Low cloud and rain today, so five of us grounded glider pilots drive 40 minutes south to Junee. It is home to one of few working Railway Roundhouses in the Southern Hemisphere.
“When built in 1942, it boasted the largest turntable at 100 foot. Since 1994, the Roundhouse has seen a new lease of life. Half is now used for the Roundhouse museum, whilst the other portion is used for its original purpose of reconditioning and rebuilding locomotives and rolling stock.”
It is a great building and has some interesting locos and wagons. Not as amazing as Thirlmere (see earlier blog), but our guide pointed out that it has no government funding and is run by volunteers. We clambered over lots of interesting machinery. The massive locos were great, but I also loved the tiny rail cars used to carry workers along the track. There was a classic hand cranked one, but also several with tiny motorbike engines (including a two-stroke Villiers) and wooden chassis frames.
Me in a rail car. The wheel is the brake, you don’t have to steer on rails!
Then we went to the Junee Licorice and Chocolate factory in an amazing old building, half brick and half covered in corrugated iron. We lingered over lunch too long so missed the last guided tour, but we got the general idea!
We avoided visiting the town’s other famous landmark, the Junee Correctional Centre.
Dinner at the country club again, lamb pie (good!) and TWO glasses of Guinness.
