While down in Sydney we also did the school shopping, uniforms as my eldest heads off to high school and shoes for everyone – I cannot believe it takes so long to find a pair of black shoes.

I know this is out of order but on the way down we also stopped off at Cooma Cottage the home of the Australian Explorer Hamilton Hume

“Pioneering pastoralist Cornelius O’Brien built this single storied colonial cottage in 1835, and between 1839 and 1873 it was home to Australia’s great overland explorer Hamilton Hume. A creative owner-builder, Hume added his version of Palladian style wings and a Greek Revival portico. Set in a pastoral landscape the house represents an extraordinary taxonomy of vernacular building techniques and includes a fine, mid-nineteenth century stables outbuilding. Situated on the Yass River, Cooma Cottage is in the heart of some of New South Wales’ richest sheep grazing country and during the 1830s, brothers Henry and Cornelius O’Brien joined other pioneers such as Hume in settling these rich, open plains.”

Quite an interesting building. It started off with only two rooms and before Hamilton Hume died, he had added to it 7 times. And in the front (the original front) there is a massive old olive tree which was planted by Hamilton and is still there 150 years later, I have to say it is massive. Definitely if you are driving thru Yass stop there and do the tour. While the property is owned by The Nation Trust there is a local group of volunteers (Friends of Cooma Cottage) that organise the tours, and the house also needs approx $500k of work to fix up so if anyone is feeling generous This is also where the Hume and Hovel walking trail starts.