Riding The Cooma Monaro Railway

No riding anymore, just looking at the way train travel used to be through Cooma, a town about an hour south of Canberra. Like a lot of small town train stations, once the rail line in Cooma stopped stopping, the station became a museum.

The railway station exterior. Built in 1889 in the classic, "Railway Gothic" style, it's known as a roadside station.

On the platform side, a cart full of luggage. "I'm not joking, come claim your bag or it's going in the rubbish bin." The stationmaster has a nice office. Map on the wall says where the trains go. Safe by the desk says where the money goes. Keep it all moving...

Leveraging the train movements from inside the signal box shed. Blue is for boy trains, red is for girl trains. Right?

Ugh, so much paperwork. Rules and regulations, engineman's daily report, your identity card, journals, when does it end? At least passengers get to clean up. Who knew little travel soap could be collectible?

The big station water supply tank up on a hill.

Dy-No-Mite! Way out on its own, a box car filled with explosive supplies. The Cooma station is near the big Snowy Mountain Hydro project, a giant engineering complex of dams, reservoirs, power plants. Lots of blowing up mountains and taming rivers.

No trains, no need for a big turntable to keep them organized. Back to weeds.

Dummies Stuck At The Cooma Gaol

You don't have to be stupid to end up at the Corrective Services NSW Museum in Cooma, otherwise known as a gaol (jail). You just need to be made of wax or plastic or rubber or some other creepy material and also be able to hold still forever. Be a dummy.

"Bed check!"

The prison staff is not shown in a heroic light. Gasping guard in too much lipstick and a riot officer, ready to swat. What's with the two fingers, some sort of undercover gang warning?

About to heave in steerage. The museum goes as far back as when England was shipping convicts out to New South Wales.

Fashion mannequin "Gangsta," with cry-baby tear. Sure to appear in a future Calvin Klein show. Haggard visitor.

"Hello Clarice." Having some fun with the solitary confinement, padded cell set. "Have you seen my other arm? Oh, that's right, I ate it."

Going To Gaol In Cooma

It seems like every small town in Australia has an old gaol (jail) that's now a museum. So proud of their convict past!

Don't take a wrong turn in Cooma. Actually, not a museum. Right across the street from the "Corrective Services NSW Museum" is the genuine, open for incarceration, real thing, a working gaol. It just looks nicer than the exterior of the museum so it better fits this post.

Inside the museum, a big hodgepodge of artifacts from various defunct New South Wales gaols. You don't like prison chow? Go to the store and get yourself some fine Wheat-Bix. And your bunkmate may thank you. Stay away from the frozen dinners in the "meal barrow" (the stainless steel cart).

Contraband Hall of Fame. Drugs, weapons, cell phones, Pokemon cards. Maybe the cards are OK. Could be a gateway hobby.

Do your time as a guard, rise to superintendent and they paint your portrait. And then your wife donates it to a museum. Riot gear. Or as the PR Dept calls it, Special Emergency Response Team.

Typical cell with odd collection of items. His and His fans, waffle iron and random blocks of wood. Must be a unique hooch that's made in the toilet. Is that a thing beyond prison movies?

Dam, It's The Snowy Mountains Scheme

Australia is an arid country with arable land and water sources mostly close to coasts. After WWII, the country initiated a Colorado River type of dams, reservoirs and hydro power projects on the Snowy River. There's a little museum in Cooma that explains the "scheme" and its history of development.

Come on in and discover the power of water.

Map of the project and a wall of old photos, detailing construction. Old engineering objects and a display about the wonders of irrigation. "You think that cabbage just grows itself?"

Drill, baby, drill. The project required lots of mountain tunneling and men with long things that behaved unpredictably.

Real time power usage monitor map. Someone in Berridale is running their washer too much. Train set-like model of the breadth of the project, not letting any of the snowpack go to waste.

Outside the center is a lovely, sad memorial plaque dedicated to the people killed during construction. The bronze frieze has a great WPA stylistic quality to it.

Summer At Thredbo

Thredbo is Australia's main ski resort. Busy in winter, looking for work in the summer. Seems like the perfect time to visit to be alone on a bare mountain.

Chairlift station at the mountain base. No snow, no crowds. The place is popular with mountain bike enthusiasts in the summer.

Prepped for winter, a long way off. Chairlift through forest scrub. At least the lift is running, taking people near the top for some summit hiking.

Up top, paths to get you to the highest point in Australia.

Back at the base, an attempt at off-season thrills, the cute "Alpine Coaster." Hotel room art, promoting another season.

Back outside, no changes.

Wandering Around Sydney

Miscellaneous musings on random sights around the big city. Development stops here! Actually, the botanic gardens start there.

Construction is booming in Australia, whether you're renovating an old building or developing from scratch. Make sure to wrap your site with enticing pics, past and future.

Holy Mary. At the Cathedral named for her, a modern, let's be frank, sexier version of her is on display. With baby Jesus, looking a little like a Sears portrait studio picture.

Holy cow. Oops, it's a holy pig, boar. This sculpture in front of Sydney Hospital is a replica of the Il Porcellino, little pig, located in Florence, Italy. Snout rubs must be for good luck on tonsil operations. More fun with sculptures, the Sydney Opera House in shellwork by Aboriginal artist, Esme Timbery. What's next, Opera House in Rice Krispie treats? Should work.

Behold the world's largest hanging animated turret clock. Is that a thing? It's called The Great Australian Clock and it hangs (turrets?) in the Queen Victoria Building market and features dioramas telling the history of Australia from both Aboriginal and immigrant (white) perspectives. Learn something besides the time while you shop.

A Cloudy Beach Day Near Sydney

It can't always be sunny at the beach. Which means a nice chance to enjoy the change in the weather and maybe take a look at some nearby impressive art.

Unsettled conditions and the flags are up. Everyone got the message except this brave/deluded swimmer.

What to do at Bondi beach if you can't be swimming? Might as well take a look at the long procession of lovely murals that line the main sidewalk next to the beach. Channeling Spike Lee's Mookie from his movie, Do The Right Thing. Getting a Brother on the wall. Surfers come in all shapes, sizes, and moods.

"Is the beach open yet?" No, it's not.

OK, back to the murals. Miami Vice gorilla. Of course, an ANZAC mural. Red poppies and Lest We Forget, recognizing military sacrifice and Australia's most sacred day.

"So, the beach is still not open, where am I supposed to swim?" Head to iconic Icebergs Swim Club, no choppy surf can stop your lap count.