Greetings from Orange,

I was away this morning at about 7:45, with the intention of visiting the Baker’s Delight in Bowral to stock up on some goodies. I didn’t quite make it to Baker’s Delight; on my walk toward Springett’s Arcade, I was tempted to pop into a little bakery on the main street, and ended up purchasing a couple of ham and cheese croissants there. I then continued along the llawarra Highway, and at the Hume Highway junction, went straight ahead, along the Canyonleigh Road, headed for Taralga by the most direct route.

I was very pleased with the level of detail in the navigation maps. Parts of the roads between the properties Canyonleigh and Brayton, and Big Hill and Bannaby, are one-lane tracks with a number of gates (which are a pain in the bum when you’re the only person in the car!), yet they were displayed.

I had one of the croissants, which was most excellent, for morning coffee at about 10:30, beside the Tarlo River, at the bottom of what’s known as the Swallowtail Pass, which traverses a gorge between Big Hill and Bannaby.These photographs of the car and river were taken there.

From there it was on to Taralga, then north to Oberon. I consumed the remaining croissant for lunch near Oberon around 12:30, then headed to Orange via “Bathhurst”, arriving at my chosen motel around just before 2pm.

The car is very comfortable and handles well on both the tarmac and dirt. It soaks up the bumps, potholes and corrugations on dirt roads much better than the Zuke. The diesel has plenty of power, and I’m almost used to not having to shift gears myself.

I’m not sure yet if I’ll return home tomorrow, or head off somewhere else?

Cheers,
Julian