We packed up at Khancoban in the drizzle and hoped that our canvas would not get too wet all folded up and that the weather would be kind to us for our arrival an hour and a half down the road at Tumbarumba. The weather forecast looked promising but the rain kept falling as we drove through the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and what was still some pretty lovely scenery.
We set up camp in some fairly muddy, cold and wet conditions and both looked at each other and laughed. It was Friday night and there was a pub down the road so we decided to head out and have a couple of beers, watch the Broncos and see what happens.
We ended up having a great time and met a few of the locals. They were an interesting group and had certainly had a fairly hard time in the last couple of years as not only had they (like everyone) been affected by Covid lockdowns but in the lead up to the virus the town had been threatened by some huge fires. The town was evacuated and the fires came within a few kms of the outskirts of Tumbarumba before a change in wind direction effectively saved them all and diverted the fire towards national park. The area still shows evidence on the hills around where the fire raged through but luckily no lives were lost in the town itself. It was scary to hear the stories first hand when up until then we had only seen tv coverage and news reports.
The town of Tumbarumba itself consisted of about 3,500 people and a small high st with a couple of pubs, a grocery store and a plethora of shops selling all sorts of stuff. While not huge it was great to see the shops all full and there was a bit of a buzz about it. The surrounding areas were low rolling hills and we followed the locals’ advice and visited a few of the sights once the rain stopped on day 2 and we were able to dry out and warm up.
We were also challenged to a game of golf at the local 9 hole sand green course which was great and was followed by a drink in the clubhouse where we had to wait in between horse races to be served beers!
The town was also home to a fantastic mountain bike track and we spent an afternoon flying around some surprisingly dry and fast tracks in a pine forest. They were very well maintained and popular and it was great to be back on the bikes again after a little bit of time off them. In fact with all the beer drinking and bike riding and golfing it was safe to say we were well and truly over the sickness, the sun coming out and the rain stopping might have helped too!
We both were taken in by the charms of Tumbarumba and what it had to offer. It was a lovely little town with a great vibe about the place. It is a place that has definitely been put on the list for a return visit, in fact the Snowy Mountain area definitely needs to be revisited as we have only scratched the surface of what there is to do. Unfortunately though Autumn has set in and the temperatures are getting too low for camping under canvas so we will head west towards the outback and the deserts and see what awaits. T
