Decided to go on a day trip to Bundanoon today. It’s been five years since I last visited and I remember liking the town enough that I thought it’d be worth visiting again. It’s not close, around 1 hour and 40 minutes from Canberra, but it not far either and I thought it would be a nice way to spend the day. Naturally, others agreed, which I guess explains why it was busier than I expected, what with the long weekend and all. Fortunately, it wasn’t too crowded, and I still had a wonderful time.

The goal was to go on a bush-walk first. I chose to do the Erith Coal Mine track, for no particular reason other than it sounded interesting. This circuit track was meant to take you to a waterfall by an old coal mine. However, the track leading to the actual mine was closed, thanks to the recent rain. In fact, if I could describe the bush-walks in one word, it would be “wet”. The ground was soaked, as were the paths, and although conditions were lovely, the paths were still very slippery.

Auto-generated description: A narrow, rocky trail winds through thick, bushy vegetation and trees under a clear blue sky. Auto-generated description: A narrow, winding trail with wooden steps descends through a dense forest of tall trees and thick vegetation. Auto-generated description: A metal railing pathway leads through a wooded area with numerous trees and plants under a clear blue sky. Auto-generated description: A fenced-off construction site with Danger Construction Site signs is located next to a flowing waterway amidst surrounding greenery. Auto-generated description: A weathered picnic table and bench set is situated in a natural, wooded area with a signpost nearby. Auto-generated description: A winding gravel road curves through a dense forested area under a clear blue sky.
I assume the mine was across these rocks, but there was no way I was going to cross it.

After completing that circuit in probably 45 minutes, my appetite for bush-walking was still unsatisfied, so I tried the Fairy Bower Falls walk next. This was not as steep as the first one, but it turned to be a much harder track due to how wet and slippery everything was.

Auto-generated description: A dirt pathway in a forested area is marked by a sign indicating Fairy Beaver Walk and features another small signpost further along the path. Auto-generated description: A narrow, rocky trail winds through a dense, wooded area with sunlight filtering through the trees. Auto-generated description: A dense thicket of bushes and trees with varying shades of green foliage. Auto-generated description: A muddy forest trail is flanked by greenery with wooden planks placed sporadically for stability.

I stopped short of the end of this one too, as it seems the path was washed away. But I did manage to get a glimpse of the waterfall, so I’m considering that a win.

After that, I returned to the town for lunch and some train spotting. The train line to Goulburn runs through Bundanoon, and the last time I was there, there was probably a freight train every hour or so. So I was hoping to get a good view of a lot of freight traffic. Maybe shoot a video of a train passing through the station I could share here.

Auto-generated description: A quaint train station platform with a sign that reads Bundanoon is shown, surrounded by trees and blue skies.
Bundanoon train station.

I had lunch outside and walked around the town a little, always within sight of the railway line, hoping for at least one train to pass through. But luck wasn’t on my side, and it wasn’t until I was on my way home that I saw what I think was a grain train passing through Wingello. I pulled over to take a video, and while I miss the locomotive, I got a reasonable enough recording of the wagons.

Stopping by the side of the road to film these grain wagons passing by.

Being a little more hopeful, I stopped at Tallong, the next town along the road. I bought a coffee and went to the station to drink it and hopefully see a train pass through. Sadly, it was not to be. So I decided to head back home.

Auto-generated description: A quiet train station platform is shown with tracks stretching into the distance and surrounded by trees.
Tallong train station.

So the train spotting was a bust, and the bush-walks were difficult, but all in all it was quite a nice day. I look forward to my next visit to Bundanoon. Lets hope the trains are running a little more frequently then.