Justin's Final Farewell

Justin was a man who loved Australia and its wild places.  He loved the mountains and the deserts, the streams and lakes and forests and we had the privilege of being with him in many of these places and seeing the joy it brought to him.  It was his final wish that his ashes be scattered at the top of Mount Kosciuszko. So on Saturday 7th January his friends and family gathered for our final farewell to our much loved friend, father, husband, son and family member who will continue to be sorely missed by us all.
We took the chair lift to the start of the 6 KM walk to the peak.

It was evident to us all that his remains could not have been taken to a more perfect location.

Justin was important to many people and  60 or more had come to the top of the mountain to participate in the scattering of the ashes.

Cooper made sure I got down the mountain safely keeping me company the whole way.

The day was a massive tribute to the man we all loved so much.

Farewell Katoomba - Hello Jindabyne

Having enjoyed Katoomba, the shopping -

and the Carrington Hotel,

it was time to leave the Lord Carrington Suite we had occupied and say farewell to our benefactor, an early Governor of NSW

and a couple of other special friends we met in the hotel.

 We headed out through the rain driving for about 6 hours to reach Jindabyne and a much improved weather system.

Spectacular Blue Mountains

With rain threatening we decided to do a little walking of the tracks around Katoomba.  Without too much trouble you can be rewarded with a range of spectacular views and environments.

The Skyway certainly imposes itself on the scenery near the Three Sisters so the Scenic World operation is not exactly an environmental conservation project.

We walked the paths down into the wet forests at the base of the valley.

With all that energy expended what better to retire to devonshire tea at the hotel?

Scenic World

When visiting the Blue Mountains you are almost obligated to visit the circus that is Scenic World and do the rides. It is all very commercial but at the same time it is well organised and efficient.  The Scenic Railway down the side of the mountain has changed a lot since my first ride about 55 years ago.

Claire seemed a little uncertain about the whole thing.

We also rode the Cableway into the rainforest

and the spectaclular Skyway overlooking the valley and the Three Sisters.

Off to Katoomba

Our extended New Year celebration was to continue at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains and the chosen venue was the historic Carrington Hotel.

We took a two bedroom suite with a large lounge area and a couple of single suites.

We had a large bedroom and bathroom -

and our suite opened out onto the balcony of the Hotel.

The place was a real relic of the 1880s and beautifully restored and preserved.

New Year's Eve

Preferring the comfort of the local attractions to the chaos of Sydney for New Year we booked into the local Golf Club for dinner.

A local vantage point allowed us to see some of the Sydney display from just up the road from the Inchleys.

The walk the following morning took us through the Field of Mars Cemetery where one of Claire's relatives resides.

Meals and accommodation in the newly refurbished Inchley residence were excellent.

New Year Up North

New Year celebrations had been organised for us in Sydney this year so we decided on a road trip.
With regualar stops, it is an enjoyable drive.

Coffee is an important part of the journey. 

The weather appeared to get more threatening as we headed north but it held up and we made it to Goulburn without incident.  We had not seen the town before and were very impressed with it's well preserved buildings and history.

Every town used to have a Paragon Cafe but this one was in excellent shape (for a 70 year old) and was serving excellent meals to a packed house in the evening.

It was later that evening when the storms caught up with us with torrential rain.