Sheer mountain sides looming around almost every turn, alpine fields ablaze with wildflowers, deep cobalt-blue dams reflecting white puffy clouds and dark green forests. Rich pale-gold farming pastures studded with grazing sheep and cattle and rumpled hillsides covered in orchards laden with fruit. This is what you will see on this drive through the Snowy Mountains in southern New South Wales.
The drive is a loop from Cooma, covering 570 km of mostly alpine roads, however you could start or finish the drive at any point along the way, or use the western side of the loop as a scenic alternative route between Cooma and Tumut. Total driving time is around nine hours, but there are things to see and do around every 30 minutes or so. Three to four days would allow enough time to enjoy the drive and visit most things along the way, finding time to also do some fishing or bushwalking.
Many of the roads featured in this drive were built by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority (SMA) as access roads during the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The Authority's Information Centre in Cooma has a very good 15-minute video that tells the history of the scheme, how it was built and how the massive dams and tunnels connect to feed the power stations and generators. There is also a model of the mountains and the roads that wind through them where you can trace out your route over the next few days.
The drive begins by taking the Snowy Mountains Highway out of Cooma, following the signs to Berridale and Jindabyne. In the shadow of the mountains, the road passes through rolling countryside, past grazing sheep and cattle and open pastures.
Follow the signs to Eucumbene Trout Farm. This is one place in the Snowies where you are guaranteed to catch a rainbow trout. Tour the trout hatchery or hire a rod and your catch will be cleaned and wrapped in foil with butter, crushed almonds and other goodies, ready to either take home or to cook on the barbecues here. There is also a farmyard with ducks, lambs and chickens for children to enjoy and horse riding.
Back on the road to Berridale, it is about a 30-minute drive to Jindabyne, on the shores of Lake Jindabyne, and one of two towns moved during the building of the snowy scheme (Adaminaby was also moved). The Visitors Centre on Kosciusko Road has an informative video about the area, information about Kosciusko National Park, drives and attractions in the area, and a well-stocked bookshop with titles on everything from mountain bike riding, bushcraft, fishing, skiing and bushwalking to local history. There is also a restaurant and interesting museum exhibits.
From Jindabyne the road begins to climb into the mountains, rising from 930 metres to 1,370 metres at Thredbo and finally 1,580 metres at Dead Horse Gap. Jindabyne is the official starting point for The Alpine Way, which winds a slow (allow up to two and a half hours) but spectacular 111 km through the ranges to finish at Khancoban (300m).
The Alpine Way enters Kosciusko National Park just before Thredbo, around 20 minutes from Jindabyne. Park fees apply even if you are only driving through the park. You must display your ticket on the windscreen of your car at all times when you are in the park.
Snow chains must be carried between June 1 and October 10 on The Alpine Way between Thredbo and Tom Groggin, the Kosciusko Road beyond Sawpit Creek and the Island Bend/Guthega Road for its full length. Other trouble spots include Kiandra and Talbingo Mountain.
Thredbo is a resort village that caters mainly for the winter skiing crowd but is one of the few resorts that offers a range of summer activities. You can take the chairlift to the top of Crackenback and walk the six kilometre easy track to the top of Mt Kosciusko, which at 2,228 metres, is Australia's highest peak. If you have all day, you can combine it with the 10km Dead Horse Gap walk that takes you from the chairlift across the mountain and then back to the village through stands of snow gums and along the Thredbo River. Make sure you take water, warm clothing and sunscreen as the weather can change suddenly and the sun can be severe, even when cool.
There is a range of guided walks available in Thredbo as well as mountain bike riding, fly fishing, paragliding, horse riding and the alpine slide. Australian Institute of Sport Alpine Training Centre is open to the public. It has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, fully equipped gym, squash, basketball, netball and volleyball courts and a running track.
Leaving Thredbo the road snakes its way to Dead Horse Gap, which, according to local legend, got its name from brumbies that were trapped here in severe snow storms and died. The roadsides are lined with masses of white, lemon and pink wildflowers and even in February there are patches of snow in the mountain crevices. Shortly after Pilot lookout (stunning views of the upper Murray River valley and the NSW/ Victoria border between the mountains) there are some sections of unsealed road which could be slippery in wet conditions.
From here the road descends to rest areas at Leatherbarrel Creek and Tom Groggin near Tom Groggin station, home of Tom Riley who was reputedly the original 'man from Snowy River', and Geehi on the banks of the Swampy Plains River. All three rest stops have toilets, fireplaces, picnic and bush camping areas.
Climbing again, the road cuts through the mountains with more stunning views of sheer mountain walls. Rosellas flit through the treetops and if you're travelling in the morning or late afternoon, you'll probably see a few kangaroos as well. Stop at Scammell's Spur Lookout for spectacular panoramic views of the western face of the main range. Ten kilometres on is the turnoff for Murray 1 power station.
After reaching Khancoban turn right to Cabramurra. This road is closed in winter, between the long weekends in June and October. Winding through lush farmland on the valley floor the road climbs again through the mountains, through dry sclerophyll forest, past Tooma Dam and across the wall of Tumut Pond Reservoir, to reach the SMA township of Cabramurra, about an hour's drive away. This is Australia's highest township at 1,488m. There is petrol available and a general store with takeaways, but if you're stopping here for lunch, bring a picnic and eat it at the lookout. Beside the general store there is an interesting free photographic gallery featuring the construction of the scheme and the way the workers and their families lived.
Drive through Cabramurra and turn onto the Elliott Way, signposted to Tumbarumba. The Elliott Way, part of Tourist Drive 5, is quite narrow and winding, with soft edges and a number of one-lane bridges, but is very scenic. It will take around an hour to reach Tumbarumba, but stop at Paddys River Falls just before you reach town. Here is a pretty little waterfall with a nice picnic and barbecue area beside the river.
Tumbarumba — Tumby to the locals — has some great antique shops. Eight kilometres on the Wagga Road is the Glenroy Heritage Reserve and the Pioneer Women's Hut, a fascinating museum dedicated to preserving the everyday objects of ordinary women. There are also picnic facilities and a store with local cottage crafts.
Following Tourist Drive 5 it's a 25-30 minute drive to Batlow. This is orchard country and you can buy apples, pears, cherries and other stone fruit during the season from many of the orchards.
The route continues on to Tumut, another 15-20 minute drive, but an interesting detour, that will only add around 15km to the trip, is to the historic township of Adelong. Once a bustling town of 20,000 during a gold rush in 1857, it is now a sleepy village of 900. Many of the buildings in the main street are listed by the National Trust and there are quite a few galleries and craft stores to browse through. One kilometre out of town (following the Wagga Road through town until signposted) is the Adelong Falls Reserve. Adelong Creek flows by the ruins of the old Reefer Battery that served the gold mines until abandoned in 1910. The creek and hills here are said to have yielded more than 25 tonnes of gold, you can try your luck panning in the creek. There are some pleasant short walks, picnic tables, barbecues and toilets.
Famous for its autumn colours and the annual Festival of the Falling Leaf held in late April, Tumut is a thriving country town, set beside the Tumut River which has a riverside walking track. Tumut Valley Violets on the way out of town has a range of African violets, a craft and gift store and a cafe.
The rest of the drive follows the Snowy Mountains Highway 181km back to Cooma. Talbingo, birthplace of Miles Franklin (author of My Brilliant Career), is a pretty village beside Lake Journama, nestled in the shadow of the mountains, around 30 minutes from Tumut. The drive follows the shoreline of Blowering Reservoir with good views of the lake and mountains. In Talbingo, drive up to Talbingo Dam to a lookout over the dam wall and mountains into the valley below before touring Tumut 3 power station. This is the biggest power station in the scheme and you'll see massive pipes big enough for a double-decker bus to drive through.
The next point of interest is Yarrangobilly Caves, 6.5km off the Snowy Mountains Highway in Kosciusko National Park. These limestone caves are among the most richly decorated in Australia. There is also a thermal pool with water a constant 27°C, bushwalks and picnic facilities. If you are packing a picnic lunch, there are no food facilities between Talbingo and Adaminaby.
Gold was discovered at Kiandra, near the junction of the highway and Cabramurra Road, in 1859. Today all that remains are a few ruins covered by wildflowers and some display boards telling the story.
It's an hour back to Cooma from here. Highlights of this section include, Providence Portal on Lake Eucumbene, the 'big trout' a huge fibreglass rainbow trout standing guard over the park in Adaminaby and Lama World, a llama and alpaca farm 19km from Cooma that offers llama-led treks and picnics, a museum about the animals and industry, farm safaris, an Inca gallery and tea room.
In Cooma, visit the Cooma Gaol Museum and Craft shop in Vagg Street, Raglan Gallery and Craft Centre in Lambie Street and Past Times Country Crafts and museum on the Snowy Mountains Highway.
If you’re planning to camp in the national park keep in mind that pets are not allowed - dogs are permitted on leads at the Paddys River and Paddys River Falls camp area near Tumbarumba.
Facilities at most of the Snowies campsites are basic compared to many other national parks. For example, it is rare to find drinking water. Some sites have creeks with water that can be drunk once boiled. Generally it is safest to bring your own water and firewood. The Park's best-equipped camping is at Kosciuszko Mountain Retreat, which has visitor information, hot showers, drinking water, toilets, telephones, caravan sites, wheelchair access, electric barbecues, picnic tables and fireplaces. The Retreat is 14 km north-west of Jindabyne at Sawpit Creek.
Don’t leave the Snowies without sampling some of its famous trout - try it smoked, poached, grilled or as pate. You can try some at the Eucumbene Trout Farm if you are travelling when it is open in school holidays or wintertime, otherwise most good restaurants, cafes and delis in Cooma and Tumut sell some. Ask for it!
The Snowies is an anglers’ paradise with many stocked lakes and dams and hundreds of kilometres of local streams.
Brown and rainbow trout are the most popular fish but yellowbelly, Murray cod, silver perch and Macquarie perch are also plentiful. The best time to fish is during the warmer months, but not when it is really hot — November and early December, March and April are best.
You can pick up a Trout Report from the Visitors Centre in Cooma with details about where the fish are biting locally and how many have been caught in the last few days.
Check with NSW Fisheries for bag limits, fishing seasons and minimum sizes.
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