed tucker and get stuck in to some alcoholic beverages. The following morning came around and another quick breakfast was followed by a pack of camp so we could move to the final destination for the long weekend - Ghost Gully Campground which was over on the other side of Tantangara Dam - one of the 16 dams in the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme and also the site of the water inlets for the 2,000MW Snowy 2.0 project.



Being quite hot that day, we did manage to find a site at Ghost Gully which provided some shade and this helped with relaxation through the afternoon. We both made our lunches and to continue with the theme, I cooked up sausage sandwiches with eggs, bacon and onions. Dave would save his bangers for tea time and he'd have those with a steak cooked over the camp fire, whilst I would cook up beef rissoles, mash, carrots and home-made gravy, never being one for boxed gravy. As night fell and the fire crackled, we toasted King and Country under the Australian Flag by the fire that night and proudly so. We both hit our racks at about 23:00hrs.



The Denison and Old Snowy grounds will one day get some return visits, as the stays are quite relaxing - noisy campers aside. However it is likely that Ghost Gully will be passed by on future visits to the Alps due to the fact that the road passes right through the middle of the ground and we did find that few that are driving through bother to slow down, meaning bulldust is thrown into the air which then floats into the camp sites. Old Snowy is in a bit of a valley and is quite picturesque. On Monday, I had to return to Sydney to prepare for a return to work following the long weekend but Dave had an extra day off and spent that night back at Adaminaby before making his return trip.

Overall, the weekend was a success and a couple of new camping areas were tried out, whilst with mixed results, this is worth doing so we have a better idea of where to go back to in future trips. The big task I have now, is to decide where to camp next.

On a final note, this was the first big test of the new rooftop tents. They are proving their worth in terms of speed when making and breaking camp, but also in terms if me not having to bend my back as much when packing heavy tents and lifting them off the ground into the car. My Oztent RV-5 weighs about 30kg when packed and separate bags contain the optional extension kit and side awning whilst the larger Oztent Jet Tent F30 weighs more than 45kg in the bag, plus its extension kit.

Don't get me wrong - both are very good quality tents and are fantastic for base camping in one spot for 3 days onwards but I am not getting any younger and for the quick or multi-site camps that we are all doing these days, such heavy accommodation is becoming a handful. My new roof tent can be unpacked and set up in around two minutes and there is no lifting to do. Packing it away is equally easy. Dave's tent is a different make and model but is equally as easy to unpack and pack away.

Lastly, a couple of photos of Lake Eucumbene, which is well down on previous levels, due to the need to stop the water flow through Providence Portal, a tunnel which carries water to this lake from Tantangara Dam, which is also very low due to the new tunnelling work on Snowy 2.0.



If the lake was at 100% capacity, I'd be under about 25m of water where I had my car parked. This lake is the largest water body in the Snowy Scheme when it is full.

Written at 21:15 on 4 February 2025 by Brad.

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