Trip to Young, Junee and Cowra

[DaveHam9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young,_New_South_Wales

Lots of cherry trees around Young. The pickers are paid $13.50 for that 14kg box of cherries about to be tipped into the wash. The supermarkets sell them at $15 - $19 per kg. The machine sorts them into three sizes - under 22mm, 22-25 and over 25mm. The workers are removing the defective ones which are used to make jams etc.

Looks as though I'll have to resize the images before attaching them.

Dave

 

[DaveHam9]

We also visited Grove Estate Wines just outside Young.

Very healthy looking vines.

Dave

 

[DaveHam9]

On our way from Young to Junee the highway and railway line cross several times. We were held up at two level-crossing but just beat the train at the third. The train had four locomotives and 75 wagons carrying rolled steel plate from Port Kembla to Melbourne.

The farming area is mainly wheat and sheep and some cattle.

 

[DaveHam9]

Monte Cristo

https://www.montecristo.com.au

 

[DaveHam9]

The Roundhouse at Junee holds the largest railway turntable in the southern hemisphere.

One of the old carriages on display was a mail-sorting van.

We were about to depart for lunch but the tour bus wouldn't start - flat battery. The 24v battery from the old Sydney double-decker bus was used to jump-start the coach.

Dave

 

[DaveHam9]

Cowra has a very large Japanese garden on the hill above the town.

Dave

 

[gibbo]

I was born in Junee. Monte Cristo is a good tourist attraction as is the railway. Its been about 30 years since i have been back. I really should make the effort and see all them places again and family.

 

[DaveHam9]

Um. Yes, you should go back sometime.

I've cut the trip and the photos a bit.

We also visited Hume Cottage near Yass, the home for many years of the explorer Hamilton Hume.

 

[DaveHam9]

We also did a hot lap in the coach around Mt Panorama - 9 min 12 sec.

Visited Katoomba and Echo Point and the Three Sisters. Used to be 7 Sisters.

The bottle brushes are very good this year.

 

[gibbo]

Did you go through a little place called Illabo? I was born in Junee but raised in Illabo until we left to come to QLD. Illabo is only tiny, if you blinked you would have missed it

 

[DaveHam9]

Yes, we went though Illabo and Harden and Cootamundra and Wallenbeen and Wombat.

We came into Young the first day via Gunning, Yass and Harden/Murrumburrah.

Yes, Young, Wombat, Wallenbeen, Cootamundra, Illabo, Junee. Then back to Young the same way.

At the 2006 census, Illabo had a population of 190. Illabo Post Office opened on 1 July 1879.

 

[gibbo]

Beautiful country out that way. What did you think of Monte Cristo?

 

[DaveHam9]

The country was very brown and dry. Got a bit of rain on the Wednesday but the area needs a lot more.

Monte Cristo is an interesting building but almost nothing is original. It was a shell and none of the original furniture survived. Reginald Ryan was an antique dealer so he travelled everywhere including London to get furniture that sort of fits. Hard to know if it looks anything like it originally did.

Abercrombie House near Bathurst is a better example of what the interior would look like. I went through it a few years ago. I have pics on the computer.

http://www.abercrombiehouse.com.au

 

[gibbo]

You didnt have any trouble with ghosts in Monte Cristo?
I have never seen anything in all the times i had been there tho others have.

 

[DaveHam9]

I didn't have any issues but the door of the bus would not open as were ready to leave. Then at Junee the bus had a flat battery when we were ready to leave the Roundhouse for lunch.

 

[gibbo]

At the 2006 census, Illabo had a population of 190. Illabo Post Office opened on 1 July 1879.

The post office burned down about 5 years ago, a lady died in the fire. She was the same lady who ran it when i was a kid. When i was a kid she also ran the telephone exchange from there as well.

 

[gibbo]

I didn't have any issues but the door of the bus would not open as were ready to leave. Then at Junee the bus had a flat battery when we were ready to leave the Roundhouse for lunch.

Forces at play

 

[DaveHam9]

Forces at play

Seems so.

Telephone exchange for how many families?

 

[gibbo]

Seems so.

Telephone exchange for how many families?

I have no idea i was only a kid so dont remember how many families. I do remember going in there and watching her plugging plugs into different parts of a large board like thing on the wall.

 

[DaveHam9]

Not too many numbers then. Some of those old exchanges ended up in local museums. Didn't notice one in Young.

There were some photos and letters in Young museum from a few people in my tree. Elizabeth Caldwell was one. Very hard trying to get a decent photo through the glass on the cabinets.