350 kms of different Greys

On 12 February we returned to Mallacoota.  The weather was still grey but it was due to rain clouds rather smoke clouds.  The skyline of the Brindabellas was 'normal' rather than terminating at Tharwa.

A different sighting - that was not grey, but possibly had a lot of blue associated with it  - was a massive number of cars parked in a paddock at Hume.  Then I twigged: this is one of the spots that hail-damaged cars have been stored.

The ACT Government is doing its bit for progress by putting in a overtaking lane - on a dead straight bit of road where overtaking was quite possible anyway.  I guess it keeps Dale and Hosccks bottom line ticking along!  At least they were doing some work .
The wire horses just over the NSW border have been decorated with Australian flags.  This is probably a symptom of the local MP adopting "brumby protection" as his signature policy.
 The Northern part of the Clear Range fire.
 You need a new overtaking lane when the existing one is blocked by people sawing up a burnt tree.  Again, at least they were working.
 Getting close to Bredbo.
 As we got past Cooma it was quite obvious that they had scored a nice drop of rain.  I eventually got a (really crappy) photo of a watercourse somewhere after the Monaro Highway split from the Snowy Mountain Highway - ie on the Bombala road.
 Here is the Bombala River at Bibbenluke ....
 ... and on the outskirts of Bombala.  A little further along it was clearly over the banks of the main watercourse and running strongly.
Driving Imlay Rd felt very strange with all the burnt trees.  It felt as though I had never been along there before, rather than having done the road about ~60 times.  Compared to our drive up the most notable change was the absence of road kill.  Presumably someone has cleaned it up but I think I noticed 1 roo and 1 goanna in the 57 kms.

This is what s left of the Imlay Creek Rest area.  The picnic table seems to have survived.
We were impressed by the new fronds on the tree ferns which seem to have appeared in the last week.
Getting on to the Genoa-Mallacoota Rd there was a lot of epicormic growth evident on the euclaypts.  It seems to vary greatly between species.

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