Went for a drive to Delgety, well didn't initially set out with that in mind, but rather was engaged in distributing marketing material for Pen and Ink Sketch Artist Dean Haeusler. And somewhere along the way we ended up out at Dalgety, N.S.W., on the banks of the Snowy River.
Its one of those place where the road begins as bitumen, then becomes gravel, and then for no apparent reason at intervals there are short stretches of bitumen. Years back in this country people always said of such instances of bitumen on a gravel road, that these sections were along the road frontage of local councillors land...cynical perhaps, but often true, I dunno if that is the case with this location or not.
It is elevated country through there, all around 700 to 800 metres, undulating, stony and harsh looking, and I daresay when the wind blows across in mid winter it would be freezing cold. It is in its open sparseness, beautiful country to travel through. The sort of country where the clouds create distinct shadows as they pass over.
And there are signs that once there was a much larger number of inhabitants than there are now, like much of rural Australia these days. Empty and decaying buildings, they must feature in somebody's memories, in somebody's story, but for how much longer? Which will cease to exist first the memory or the building?
There's a bridge at Dalgety, a road bridge across the Snowy River, these days it looks a little like overkill, the amount of water flowing down the Snowy at the moment, a concrete culvert would suffice...maybe one day there will be a decent flow again.
Somewhere out there between Dalgety, Bombala and Nimmitabel, along the old Bombala Cooma rail line, is the Jincumbilly Siding, it lies between Bombala and Holts Flat Siding. There is another siding in there we have yet to visit.
This view is out the window of the old hall that is also out there in that area, can't think of the name of it off hand...the name don't matter greatly, it reminds me of John Prines song about memories and the view out dirty windows.
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