After a few days at Mittagong we moved on to the Showgrounds at Moss Vale. The autumn colours are becoming stronger and stronger (Bother traffic lights and tinted windscreens, they spoil the photos!).

The predominant tall hedge trees here are pencil pines, not the poplars of drier regions.

Everywhere was so green, including the Showgrounds.

The Showgrounds are obviously  rather old; generations of horses must have chewed on these stall railings.

One of the friendly locals

With the Easter holiday period over it was safe to venture forth again and (again) visit Fitzroy Falls, at the top of the range. There were several informative signs about the native animals to be found there; I loved this one about the platypus near an area that reminded us of the platypus country around Eungella near Mackay. 

The Fitzroy Falls:

More informative signs: wombat, lyrebird, and even one about the Wicked Banksia Men!

Wonderful views and gnarly old trees …

The view from various places along Mt. Gibraltar, overlooking Bowral. It was too hazy for good photos.

Another day we drove down to Wollongong to have lunch with my cousin Eleanor. (More prawns!) Afterwards we visited the headland where in 1880 cannons were placed to defend the port.

Back to Westy and a nice sunset at the Moss Vale showgrounds. Bother the arc lights.

I will leave it to Dave to tell about our visit to the magnificent Railways Museum at Thirlmere, some way north of Mittagong, in the next blog.  We have now been up and down the Great Dividing Range at least four times by several different routes, most of them exceedingly steep and twisty.  Without Westy in tow, thankfully.