Day 18 – 8,025 KM. Town 25: After stopping at Picton it was off to Canberra with a couple of stops before arrival, the first one being at Mittagong. Mittagong is a larger town with a population of around 7,500 and can be reached by taking a turn down the old Hume Hiway.
There were two things I wished to see on a rather fleeting stop at this busy town, the first stop was the Mittagong Lookout. About 4KM out of town up a winding road is a lookout over the town and by following the road a bit further, lookouts over other directions in the area. A splendid vista awaited where the town, its wooded surrounds and sprawling nature could be observed.
Mittagong
More interesting though was my desire to see the Old Maltings. Now whilst I am sure these are not on the official Mittagong tourist route there is always something attractive about massive derelict old buildings and these did not disappoint.
The two malting building, a few hundred metres apart from each other served as malthouses for the old major beer company of New South Wales, Tooth and Co. They were built from 1898 and put into disuse from the 1970’s. Whilst now in decay the buildings are not that far gone on the outside with slates and the usual graffiti present. Perhaps this is why a few years ago it had been subject to an attempted renovation which was stopped shortly commencement.