Go scouts!
THE Leeton Scout troop has taken part in a hike to commemorate a piece of Australian aviation history.
On October 25, the troop completed a 17km hike in the rugged mountains of the northern parts of Kosciuszko National Park, commemorating the discovery of the wreckage of the Southern Cloud.
The disappearance of the airliner Southern Cloud on March 21, 1931 was Australia’s greatest air mystery.
The three-engined plane disappeared on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne and its wreck was not discovered until October 26, 1958.
Leaving Leeton on October 24, Scout leader Mark McDougal said 15 members of 1st Leeton Troop stayed at Base Cabramurra, the alpine facility of the Riverina Scouts located at Australia’s highest town.
After a Friday night hike and a good night’s sleep, the troop set off by car for the 25km trip to the vicinity of Round Mountain, where the hike commenced.
“We arrived at the wreck site and memorial, located at 1200metres, at 2pm and stayed for 20 minutes or so, contemplating Australia’s first air disaster that saw the loss of eight people, not found for nearly three decades,” Mr McDougal said.
“The photos of the cane and wicker passenger chairs of the cabin were particularly evocative.”
The Scout group chose the solitude of eve of the discovery anniversary to make the trek to avoid the commemorations that would take place the next day.
On the way back down, the group paused at the mountain hut of Bradley and O’Brien, a grazing hut built in the 1950s before the road between Cabramurra and Khancoban was built.
Travelling home on the Sunday, the Scouts stopped at the thermal pool at Yarrongobilly, which has become a firm favourite of the troops in any weather.
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