Vanya, >I shall be driving from Canberra to Sydney on Monday week and would like >to visit Araluen, my grandmother's birthplace in 1864. It is entirely possible to drive from Canberra to Sydney via Araluen, but you will need to allow a full day - not because of the extreme distance, but because of the distractions in the areas you will be travelling through. Take the road east from Canberra (called the Kings Highway, I think), through Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Doughboy and Braidwood. Queanbeyan to Braidwood is 74km. From Braidwood, head south (the highway continues east) towards Jembaicumbene and Reidsdale, then through Bells Creek to Araluen. Braidwood to Araluen is about 30km. From Araluen you can either continue SE for about 60km and pick up the coast at Moruya, or backtrack via Reidsdale and pick up the Kings Highway again near Warrambucca. From here it is about 50km to the coast at Batemans Bay. Batemans Bay to the southern or western suburbs of Sydney is about 4 hours, through some of the nicest country in the world (he says, without any hint of bias <g>). If you have the time, forget the freeway and take the coast road north from Wollongong through Stanwell Park - it's a similiar drive to your own West Coast. It would probably be wise to pick up a good map of the area from Canberra to the coast while you are in Canberra. Have fun. John John Graham johngrah@ozemail.com.au GENEALOGY FROM GERRINGONG http://www.ozemail.com.au/~johngrah/