25/09/1998 – 2/10/1998 Spencers Creek – Mount Guthrie Day Trips
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Participants: , Ashley Davies, Ben Davies, Bethany Davies, Caroline Davies, Chris Davies, Joanne Davies, Jonathon Davies, Lauren Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Sue Davies, Daphne Krampe
Friday 25/09/1998
Sue finished work early so that we might have the car packed and be gone by the end of the school day. Just as well as around midday I got a call that Paul was sick! Sue needed to race Paul off to the Doctor, there seemed to be a virus that had been doing the rounds of school and that it was Paul’s turn! He got his antibiotics in case it was a bladder infection (suspected by the Doctor), it wasn’t so Paul took his course of antibiotics for nothing.
In spite of this unexpected delay we got away by 4:00pm. The rest of the family had a much earlier start and were at our Jindabyne lodgings by mid afternoon.
Day 1: Saturday 26/09/1998 Spencers Creek
After breakfast we were all off to Wolfies Ski Hire for the necessary gear, despite the 100mm rainfall recorded on Thursday. The prospects looked poor.
We found the road closed at Spencers Creek, but also found a snow drift (which were few and far between! – much barer than I’ve seen for many years – and we were a week earlier as well) fairly close to the road and big enough for no more than three tight turns for the kids to play and learn on.
Bethany was by far the keenest, being the only one to want to put her skis on straight away. The other kids were very content playing in the snow, making a fort and trying out the toboggans. The weather was fine and warm, so we carted all of our gear including esky and deck chairs over to the drift and made a day of it.
Day 3: Monday 28/09/1998 Spencers Creek
We returned to the same spot next to Spencers Creek, as it really was the only spot worth going to with the kids.
Day 4: Tuesday 29/09/1998 Spencers Creek – Mount Guthrie
Peter and I headed up past the gate at Spencers Creek and walked up Mount Guthrie. Here there was a very strong breeze blowing across the top and howling up through Spencer’s Creek, the sideways thrust being enough to push you a few feet sideways. We found the spot on the side of Guthrie about three quarters of the way up with beautiful spring corn snow and did a bunch of runs. Here we were also joined and entertained by a group of about fifteen building a pair of jumps and practicing all sorts of ski and snowboard jumps. As our run got a bit to chewed up after lunch we headed up to hit the summit cairn, moving around further to the jumper’s north after collecting a few rocks with our skis as we did.
Day 5: Wednesday 30/09/1998 Spencers Creek – Snowy River
Drama in the camp as Chris, Sue and Peter had planned to ski Mount Guthrie. That wasn’t to be as Caroline had other ideas with her and Peter walking down to the Snowy River over Charlotte Pass. Sue and Chris skied Mount Guthrie for a couple of hours while I gave the kids some ski lessons on the same snow drift we were now calling our own, with mum helping and enjoying her grandkids. Again it was pretty windy, but we good shelter around the corner on the gentler part of the drift.
At the end of the day we returned the kids hire skis, as they had by now had enough of the only readily accessible snow drift patch we had found.
Day 6: Thursday 2/10/1998 Ingebrya – Barry Way drive
As it was still hot (Sydney and the South Coast have been in the mid-thirties all week) and the kids were skied out we decided on a drive down the Ingebrya Road (Barry Way), which none of us had done before. Along the way we checked out the lookouts and campsites and had a long lazy lunch after a brief riverside walk.
The family at No Name 2/10/1998
We set up the picnic mat under a shady tree from where we could enjoy watching the kids, amongst other activities, chase and catch ants.
After lunch we headed further south and stopped at a real surprise spot called “No Name”! Which presented us with a beautiful, sandy river beach, with a nice swimming hole and flower glen. We spent a few hours here having the best time swimming in very pleasant (and only cool) water and throwing a few people in as we went.
No Name 2/10/1998
Back in Jindabyne Chris and I took Mum and Peter out for the last family supper for who knows how long. As Peter is off the Edinburgh. Dinner and a couple of wines later even had us walking “home” arm in arm where we finished the evening with a very enjoyable, nostalgic viewing of “The Castle”.
Day 7: Friday 2/10/1998
We were planning to spend the day at Thredbo Diggings but it was so hot so early we decided to pack up and go before it became unbearable. The drive home was OK as there was a fair bit of thin cloud to keep the sun off us most of the way.
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