A visit to the Gunning Golf Club

With improved roads and infrastructure, and the high mobility of young members of country communities, many of the old social structures have collapsed due to lack of membership and the competition from better financed competitors in nearby towns.   

  The Gunning Golf Club

Although GGC looks rather run down at the moment there is a community of believers who are trying to refurbish the course and the clubhouse.  The Gunning community assists with working bees, fund raising via sausage sizzles at Bunnings and calls for donations to assist in the operation of their plant and equipment. 

Good luck to the committee and keep an eye on their Facebook page if you are in the area. 

Canberra Tourist Photos

In case anyone from out of town bumps into this page I thought I would throw in a few tourist snaps from a recent visit to the parliamentary triangle.

 High Court of Australia
 

The right corner of the facade of the High Court.
 

 The National Carillon - located on the northern 

bank of Lake Burley Griffen.
 

 Australian National Gallery

(the second photo of the High Court was
taken from the walkway) 
  

Governer General residence - Yarramundi Reach
(right corner of panorama) 


 

The District - Sutton and Gundaroo

Sutton and Gundaroo were mentioned in the ride to Gunning post (Feb 2017).   Some random photos of these localities follows.

Sutton - Saint Peter's Anglican Church (1925)

Although Saint Peter's is a more recent build, it's austere design is reflective of the early Australian churches struggle, best described in Ian Breward's "A History of Australian Churches" as:
 

Australian churches are an example of growth from below, often using slender resources gathered at considerable cost from people with little to spare.

The Gundaroo Soldier's Memorial Hall (1890)

Lake George, the east side

In a previous post I mentioned a ride to Tarago (Feb 2017).  Now that I have a bike with a bit more dirt road potential I thought I would have a look at the eastern side of Lake George (Feb 2017).    Get yourself onto Bungendore Road heading for Tarago.  Turn left onto Taylor Creek Road.  

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, access to the wind turbines dotting the eastern shore of Lake George is limited to viewing from the public roads.  Never-the-less the size of these things is surprising.

The new Calvary for our carbon sins

The only turn to the left on Taylor Creek Road will take you to the entrance of the wind farm but permission is required to progress further.  The above image was taken near this spot.

Retrace your steps back to Taylor Creek Road and continue until you reach Collector Road and turn left.   Follow this to the next junction, Collector Road continues to the left.  A short time later turn left onto Lake George Road.   If you follow this road to its conclusion you will get a glimpse of the water currently in Lake George. 

 A view of the water in the southern basin of Lake George.

Lake George was the original location of the Canberra Yacht Club and as recently as the 1990s the water lapped the shore in the foreground of this picture and almost to the Federal Highway on the western shore.

A Waterways sign near where the above photo was taken.

Lake George has witnessed a number of tragic boating accidents over the years; in 1956 five cadets from the Royal Military College, Duntroon perished as did the Lynch family in 1958.   Perhaps one of the more unusual happenings at Lake George was the RAAF placing a shipping target in the lake for bombing practice during World War 2.

Memorial to the Lynch Family

Return to Collector Road and turn left until you reach the Federal Highway.  If you have the time turn right at the Lake George lookout onto Hadlow Drive, this is the previous route of the Federal Highway.  This rejoins the Federal Highway near the Tulip Farm but is a nice ride and has some nice sections.

Looking south from the western bank near Collector

Alternately, follow Collector Road and turn left onto Marked Tree Road for a view of the lake from the western shore.  Continue onto Gundaroo.

Of course, a compulsory photo of the bike!

   

The dirt roads are generally in good condition and even the most timid should be able to negotiate them.

Bird strike at wind-farms is a controversial topic, with some saying it is an avian slaughterhouse and others claiming it is statistically insignificant.    With the Wind Industry being a politically correct species I suggest the bird death figures are dramatically under-reported. 

If you are interested in this question have a look at https://stopthesethings.com/2014/09/22/bird-carcass-count-proves-agls-macarthur-wind-farm-is-an-avian-slaughterhouse/