Nice folk of Captains Flat

Sadly, not all Captain’s Flat folk are nice – but the meanies are usually blowins. Case in point: a woman, originally from Sydney, who is now a pro vice chancellor at a nearby university had a house at Captain’s Flat that she had bought for $5000 in the early 1970s. She had it insured for $28,000 by the early 1980s – some $10,000 more than its value. It burnt down in the middle of the night, and the uninsured young tenants barely escaped with their lives – one was actually naked and had to be given a dressing gown by the neighbours. The owner did not inquire after their welfare, offer temporary accommodation, or even stump up with a mere 100 bucks for the young couple from the $10,000 profit, to buy some clothes. She reaped her just desserts eventually, however: her grown-up son has disowned her.

The Captains Flat Road is busier on weekends, with daytrippers and particularly trailbike riders (usually with the bike in a ute or trailer) and at this time of year people out “fossicking for” (i.e. stealing) firewood, than it is on weekdays, especially during the day on weekdays when commuters are safely tucked up at work.

More info than you could poke a stick at is available at http://www.captainsflat.org and no of course I’m not the webmaster (well, okay then, I am really).

Have lived here since 2002 and no plans to go anywhere else.

Pete

Oh god, my spellink, please shoot me.

ant said :

You’re lucky you found the road quiet and deserted; in the working week, Captain’s Flat Rd is bloody busy. There’s a lot of people living in this district, all using it.

Relative to the UK, as I was intimating above, it’s like an epmty, deserted road in the middle of nowhere, with no traffic at all on it, ever.

(England, where my mates are, covers an area of 130,410 sq km, as compared to NSW at 800,642sq km, it has a population of 50 million as compared to NSW’s 6.7 million. Thats’s 383 people per ksq as opposed to 8 people per ksq. )

http://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/ah0073?slid=3147222

the pub is still open and for sale

http://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/ah0073?slid=3147222

I haven’t been to the pub recently, I believe it’s still open although I think they’ve closed off the full length of that room. And I’m not sure, to be honest, if they still run the accommodation part of it! You never seem to see them advertising like the Bungendore pubs do.

I agree totally ant. A railway would have made it into a very attractive proposition to live in. It’s in a beautiful setting,with some really good nature reserves close by.

Is that huge hotel still open? Any good?

Pommy bastard said :

Thanks for the info Kid 2, interesting the way it got its name. I was wondering if it was named after a retired sea captain, or millitary man. Now I know it’s just a load of old bull! 😉

Yeah, I’ve always vaguely wondered too… was it a military man, or a person who was named Captain… nope, it was a tough old bull grumping away in his paddock.

It’s an interesting town, to see that whopping hotel there, in such a quiet town, really reminds you of how some towns have had this boom/bust thing for a whole. It’s a shame the rail line is broken up, The Flat would have had a bright future as a dormitory town with a railway. quite a few people commute to Canberra from there anyway but it’s quite a drive.

Nice story. Good on the Captains Flat folk! (Interesting to know the name’s origins.)