FRIDAY 6 JUNE     TATHRA

The weather was not quite as pleasant today – more cloud, less sun, and chillier – so we went driving.

Took the road north, towards Bermagui, for maybe 25 or 30kms. The way was hilly and winding, with pockets of cleared farmland tucked into the forest. These farms seemed quite isolated and we decided they were not places we would want to be living in bushfire weather.

We turned back, as far as Tanja, which was more of a locality on the map than a tangible place. From there, we took the Doctor George Mountain road, back towards Bega. This was a gravel track that John remembered taking, back when he used to come to Tathra with his then family, for holidays. The road surface was good gravel. The road was a rather narrow one, that wound around the forested mountain, in places almost doubling back on itself. Occasionally we could catch glimpses of cleared valleys through the trees, with some houses, once out of the National Park section. It was not really scenic, in the sense of gaining expansive views, but was attractive  enough. We were almost into Bega before the real open farmlands began again.

It was a pleasant drive through forest and on the winding section of the mountain.

The rather curious name of this mountain relates back to the pioneering period of the NSW South Coast. There were three brothers – the Imlays – all medical men, who became explorers, whalers and pastoralists in the region. The one unmarried brother, George Imlay, in 1846, who the records say had contracted an incurable disease, committed suicide by shooting himself, in the bush at the top of the mountain near Bega that now bears the name of Doctor George. Given the times, one can only wonder at the nature of said incurable disease…..

Eventually we emerged onto the flat plains around Bega, and drove on into that town, where I shopped for some groceries.

Then, back to camp.

Bought fish and chips for tea, from the local shop. Very nice.