Frock’n Roll – Birdsnest and the Cooma Car Club

19 May 2025 / Author: Cathy and Simon Trickett - Photos: Cathy and Simon Trickett, John Chapuis

Starting at the leisurely time of 10:15 we all met on the southern edge of Canberra, before setting off on the most direct route to Cooma along the Monaro Highway (for those not from the region, the indirect way would be 100’s of kilometres longer via either the coast or approaching from the south west if you wanted to stay on sealed roads that is). So, an hour later, we arrived.

Cooma, the largest town in the Snowy Mountains region of NSW, is a popular gateway to the area's ski fields, Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, and Kosciuszko National Park. It's a vibrant community with a rich history, known for its heritage buildings, local artisan shops, and cultural events. Cooma's reputation as a cold winter destination is well-deserved, with the winds from the mountains and Antarctic often whipping across the treeless Monaro Plains. 

First stop was Nanny Goat Hill Lookout. Not far from the centre of town the lookout provides panoramic views of the town itself and the surrounding district. The sculpture of the precariously positioned goat was made by a local artist, Chris Graham.

Following this we headed for lunch at The Lott Cafe. Whilst it was still a touch before noon everybody was keen to get fed and watered. I was unsure what to order, not because there wasn’t anything I wanted, but because there were too many delicious sounding meals to choose from. I may have to make a return visit to try the apple crumble pancakes and custard! We were all well fed with Phil and myself feeling a little warm as the pulled pork and beans had been (no pun intended) a touch spicy! Trekking across the road we headed to the Charles Davis Photography gallery.

You may not recognise the name, but you’ll likely recognise the work, think cute wombat walking across the snow towards the camera, or four kookaburra’s on an icy branch. Each photo was accompanied by a helpful explanation of the events that led to the scene and the time waiting for all the elements in the image to align. It takes a lot of patience to wait lying in the snow for hours as a wombat wanders across a valley to finally get close to you. Not my idea of a fun morning, but the results are stunning.

It was at this point that those who wanted to visit Birdsnest walked off in one direction, whilst those visiting the car club drove off in the other.

Birdsnest  - ‘At birdsnest, we like to think of ourselves as your Wardrobe Wingbirds and our vision has always been to empower women. This along with growing and supporting our team of 150, 85% of whom are women, has always been at the heart of our business based in the country town of Cooma in the Snowy Mountains of NSW.’

The ladies enjoyed some retail therapy at the friendly head office of this wonderful Australian clothing brand. It was a relatively quiet afternoon, particularly compared to visiting on a Saturday when it can be crazy busy. We had plenty of time to try on multiple outfits in the spacious change rooms, sharing opinions and mulling over the many options. By the end of our visit, we certainly contributed to the local economy! If you have not visited Birdsnest, it’s a great experience and you will no doubt leave a little better dressed than when you arrived.   

Cooma Car Club  – A Car Club like no other. A healthy membership of motoring enthusiasts enjoy the many day trips, extensive tours and Club outings but also work with the Clubs facilities and resources to benefit the wider community. In the last two decades, the Club has provided over $120,000 to regional charities.

Well worth the visit. Friendly knowledgeable folk, interesting motorsport memorabilia and photographs and a varied selection of cars covering every decade until the 1980s. There were Jaguars, Fiats, Fords, Holdens and even an Amphicar, quite an appropriate vehicle given I drive a yacht (click here to find out more about this). There is even a 1950’s style diner. After an enjoyable hour or so, we bid our farewells to the Cooma Car Club and toddled off back through Cooma to Birdsnest.

The drive home, uneventful, aside from a spot of rain which had people pulling over to put their roofs up. 

All in all a great day. Cooma does make a good day trip and there would still be more to see and do such as the Corrective Services NSW Museum and Snowy Hydro Information centre.

Two runs down for us in May, one to go!