With the lush green of Kiama retreating in the rear view mirror we head up the mountain again to the Southern Highlands. We Passed through Goulburn to the small rural town and oxymoron called Crookwell. We stayed in the very basic but clean Crookwell Caravan Park. What it lacked in facilities, made up for in peacefulness with only a handful of travellers staying at any one time.
On the second day here I plugged the washing machine into the ute's inverter only to find it inoperable. I figured it may have blown a fuse so decided I would pool all of my electrical knowledge and fix it. I had done a great job securing it in the ute with pop rivets but with little thought on how to remove it should something go wrong. That lack of forethought came back to bite me as I struggled to dislodge it. Finally after an hour or so bungling about with a hammer and chisel and I lot of swear words it came free. No fault was found with the fuses and with my electrical prowess exhausted it ended up in the bin. I got it at a surprisingly good price so it goes to show you pay for what you get.
On Christmas Eve we drove the half hour into Goulburn to stock up on christmas supplies. We got there early in the day and checked out the war memorial on the hill above town. Next stop was the big sheep although Shaka wasn't particularly impressed - he reckons he's seen bigger. Eventually we got out of Goulburn with Tomoko a bit frazzled by the xmas crowds.
For xmas day Tomoko prepared a festive banquet of chicken, rice and salads and I also filled up on the obligatory chips and lollies. It was pretty muggy early in the day but a midday thunderstorm hung around for the rest of the afternoon, cooling things down and we indulged in another xmas tradition - the post lunch nap which lasted well into the late afternoon.
On Boxing day we decided to visit the Wombeyan Caves involving a scenic drive through some small country towns. I took a wrong turn along the way and we ended on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Retracing our route we eventually found the right turn off and made it to the caves. There were quite a few visitors and what appeared to be a large ranger presence so concerned Shaka might get discovered we left before exploring the caves.
Until next time...adios amigos.