The trip down the Hume from Sydney and across on the Federal Highway to Canberra was uneventful except that the traffic was doing it’s best to play speedway aces in the pouring rain.  The scariest thing was a young woman with two kids in a clapped out old Barina tailgating other cars in the pouring rain.  I was thinking of calling the cops on the mobile and getting the highway patrol to pull her up for her own safety.  But she didn’t look like the kind of person likely to respond well to advice.  And there are always the Darwin Awards to consider….

Anyway, we stopped at Goulburn Maccas on the way and the crowd on Jan 2 was eight deep.  The carpark was almost overflowing.  We gave it a miss and fell back on the Express kebab shop where the trade was brisk but not ridiculous and the service was friendly and civil.  But the food was, well, edible.

We met up with our mates and really enjoyed the Paris Exhibition at the National Gallery.  Do book an earlybird session.  You pay an extra ten bucks and gain entry at 9:00 – an hour before the hoi polloi which gives you a fighting chance at a really good squizz without the three mile queue.  Book it through the web if you like.  We had breakfast before the Sunday early session and we complained about the crappy food break situation going from Sydney to Canberra on the highway.  One of the crew told us to stop at Marulan on the way back.  There’s a huge roadhouse there.  We did, and we didn’t.  We decided to pull off the highway at Marulan and survey the town (avoiding yet another Hume monster roadhouse).

And this is what we found.  A three generation tea place – Nan, Mum and preschool daughter, serving soup, light lunch and tea.  No crowds, hearty soup and toasty bread, reasonable prices and personal service.  Delightful stop.  Try it.

This is what a bypass does to a little town.