Journal:
The day started early, leaving home at 4:15am to
walk the kilometre to our local bus stop for the
trip to Gosford Station and the early morning train
into Sydney's Central Station. I felt sorry
for the bleary-eyed commuters, standing in the
precise places on the station where the train doors
would open, then rushing for a vacant seat and
quickly resuming their night's slumber.
At Central Station, I had time to buy some breakfast
from the cafe before boarding the 7:42am train for
Melbourne. Sadly, I couldn't keep my eyes open
for the first few hours of the trip out of Sydney
but, thereafter, enjoyed the beautiful rural and
forest scenery of the NSW Southern Highlands from my
window seat on a bright and sunny day.
I couldn't resist the offer of a Devonshire morning
tea comprising warm scones, jam, cream and a cup of
coffee for just $6, despite my vow not to over-eat.
Of course it was railway food but, to my
unrefined
palate, it was fine.
The train reached Yass Junction at 11:30am and I
disembarked in warm sunshine on the small pictureque
station and found a bench to reorganise my pack for
the 4km hike from the station into the town.
It was very pleasant walking along in the warm
sunshine, although I was a little disturbed by the
number of bush flies. They could prove
annoying in the days ahead.
At 12:30pm I reached my pre-booked motel on the
western side of town and
checked in.
My hefty morning tea meant that I wasn't ready for
lunch and I made the decision to rest for an hour or
two and then go for a run out to the official
starting point of the Hume & Hovell Walking Track at
Cooma Cottage, about 5km east of my motel.
From Cooma Cottage the route of the trail was back
into Yass and past my motel, so I was planning to
get this section done today and then start following
the trail westwards out of town first thing tomorrow
morning.
I carry a pair of old running shoes
in my pack for around camp and as a backup for boot
problems as well as a pair of running shorts for
sleeping, so was equipped for a run and set out
carrying my camera and GPS around 2:30pm. The
run took me through the centre of this small and
busy rural town, where I felt a bit out of place in
the mid-afternoon, then up a hill on the other side
and out into the dry pastoral country, with a few
boutique vineyards and wineries. After 30
minutes I reached the gates to Cooma Cottage and
found it closed from Mondays to Wednesdays. A
little disappointing, but I drive past Yass several
times a year on my way to and from Melbourne to
visit family so can take a look another time.
Cooma Cottage
dates from the mid-19th Century and was the home of
Hamilton Hume, one of the pair of explorers whose
route the walking track roughly follows for 440
kilometres southwest to the Victorian border.
Although it was closed to visitors, I took the
liberty of wandering around the grounds a little and
found the small picnic area and signage marking the
official start of my trail. Traffic noise from
the main road about 400 metres away spoiled the
atmosphere a little, but it was a peaceful and
historic place and I took a few minutes to try and
imagine the emotions of the explorers who were
setting out (though not actually from this spot)
nearly two hundred years ago on a much greater
adventure than mine.
After taking a few pictures I switched on my GPS and
ran back into town and on to my motel. After
showering and washing out my stuff, I visited a
nearby small supermarket to get some insect
repellent and a little food before returning to the
motel to do my diary and then get some dinner from a
nearby take-away food shop. The forecast for
tomorrow is much the same as today which means
pleasant hiking weather but likely a very cold
start. It seems like
the
temperature will be dropping to around freezing
point each night, at best!