From Bega we were advised to cross the Great Dividing Range on our way to Canberra. That meant climbing another mountain, Brown Mountain, which is 1200 metres high. Of course, we are old hands at steep and windy roads by now and made it up in 3rd gear for most of the way. On the other side there is more of a gentle slope and after passing Cooma we chose a rest stop just off the Monaro Highway.

It is lovely and we have not noticed much of the passing traffic. We are still at over 700 metres, which helps to explain the cold, it was -8 degrees overnight. We left the heater on, our excuse was that it would keep our water, batteries and gas bottles happy and working, but it also meant us humans had a better night as well. I’m very pleased that our water system didn’t freeze. The grey water tank is underneath the van and is the most vulnerable part, but the pipes leading to it from the kitchen and bathroom are working.

The afternoon temperature here when we arrived was fairly mild. We walked around exploring the area a bit, disappointed that access to the little river is blocked off by fencing, but there is a huge area for overnight stays. There was a caravan here when we arrived. I wonder what their overnight survival strategy was. We are staying put for the moment as we want the road to be free of ice and it would be nice if the fog lifted some more as visibility is still limited.

Perhaps we won’t stay in Canberra after all, but make some progress northwards today. We are looking forward now to having warmer weather where we can really enjoy being outside the van.