Low flying by Mercedes GLA-200 from SYD-MEL via Hume Highway

[Bundy Bear]

thought this might be an interesting report for a few people, lots of AFF members have flown between Sydney and Melbourne and I am sure a few may have driven the route years ago but with speed and price flying is so much easier.

The trip started on a Saturday with an overnight stop in Gundagai, you know there is a road winding back to an old fashion track, I was looking to see the famous tucker box dog.



I will add some more photos of the major stops.

 

[JessicaTam]

Looks like fun. And if your luggage doesn't make it, you only have yourself to blame!

 

[Bundy Bear]

First stop:

The Big Merino; is 50feet high Merino Ram is in Goulburn, the ugly grey colour is partly because it is made of concrete.

Also the red ribbon was there in support of Red Nose Day.

When the Hume Highway Bypassed Goulburn the Big Merino was moved to be closer to the highway, in case you go looking for it in the wrong spot.



There is another Ram, The Giant Ram which you will find in Wagin in southern Western Australia, its white and I probably should do a trip report on that trip as well.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Gundagai was our stopping point on the trip between Sydney and Melbourne, well when the accommodation was free it was as good as anywhere to stop, our stopping point is worth a story in itself. 2 friends who had first met 49 years earlier, and who had lost contact for 40 years reconnected and kept in contact.

I used to think that Gundagai was in the middle of nowhere, but in fact its just off the Hume Highway 387kms south west of Sydney.

The town has started some renovations in their town centre, with words to the famous song.


Along the Road to Gundagai



The song was first written in 1922, the writer of the song didn't visit the town for 34 years.

 

[Bundy Bear]

What I wanted to see;
The Dog on the Tuckerbox.
From wiki;
The Dog on the Tuckerbox is an Australian historical monument and tourist attraction, located at Snake Gully, five miles from Gundagai, New South Wales as described in the song of the same name, but it is in fact located about 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) from the centre of Gundagai.[1][2] The dog section of the monument was cast in bronze by Oliver's Foundry Sydney and its base sculpted by Gundagai stonemason Frank Rusconi.[3] It was unveiled by the then Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons on 28 November 1932 as a tribute to pioneers. The statue was inspired by a bullock drover's poem, "Bullocky Bill"

There isn't much too it; you stop take a few pictures; some with yourself in it, get in and keep driving.

And the Tuckerbox Dog is actual size

 

[JessicaTam]

1932! I didn't realise it had been around so long.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Who parked a submarine shell in the middle of nowhere.


The town of Holbrook was originally called Germanton after its German residents but with the outbreak of World war 1 it was deemed inappropriate so on 24 August 1915 the town was renamed Holbrook.

The town of Holbrook acquired the hull of HMAS Otway an Oberon-class submarine, after it was decommisioned by the Royal Australian Navy in 1995.


more from wiki

The submarine's fin was donated to the town of Holbrook, New South Wales, an inland community with strong ties to submarines since World War I, when the town was renamed after British submariner and Victoria Cross recipient Norman Douglas Holbrook. The community decided to tender for the purchase of the rest of the submarine, but despite fundraising efforts and a large donation from Holbrook's widow, the town did not win the tender. The submarine was sold to Sims Metal for scrapping in November 1995. Undeterred, the working group created for the tendering process instead used the money raised to buy the upper section of the casing - everything above the waterline when surfaced plus the submarine's tail section, from Sims Metal. The casing was sectioned, transported down the Hume Highway on semi-trailers, then reassembled on site

 

[Bundy Bear]

An Australian with a gun

That joke was made last year when I visited Glenrowan when there was US gun debate after another US mass shooting.

Glenrowan 236 kms north east of Melbourne was made famous by the last stand and shootout with police in 1880.


Last stop on the drive south was

 

[Bundy Bear]

The weekend trip was long with lots of bitumen but I got to see some iconic Australian places.

This summed up my feelings that was posted on Facebook soon after the trip was finished.

I had hoped to fly home on Jetgo from Melbourne Essendon airport but the schedule was changed about a week from travel so booked a flight on Qantas and spent a few extra hours having free drinks with a few other AFFers,

Thanks for reading.

 

[kermatu]

Nice one. Brings back some memories driving through as a kid.

As this is a TR I have to ask, was priority boarding enforced at all times?

 

[Boca68]

Very nice! Was waiting for the pics of the Mercedes....thinking SLS Gullwing?

Ol' Ned is contentious...... love him or hate him.

 

[moa999]

The other piece of interest in Gundagai that you may have noticed as you went over the modern bridge on the Murrumbidgee floodplain is the old wooden and steel road and railway bridges which date to the 1870s and 1900s.

Some great drone footage on YouTube

 

[drron]

Well done.A few years down the track when I finally give up working and we will no longer be able to do our luxury cruising road trips will make a comeback for us.

 

[jb747]

Rather a blessing that the Jetgo flight booking didn't work out for you...

 

[love_the_life]

Thanks Bundy Bear. Have done the trip from CBR - MEL more times than I remember but these days we just fly! The police in Holbrook have a bit of a name for swooping on anything going over the speed limit.

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for an enjoyable TR. .

 

[daft009]

Sydney to Melbourne via the Hume is such an easy drive, they should really increase the speed limits.

I remember stopping at Holbrook when the Hume actually went past the submarine, now it's an exit.

Same with Albury and Wodonga.

Planning to do Sydney to Bendigo next month as doing a trade show there

 

[JohnM]

Onya, Bundy.

 

[JohnK]

Nice trip report @Bundy Bear.