The people of Talbingo (population 390+1, according to the sign) have seen a lot of politics lately. A few weeks ago they hosted the Prime Minister. Now they've had the prime minister in exile.
Connie Lomas, who queued up when Malcolm Turnbull visited last month to announce the second-coming of the Snowy Hydro, was especially excited to meet Tony Abbott.
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"I got a kiss," she boasted. "And I said: 'I'm so proud to shake your hand – more than the other prime minister'."
Mr Abbott led the procession of Lycra-clad politicians and friends on the second day of the Pollie Pedal, the annual cycling fundraiser he started in 1998, as it wound its way through the Snowy Mountains on Tuesday.
This year's mission is to raise money for Soldier On, a charity fighting back against the scourge of mental illness, depression and suicide that afflicts war veterans at an undue rate.
According to SoldierOn, men serving full-time in the defence force are 53 per cent less likely to take their own lives – but 13 per cent more likely once they leave.
In Talbingo, Dee Grove and her husband both served in the army and have seen first-hand the tragedy wreaked by mental illness in the aftermath of life in the military.
"I've got a few friends whose husbands have suicided because of PTSD, so it's very close to our hearts," she said. "Our government sends them there, our government needs to deal with it."
Mr Abbott said the most difficult job of any prime minister was deciding to put the country's armed services into harm's way. He recalled John Howard nervously pacing the verandah outside Parliament's dining hall the night before committing forces to East Timor.
"He was obviously quite anxious," Mr Abbott said. "I hope what this Pollie Pedal ride is doing is not just raising awareness of the issue but letting our veterans know that they are respected, that they are valued. In the end I think what people need as much as anything else is affirmation."
The pollies – including Coalition MPs Kevin Andrews and David Gillespie - avoided venturing just a few kilometres further from Talbingo town centre where the stately Tumut 3 Power Station, jewel of the Snowy Hydro, is set for dramatic expansion if Mr Turnbull's plans are realised.
But Mr Abbott defended his right to the mantle of "the infrastructure prime minister" on Tuesday, pointing to a range of road projects in several states initiated under his watch that were either completed or under way.
"I think the Abbott government was certainly the best Commonwealth government for infrastructure in history," he declared on Tuesday.
Mr Abbott said Snowy Hydro 2.0 was a "very exciting and visionary scheme" but "obviously there's a bit of work to do" to ensure it is viable.
"You can understand people's scepticism but I think this is more likely than not to go ahead," he said as as the sun set over Talbingo.
The locals, however, were not so sure.
"If it all goes ahead, it'll be great," Ms Grove said. "I'm sceptical about everything."
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