The weather was too good to waste in Canberra, so we made a snap decision—head to the coast for the day.

Rather than follow the usual path to Batemans Bay, we aimed a little further south. Our destination: Meringo, with a stop in Moruya along the way. We left Canberra and followed the familiar route to Braidwood, but instead of turning down the Kings Highway, we continued straight on towards Araluen—a road I hadn’t driven in years.
The descent into the Araluen Valley was as scenic as I remembered—twisting bends through open country, the kind that makes you slow down and take in the view. We made a quick stop in the valley so I could grab a photo of the old church there—just a reference shot for when I come back with proper gear.

From Araluen, the road follows the Deua River and becomes a narrow, winding dirt track in places—barely wide enough for one car in some stretches. It’s a quiet route, hugged tightly between the hills and the river, and the scenery is well worth the slower pace.
Partway along, we turned off onto Larrys Mountain Road—new to me, and a nice change. Eventually, we hit sealed roads again and made it into Moruya. As we crossed the bridge, we noticed a market happening on the riverbank, so we pulled in for a break. It was a good chance to stretch our legs, wander through the stalls, and grab some lunch. While we were there, a seaplane landed on the river—first time the kids had seen one up close, which added a bit of novelty to the stop.
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After lunch, we continued south to Mullimburra Point. I had hoped to check out Cathedral Rock, but access wasn’t really suitable for the kids, so we parked on the other side and walked down to Mullimburra Point Beach instead. It turned out to be a sheltered spot, good for swimming and exploring, and shared with only a couple of other families.
Once the others were settled, I ducked back over the headland to scout Cathedral Beach properly. I wanted to get a feel for the location and light—worth returning another time with camera gear in hand. I took a few quick shots and returned to the beach to rejoin the family.
After some time exploring the rocks with Joel, we packed up and headed for home, this time sticking to the Kings Highway. It was a straightforward return, rounding out a 370 km loop.
A good mix of familiar and new roads, with a quiet beach at the end—definitely a spot worth revisiting.

I had my eye on Bungonia for a while — more specifically, Christ Church, the old Anglican church perched on the edge of town. The forecast wasn’t exactly promising: cold, windy, and a slight chance of rain. But with the camera packed and a small window of time after school drop-off, I took a chance and hit the road.

The drive up the Federal Highway started bleak — low clouds, occasional rain, and not much sign of it lifting. I was starting to think I might be photographing mist and mood instead of sandstone and sun. But just past Goulburn, the clouds began to break apart and scatter, and the light started to shift. Things were looking up.
As I turned off onto Mountain Ash Road, I got my first glimpses of blue sky and a few golden breaks in the cloud. It was still misting here and there, but the light was changing — fast.
Driving into Bungonia for the first time, I passed St. Michael’s Catholic Church on the hill. Beautiful location, but not quite right for the time of day or year — I logged it as a "return later" spot. The rest of the town was a surprise. So many of the buildings carry their history proudly — the old 1882 Public School and former Police Station are now homes, but still marked with signs telling their stories. I could easily spend a day here just photographing heritage buildings alone.

At the far end of town, Christ Church finally came into view — a solid sandstone presence, slightly elevated, with views back over the township. The gate was closed but not locked. I slipped through, parked carefully, and took a moment to read the history sign before unpacking the gear.

While setting up the tripod, the break I’d been hoping for arrived — the clouds parted just enough to let a wash of sunlight hit the church façade. Warm light against cold stone. Exactly the contrast I’d come chasing.

I spent a solid hour working the angles — wide shots, close details, and a few different perspectives around the grounds. I even turned the camera toward the car, now wearing its new tyres — the light was too nice to pass up a quick automotive snap or two.
On the way home, I circled back to St. Michael’s. Took a few reference shots and captured the info signs. Based on the sun angle, it’s one for the warmer months — late spring or early summer should be perfect. I’ll be back.
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And here it is — the first images of the church from the shoot and a couple of the car. The light didn’t last long, but it arrived at just the right moment.

I was recently away on a two-week work trip. This trip started with me flying to Brisbane with a work compatriot, catching a taxi to Yamanto to meet up with two others and driving to Tenterfield for the first 5 days of working at Jennings.

Let’s start with a bit of context:

1. Lately, I’ve noticed some strange quirks with the instrument panel on the MU-X. The most alarming incident happened Friday—just as I pulled up at the traffic lights, the dash lit up with warnings, and the car promptly shut itself down. I barely had time to read the errors before the guy behind me lent on his horn. Panic set in as the MU-X wouldn’t restart; it wasn’t in park, so I couldn’t cycle the ignition. After some wrangling, I got it into park and restarted. Damn modern tech!
2. On the health front, we’d been hit hard. Joel had taken a sick day from school with cold symptoms. Then Edie, Rebekah, and I all went down with similar symptoms. We figured Joel had kindly shared his germs with the family.

Saturday: Battery Blues and False Starts
With everything packed and the camper hooked up, I ran a final check—confirmed the camper battery was charging from the car. All good. I ducked inside, rounded up the family, and went to start the car. Nothing.
The dash lit up like a Christmas tree: system malfunction, key error, and a bunch of other warnings. The manual helpfully advised, “See dealer.” My heart sank—weekend plans to Young looked dead in the water.
I disconnected the trailer: lights, brakes, and charging circuits. Still no luck. Then it hit me—maybe it’s the battery? Grabbed jumper leads and hooked the MU-X up to the Triton. It gave a half-hearted crank. That was enough to convince me the battery was toast. After leaving the Triton running for a bit, I tried again. Third time lucky—it started!
Straight to Mitchell to get the battery tested. Turns out it had dropped 200CCA. I didn’t muck around and asked for the biggest replacement they had. Unfortunately, they were out of the SS75TX, so I went with the next best: an SS66TX 4WD battery, boasting 920CCA (up 320 from the original). $300 later, we were finally on our way. Well, to the servo and McDonalds!

Heading to Young
The drive was uneventful, aside from on-and-off rain and icy winds. We stopped briefly at Boorowa to stretch our legs and visit the old courthouse (now the info centre). Picked up a few brochures and pressed on.
We made a quick detour in Murringo to photograph the beautiful Christ Church (built in 1866, designed by Alberto Dias Soares). I have added the photo of the church to Flickr, and have added a historic newspaper article about the laying of the foundation stone. Additionally, I have added the newspaper article, which is the closest I could find to the opening of the church.
​The town is dotted with historic buildings—we’ll definitely return for a proper explore.
Young is just 25 km from Murringo, so before long, we were pulling into the caravan park. Since the camper had been out of action for over a year, we didn’t want to risk off-grid camping again  just yet. Staying at a powered ensuite site gave us a soft reintroduction and some much-needed creature comforts. The camper’s electrics behaved, but the electric 240v heater was vital—nights were bitter. A diesel heater is now on our “must buy” list.

Settling In (Sort Of)
After setting up, we popped into town for a few supplies, then stopped at the old railway station so I could snap a photo of the Welcome to Young sign. Dinner followed, then an early night—sort of.
It was freezing, so the electric heater kept us cosy until bedtime. After that, it was doonas, blankets… and Edie. She flat-out refused her bunk and wedged herself between us. Score: Edie 1, Parents 0.
Around 2:00 AM, Joel appeared, wide awake and unable to sleep. Our bed was already at capacity with two adults, a child, and a Chihuahua. I convinced him to head back to bed with a book or his tablet. Thankfully, he did. Joel 0, Parents 1.

Sunday: COVID Curveball
At 3:00 AM, Edie’s constant wriggling finally drove me out of bed. I ended up watching a couple of episodes of Clarkson’s Farm and Welcome to Wrexham. The rest of the family slowly surfaced by morning, all of us feeling fairly average.
First stop: the chemist. Edie was full of snot and needed something to ease her symptoms. We just managed to get there during the one hour it was open (yes—just one hour!). Rebekah grabbed Benadryl and, for good measure, a couple of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs).
While I popped into the information centre to grab a Young Heritage Walk guide, Rebekah did a test. Positive. She suggested I take one too. Sure enough—positive. That would explain the “cold” symptoms. We decided to test the kids next. Back to the chemist for more RATs. Edie—positive. Joel—negative (somehow).
​Three Out of Four—That’s Not Too Bad, Right?

Touring While Crook
Despite the weather and COVID revelation, we decided to do a bit more sightseeing—by car. We admired old homes and buildings, then headed out to the Chinese Tribute Gardens. A quick comfort break and a couple of rushed photos between squalls, then it was back to the caravan to huddle under blankets and feel sorry for ourselves.
That night, Joel crashed early with a fever. I took over Edie’s bunk (she still refused it—Edie 2, Parents 0). Joel woke at 6:00 AM, disoriented and thinking it was evening. He’d slept 12 hours straight but had sweated through the bed.

Monday: Homeward Bound
We dragged ourselves through breakfast, packed up slowly, and were mostly done by 10:00 AM—right when the manager came knocking. He wanted the ensuite cleaned immediately, despite no cleaner being in sight for the next 45 minutes. A bit rigid, but we moved along anyway, using the ensuite as a dry packing spot due to the rain.
Joel dozed off again in the car and barely stirred on the drive home. Quick stops in Boorowa (for drinks) and Yass (for fuel), and we were home by 1:00 PM. We unpacked, aired out the camper, hung up wet gear, and I made a trip to collect the cats from the cattery—another hour round trip.

Final Thoughts
Despite the cold, the wet, the dodgy battery, and catching COVID—we really liked Young. It’s a charming country town with a lot of history and character. We’ll definitely be back… preferably when it’s warm, dry, and we’re not all sick!

A question I came across on Facebook got me reminiscing about my very first mountain bike. I started wondering if I could track down an old photo or maybe even the specs—and, to my surprise, I managed to find both!

The bike in the photo that I found on Reddit has had a few parts swapped out over the years—the stem, saddle, and grips have been replaced—but otherwise, it’s just as I remember it. Seeing it again really brought back some great memories.

Here are the specs, care of bikepedia:
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Frame & Fork
Frame Construction -- TIG-welded steel
Frame Material --​ True Temper AVR
Fork --​ Rock Shox Quadra 10

Components
Component Group --​ Shimano STX
Brakeset --​ Shimano STX brakes, levers
Shift Levers --​ Shimano STX Rapidfire Plus w/Optical Gear Display
Front Derailleur --​ Shimano STX top-pull
Rear Derailleur --​ Shimano STX
Crankset --​ Shimano STX, 24/34/42 teeth
Pedals --​ Victor alloy with chromoly axle w/clips & straps
Rear Cogs --​ 7-speed, 11 - 28 teeth
Chain --​ Shimano HG-50
Seatpost --​ Avenir micro-adjust
Saddle --​ Avenir Flite style gel, emerald cover
Handlebars --​ Avenir alloy
Handlebar Stem --​ SR Duo 10 forged aluminum
Headset --​ A Headset Threadless

Wheels
Wheel Size --​ 26"
Hubs --​ Shimano STX Parallax
Rims --​ Araya TM-18
Front Tyre --​ Avenir Vigor
Rear Tyre --​ Avenir

​Today I fitted the Black Duck canvas seat covers to the MU-X. I’ve used these covers before in the Triton and was really impressed with their quality and durability. They held up brilliantly, so I didn’t hesitate to go with them again.

One of my goals is to start documenting my adventures on video. To do that, I’ll need an action cam—which I haven’t picked up yet—and I’ll also need to figure out how to edit videos properly.
This morning, I took the first step and downloaded Kdenlive, a free and open-source video editor. By the afternoon, I’d whipped up some intro, outro, and title banners, then dumped a bunch of clips into the timeline... and, well, nothing happened.

Right--I have to do the editing. That part’s on me.

So, I dug out some old phone footage from a ride I did through Tallaganda last year and decided to see what I could come up with. Somehow, I managed to stitch together a semi-coherent video. Not too shabby for someone completely winging it!
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Faking it ‘til I make it? Definitely. But hey, it’s a start.

Today, I managed to get my battery fully charged and connected once again to my battery app on my phone.
Only one stp to go, and that is to install a 240V GPO, so I can connect it to the 240V input plug on the side of the camper. Then when plugged into 240V, I can elect to utilise the Victron 240V, MPPT solar, or DCDC charger, to replenish the battery.

I had a week long course for work, which I finished today. Fortunately the kids were at after school care, which aforded me some time to go for a ride.
Once again it was in the Mulligans flat area, but I ventured into a different area of the nature reserve.
This time I rode the Pipeline Track, the Border Track, the Dam Track, Mulligans Trail, and went inside the Woolshed for a look.

​Ride Map.

​About a year ago, as I was getting the camper ready for a trip, I noticed the fridge wasn’t working. Odd, I thought. I dug a little deeper and realised that none of the original wiring installed by CUB Campers was functioning. Strangely enough, all the wiring I’d added myself—specifically for the battery and charging system—was working just fine.
At the time, we didn’t have the time or budget to chase the issue down. Life got in the way, as it does, and the camper sat unused with its mystery electrical problem for the next 12 months.
Fast-forward to the present, and I finally had both the time and the resources to sort it out. I gave the auto electrician a call—the same guy who installed my battery and charging system—and he asked me to bring the camper down to his workshop. Within an hour, he had diagnosed the issue: a bad earth on the original wiring. He added a new earthing point, and just like that, things were back online. Or so I thought.
A week later, while getting the camper ready for a rego inspection, I decided to double-check that everything was still working. And—nothing. No power at all. I was ropeable. What now?
Back on the phone to the auto sparky. He was a bit puzzled, but I had a theory: maybe the Battery Management System (BMS) had shut the battery down due to low voltage. He agreed that it was a likely cause and said the BMS would need to be kick-started—but I didn’t have the gear to do it myself. So, off I went to the workshop again.
Once there, we opened up the power system for a closer look. He quickly spotted that the inverter had been left on, which had likely drained the battery. He kick-started the BMS, and the system sprang back to life.

​He explained that I’d need to recharge the battery until it hit at least 13.4V (if memory serves). That would require a charger capable of properly charging lithium batteries. I didn’t have one at the time, but I’d always planned to add one to the setup eventually.
In the meantime, I kept the car running all the way home to feed some charge into the system, and once back, I connected the solar setup. Thankfully, I’d installed a household-grade panel, which produces higher voltage more reliably. This gave the MPPT charger enough overhead to push a decent current into the battery, even across a few cloudy days.

​Not wanting to risk another flat battery, I ordered a Victron lithium charger and temporarily hooked it up to make sure the battery reached the absorption phase—basically confirming it was fully topped up.

​Lessons Learned:

• Always double-check what’s been left switched on (I’m looking at you, inverter).
  
• Don’t underestimate the value of good earthing.
  
• If you're running lithium batteries, having a compatible charger on hand is a must.
  

Next time, hopefully I catch these issues before they become a 12-month mystery!