As anticipated, we both slept in this morning, but it was a little chilly so the heater went on and soon warmed us up – have we mentioned that we love our diesel heater? Apart from the chill, it seemed to be an alright start to the day so we went for a tour around Jugiong. Within the grounds of the free camp area there are some tennis courts, and right next door is the local swimming pool, a playground, and public toilets. There’s a great old pub that is currently undergoing some quite extensive renovations, and an obviously very popular store and cafe. We stopped there for coffee but unfortunately it’s closed on Tuesdays. Further along the road we spotted an interesting horse-drawn cart and there is also a small yard full of sculptures of mainly horses made from pieces of scrap metal. There is a small motel with what appears to be a nice dining room. The locals at Jugiong have done a great job in attracting visitors and we would recommend vanners and motorhomers should definitely add Jugiong to their list of places to visit.
Views of Jugiong
As we headed back to the Hume Highway, it started to rain. It soon became very heavy rain and driving became very unpleasant with a good number of trucks in a hurry, and various other vehicles in even more of a hurry.
Not great weather for driving.
Eventually we turned off the highway into Yass, where we stopped for coffee and a hot snack, and a respite from the weather and traffic.
Refreshed and more relaxed we returned to the highway and eventually turned off onto the Barton Highway into Canberra. The weather wasn’t much better at this stage.
The Barton Highway into Canberra usually looks much better than this!
We often stop at Murrumbateman but it didn’t look too inviting today so we drove straight through.
Not even Murrumbateman looked inviting.
On the Canberra side of Murrumbateman there is a stretch of road that was under construction for quite a long time a couple of years ago. In our opinion it is a wasted opportunity – they could/should have straightened out the bend and made it twin lanes both ways, and much safer given the weather conditions in the area.
Wasted opportunity
Fortunately the weather did improve a little as we entered Canberra and arrived at the Alivio Tourist Park. We came with a little trepidation, as we stayed here several times some years ago but it was quite run-down so we found somewhere else to stay when we visited Canberra. Katie told us that there had been some changes here so we thought that we’d give it another try.
After setting up and enjoying a nice hot lunch in Bertha, we ventured out for a walk around the park, then back home for afternoon coffee.
This place is under new management, has a new name and the changes are significant. There are now a number of ensuite sites and the main amenities block has had an amazing upgrade, including heating. What used to be a very old secondary amenities block has now become a magnificent camp kitchen. There is a large cooking area and another large room with colourful tables and chairs, both rooms with large TV screens, plus a great outside deck area. They even provide a herb garden for the use of park guests. If cooking isn’t your thing, there is a very nice looking cafe/restaurant here which serves breakfast and dinner 7 days per week, plus they have take-away, all at reasonable prices.
Newly created Camp Kitchen – luxury camping at its best.
Alivio also has plenty of playgrounds and activities for kids, several bbq areas, modern cabins and views to the Black Mountain communication tower.
Views of Alivio Tourist Park.
We will be going to Katie’s for dinner tonight and will be spending the next few days with her, so we will probably be off the air until we hit the road again.
Still living the dream …..
Shorty's RV Adventures 