West is best

Today I saw more of the ACT than ever before thanks to a westcountry propelled people carrier (cheers Georgina!). It wasn't long after leaving home and heading west that the landscape turned dry and barren, not helped by the extensive damage in this area due to 2003 bushfires.

After a winding drive through a sandy landscape, and a brief stop beside the Murrumbidgee River, we reached Tidbinbilla Nature reserve.

This place had recovered somewhat since the fires, though the koala population on the koala walk was still somewhat limited (total of 8). So, much neck craning looking up at trees was fruitless. The rock wallabies were also elusive and it wasn't until reaching a scenic overlook that a first animal spotting was made with this little lizard.

Here's Georgina and I at the overlook - the hills in the background are over 1000 metres high, so we're getting a bit of altitude going on round here!

Things had taken a turn for the better and to follow were countless close encounters with the kangaroos. The second ice cream of the day (yes, second!) was spent watching these guys boinging their way down to a watering hole.

The drive back took me through parts of the deep south (aka Tuggeranong) for the first time and some Portuguese food later in the evening capped off a fine day.