14-Jun-2001 -- Having been home for a short visit, I needed to return to Canberra for another 2 weeks. A trip from home (in the LaTrobe Valley, Victoria) to Canberra has 2 route choices. A variation on the longer route gave the opportunity to visit 2 new confluences.
38S 146E is about a one-hour drive from home. I had visited this area several times previously during Amateur Radio contests, but had not visited the actual confluence.
The day was very wet and cold - snow was falling on the nearby hills (down to about 700m altitude). The GPS was followed until the confluence was reached - just inside a fence line, only a few metres from the road (Picture 1). The reading may have been influenced slightly by the very wet eucalypts which surround the site, so I have only claimed to within 100m. The rain also made photography difficult - you can see the drops on the GPS (Picture 6) and it was very dim under the trees.
Picture 3 shows the view from close to the confluence looking to the south of west. Pic 4 is to the south, 5 to the east and 2 to the north, from the edge of the road. Picture 7 shows a view to the east from about a mile up the road (from close to Neerim East locality), to show the typical terrain in this area - undulating hills, with much of the land cleared for farming. The main farm activity in this area is dairy farming.
Picture 8 is a map showing the area - Neerim South is the closest "town". It is north of Warragul. This area is noted for its "Gourmet Deli" tourist trail - lots of fine food and wine outlets in the region.