Labour Day weekend in OZ

Monday, March 8th is Labour Day in OZ & our 2nd day in Mansfield; boy what rain! Our Rainbow Lorikeets are replaced by Sulphur Crested Cockatoos & Crimson Rosella parrots. These white cockatoos (with bright yellow plumes & under-wing feathers) are noisy but thank goodness their morning starts at 7:30 versus the sunrise wakeup call in Sydney. Kangaroos are everywhere. They hop through the resort to drink at the lake; munch on grass in nearby fields; and then retreat in haste when we come too close! We laughed as they hopped away and recalled our childhood jumping games! We are enjoying our new location; another right decision! The town is large enough for necessities but small enough to maintain its “high country” charm. The resort has the atmosphere of a cottage but encircled by exotic ‘gum’ trees & wildlife. The Information Centre provided materials on manageable day trips so today we explored Mt. Buller Alpine Village and Jamieson. Mt Buller is a 45 minute drive from Mansfield, all uphill! (Australian Gold Medal in Aerials) Its summit is at an altitude of 1804 metres & the village is at 1604 (Mansfield is approx 100). The materials told us to expect cool temperatures, pristine mountain air and panoramic views. (We took light jackets) Well, we can confirm the altitude; navigated a rapid ascent via numerous switchbacks and sharp turns! At the village the temperature had dropped to 9C (25C in Mansfield). Fog, sheets of rain, cold strong winds; most places closed due to the Labour Day holiday! We spoke to a guy whose comment was ‘it is wild’ ‘wild weather but yesterday was worst’ (yelps); he directed us to the Cattlemen’s bar. Dylan’s hot coffee & Sticky Date pudding ($9 AUD) thawed our bones & gave us a warm haven before tackling the return journey. Back at ground zero (2:30 pm) it was hard to believe (except for the video) that Mt Buller had been real! Always an adventure! We visited the village of Jamieson with the hopes of fresh raspberries and a JB (Jamieson Brewery) award winning beer! Not sure what we expected but it wasn’t exactly what we found. Jamieson was once a bustling logging town but no longer! The town is a museum; a few service people, some commuters to Mansfield and one welfare family. Otherwise, the population o f 125 watches the tourists. During summer weekends the town swells to 5000 strong the owners of the General Store told us; happy to have someone to pass the time. We stopped at the brewery; the beer weak and served by an unfriendly lady! Awards 3 years running – yes, but what was the criteria or competition? A brief stop for raspberries; too wet to pick today! A $5.25 jar of blueberry jam was our consolation prize (50% berries & 50% filler) tourist gimmick or what? We should have left town after the General Store! The truly best part of our day was returning to Mansfield Country resort to watch a herd of kangaroo and a flock of Cockatoos & Crimson Rosario Parrots dine in the fields near our cottage! Wow, this is Australia! A glass of local wine & the smell of eucalyptus trees as we watch the sun set! YES!