About 70 Kilometers South-West of Sydney, past the small town Picton, the Queen Victoria Park and an expanse of pastureland grazed by domestic horses and livestock, is Thirlmere. Close on its heels to the West is the Thirlmere Lakes National Park which has found its place in UNESCO’s World Heritage list (under the area Greater Blue Mountains). Apart from the trekking woods, the main feature of the park is three fresh water lakes – Gandangarra, Werri-Berri and Couridjah. These lakes are thought to have formed around 15 million years ago by geological activity, that cut them off from the local river system. The surrounding habitat is forest, spread out over 6 Sq Kilometers dominated by trees like rough-barked Apple, Sydney peppermint and red bloodwood, ideal for trekking, birdwatching and even barbecues. The Heritage Pump Station also sits about a Kilometer into the woods with a bit of locomotive history. In the not too distant past the Pump Station delivered water to Couridjah to replenish the steam locomotives on the old Southern Railway line after their long haul up the steep grade from Picton. The restored sandstone heritage pump house is the only remaining paradigm of a building of its kind.