It's snowtime!

One of the things i really wasn't expecting to find here in Australia-land was ... wait for it... SNOW! I mean, come on! Isn't it a just big desert island with some beaches and good sportspeople? Apparently not. Canberra is actually in an area with a inverting snowline (I'm not really sure what that is... some garden survey guy told me on monday), and gets snow every couple of years. It hasn't snowed in the city yet, but with these freezing cold temperatures, it sure it trying hard. Canberra is also a mere 2 hour drive from the highest hill mountain in the country, which incidentally is also home to the best ski-slopes in the country.
Last weekend there were record snow dumps in the Snowy Mountains, so we joined the Rathbones and headed out to Thredbo to see for ourselves. Julie's three younger cousins (Dayne, Luke & Rory) went really early and spent the day snowboarding, while the rest of us caught a ski-lift up the mountain to see the view and grab some tasty food and Lindt hot chocolate. Jules and i spent a bit of time out in the snow, before retreating back into the restaurant to eat. I'm still trying to get my head around the alpine-like town in the middle of Australia! Just to prove i'm not fabricating the whole story, here is the evidence:

Me, Julie, 'Uncle' Alan,Clyde & 'Aunty' Glynis at Merrit's Chairlift

one of the slopes

idyllic!

Snow in Australia? Who would have thought. Our next little adventure is a weekend trip out to the newly discovered Egyptian pyramids in the Outback (200 miles south of Darwin). Pyramids? Who would have thought!