Can the Kosciuszko Alpine Way re-invent itself outside the ski season as a great NSW drive? We went south in May and put it to the test. By Kris Ashton

We’re an hour out of Sydney when the GPS dies. It’s plugged into our Nissan X-Trail’s power socket but the charger is faulty. Megan, Melissa and I stop at the Canberra information centre to pick up a map.

This quaint piece of paper still works in 2010. And it’s actually kind of fun. It gets us to Cooma, where we stop at The Lott for lunch. A deli-style café with an open fire and inviting rustic décor, The Lott has its own special coffee blend. Perhaps it includes magic beans, because one cup isn’t enough.

Mid-afternoon we arrive in Jindabyne, the start of Alpine Way (the road as distinct from the tourist route). We take a left at Barry Way and a few minutes later follow a winding gravel track up a mountain. It opens out at Altitude 1260, our accommodation for the night.

Built in the 1980s, Altitude 1260 was once a share lodge for rich types. From its eyrie it commands unparalleled views of Lake Jindabyne and the surrounding highlands. Nowadays it belongs to Scott and Sue Cartwright. Friendlier people you couldn’t hope to meet. We’re treated like family and waited on like royalty. Scott says they plan to add a spa to the heated pool when their finances can take it, although any surplus funds would be better spent improving the water pressure in the showers.

In the morning, the gentle curves of Barry Way take us towards Snowy Wilderness, which specialises in horse-riding holidays. It’s well off the beaten track and a dirt drive feeds us onto the property. As I pull on the handbrake two bear-sized German shepherds emerge from the shadows. We’ve seen Cujo; our doors stay firmly closed. But after a while we notice one shepherd has a stick in his mouth. It’s a shaggy welcoming party.

Manager Justin Macintosh introduces us to our horses. I’ve ridden a fair bit, so I’m with Frankie. Melissa sits astride the short-legged Lady. I forget the name of Megan’s horse, but it doesn’t matter – she’s not on him five minutes before she decides to ‘abandon equine’ and go read a book in the sun. Life in the saddle is not for everyone.

The Snowy Wilderness property is almost a small country (7200 acres) and can host seven-day horse riding and camping tours. Brumbies roam free here, and on our short trail ride we’re fortunate to see a few of them. They’re skittish animals and photographing them is difficult, but it’s a real dose of Australiana.

We resume Alpine Way and negotiate the steep, winding roads into Thredbo. Melissa and I check into our luxurious apartments at The Lantern. We’re told our lodgings are a “short stroll” from the village centre. This is true, if you think a “stroll” should involve 50 million stairs. It’s okay on the way down, but coming back… talk about altitude training.

Thredbo in May is a ghost town. That’s one reason Tourism Snowy Mountains has got us on the Alpine Way – to get the skis out of our eyes and let us see what the area has to offer during the other three seasons. We sample what we can in our short stay: the toboggan run, the pubs, fine dining at The Denman, and in the morning, the chairlift.

At its terminus we start the walk to Mount Kosciuszko’s lookout. It’s a 2km hike, mostly uphill, but easier than those stairs to The Lantern. Along the way we pause to admire the sparkling snow-melt creeks and miniature alpine flowers.

From the lookout we can see back down to the village, but westward cloud and mist obscure Mount Kosciuszko’s peak. Oh well, we’ve burnt off breakfast.

The roads out of Thredbo are even more demanding – twisted and hilly and full of blind corners. It’s so easy to get complacent. You might take 50 bends with care and find each one empty, but if you swing a little wide on number 51 you can be sure it has an oncoming car. 

We stop at Queens Cottage in Khancoban for lunch. This cute bed and breakfast overlooks what might be the best vista in southern NSW. Along the road below deciduous trees create a fiery line of reds and yellows. In the far distance snow-capped mountains are shrouded in cloud, while nearer to town pipes from the Snowy Mountains Scheme cascade down to the river. The cottage is aptly named, too: owner Andrew Laycock tells us Queen Elizabeth II got changed and, ahem, “sat on her throne” here.

We’re late into Tumbarumba, where the Kosciuszko Alpine Way ends and the Snow Valleys Way begins. We dine at The Nest café, which has lounges, well-stocked bookshelves and a tiny cinema. If the locals wore op-shop clothes and wrote odes to Che Guevara, you could almost believe you were in Newtown.

Megan drove the gentle hills between Khancoban and Tumbarumba; for me it’s yet more precipitous switchbacks as Elliot Way squiggles through the mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. We emerge at Kiandra and find our way onto the Snowy Mountains Highway. The sweeping bends and smooth straights to Tumut are both a relief and a pleasure.

On the gravel access road for Yarrangobilly Caves the X-Trail comes into its own, gliding over ditches and holding a firm line on soft corners.

Unlike Jenolan Caves, Yarrangobilly isn’t infested with tourists. Especially on Mother’s Day. Our guide, Regina Roach, takes our party of three into the Jillabenan Cave. I never tire of the other-worldly feel inside these natural artworks, which were old before man was a twinkle in evolution’s eye. The girls are also impressed until Melissa asks what lives in the caves and Regina’s answer includes the word “spiders”.

We’re flat-out for home between Tumut to Sydney and have to bypass enticing exits for Cootamundra, Gundagai, and Goulburn. We’ve covered 1350km in four days. If you try the Alpine Way in autumn, take your time. Get started at Snowy Mountains.

Open Road July/August 2010.