THARWA SANDWASH (on a dull day). This stretch of the
Murrumbidgee, about 25km south of Parliament House, is accessible and part of a
nature reserve. It has become popular with birdwatchers
because of the possibility of interesting sightings of birds following
the river corridor. It is a good place for raptors, but beware of wombat
holes when looking skywards. Anyone lured to the spot by the prospect of
seeing some traditional Australian sand-washing will be disappointed, as ‘wash’
is apparently used in sense 36 in the Macquarie Dictionary: ‘a
shallow part of a river’, a term from a time when Australians had more words
for natural features than they do now.
