10 things to do in Thredbo outside ski season
The Snowy Mountains region has plenty to offer visitors, even when there’s no snow.
1 You don’t have to be a thrill seeker, or even going particularly fast, to experience the exhilaration of a downhill mountain-bike run at Thredbo, the place they call, ominously, the “home of gravity”. Chairlifts deal with gravity on the way up (yes, your bike comes too) giving access to more than 34km of trails catering for all levels (beware: check the map first, lest you end up on something called the Cannonball Downhill). Bikes are available to rent and a beginners’ skills clinic promises to get newbies down the mountain in one piece. Thredbo’s Gravity Girls clinic, which offers women a supportive and fun introduction to downhill riding, was a sellout this summer. The Easter Adventure Carnival is set to run from April 2-18, with the resort’s new Merritts Gondola running through the Easter long weekend (excluding Good Friday). There will be live music at Merritts Mountain House (top of the gondola), and Land Rover will be offering “experience drives” through the national park and to the summit of Thredbo for sunset. Bookings essential; thredbo.com.au.
2 Feeling fit and have a whole day to spare? Steel yourself for the 22km Main Range walk, starting and finishing at Charlotte Pass. The benign dome of Mount Kosciuszko, crawling with people jostling for selfies on the summit cairn, comes as part of the deal but the real appeal of this iconic walk is its detachment from crowds. After boulder-hopping the Snowy River, you’ll follow a stone path to the tranquil Blue Lake then climb Carruthers Peak, with a view over the highest peaks of the Great Dividing Range. It’s startling to rejoin the torrent filing up “Kosci” from the Thredbo chairlift as you approach Rawson Pass (where you’ll find, perhaps with great relief, Australia’s highest public toilets). Pass historic Seaman’s Hut and cross the Snowy for a second time, then it’s all downhill to home. Expect to feel this one the next morning; nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.
3 Thredbo resort offers a selection of hikes led by knowledgeable, affable guides. The 10km Dead Horse Gap outing starts with a chairlift ride to the top of the ski field, an inspired move that means the walking is all downhill from there. The views across the granite tors of the Rams-head Range and into Thredbo Valley are sublime and the path weaves between twisted snow gums, through a wildflower wonderland. Take a rest at Dead Horse Gap before ambling along the Thredbo River back to the township. For a more intrepid adventure, sign up for one of Thredbo’s Signature Series Private Hikes, including a 21km trek to the boulder-strewn summit of Mount Townsend, a 19km walk to the Main Range’s five glacial lakes, or a 13km sunset jaunt to the top of Mount Kosciuszko; thredbo.com.au.
4 Want an unforgettable view of the Snowies? Quit messing around and get in the air. Truenorth Helicopters’ half-day Vine to Wine tour lifts off from Tumut and sets course south across the apple orchards of Batlow before dropping into Obsession Wines for a morning tasting (and a tale of a remarkable journey to recovery after its vineyards were wiped out by fire last summer). It’s incredible how green the landscape now is; more sobering is seeing hillsides of obliterated gums standing silver-grey against the regrowth. The climax is a cellar door lunch and tasting at cool-climate kings Courabyra Wines, before tracking back along the Tumut River and the Snowy Hydro dams; truenorthhelicopters.com.au.
5 The team behind the surf-inspired Three Blue Ducks restaurant chain has set up its sixth outpost at the plush Nimbo Fork Lodge at Killimicat in the Tumut Valley. The lodge (with riverside cottages for overnighters) is a fly-fishers’ favourite, so it’s no surprise the menu stars trout pulled from the Tumut River, while the rib eye and lamb chops are courtesy of local organic producer Provenir, which adopts an ethical approach to livestock handling, including on-farm butchering. The kitchen is led by French chef Edmee Driez, and cross-pollination between it and the Ducks’ Bronte headquarters is taken literally, with honey harvested from the Sydney business and dispatched straight to Nimbo; threeblueducks.com/nimbo.
6 Tumbarumba was bushfire central last summer, its main street akin to a warzone as locals rallied to save surrounding farms and vineyards. A year on and this attractive town has bounced back. Ride the newly completed stretch of the Riverina Highlands Rail Trail to Rosewood, drive to Paddys River Falls or take a stroll around Braymont Gardens, home to a captivating tree church with a stunning espaliered silver birch roof. Visitors with a bohemian bent will struggle to tear themselves away from Nest, a cafe cum book store cum boutique cinema. This community hub hosts regular events, including a monthly produce market. Nearby Tumut’s Festival of the Falling Leaf will celebrate all things autumnal on April 24. A riverside stroll is especially beautiful at this time of year as the rows of stately Lombardy poplars (planted in 1861) shed their leaves; cafe-nest.com.
7 Combining a guesthouse and separate restaurant, Crackenback Farm is the closest thing to a European alpine homestead to be found in the Snowies. On cool nights, the open fire crackles, warming the stone floor as the timber-panelled walls glow. It’s the kind of place where the farm cat might drift over to your table and nuzzle against your leg. French farmhouse cuisine is the fare, with Thursday being seafood night, and the place glows with casual, rural atmosphere. It’s 10km up Alpine Way from Jindabyne; look for the pine trees lining the driveway; crackenback.com.
8 Drive half an hour southeast of Jindabyne to a vast and beautiful nowhere west of the hamlet of Dalgety, where Snowy Vineyard and Microbrewery, home to Dalgety Brewing Co, is based. Run by Wollongong natives Liz Reilly and Bart Jonceski, the converted shearers’ shed nails the rustic country aesthetic with its timber and corrugated iron bar. They serve craft beer brewed from water pumped straight from the Snowy River. Quaff a Snowy lager, H-Dog American pale ale or milkshake IPA (although strangely the brewery’s bestselling drink is a ginger cider). Open Thursday-Sunday, 12pm-6pm (8pm on Saturday, which is also burger night) with live music most weekends. More great craft beer awaits at Tumut River Brewing Co and Jindabyne Brewery; visitnsw.com.
9 Rivalling the summit of Kosciuszko for popularity is Wildbrumby Schnapps Distillery, a former saddlery converted into a stylish eatery just off Alpine Way. Austrian Monika Spalding built the business with Australian husband Brad, using the secrets of European schnapps passed down by her grandfather. The centrepiece of the place is an imported Willy Wonka-esque polished-copper still. Outdoor dining is stunning, with a shady deck overlooking a lush lawn and raspberry patch, and granite boulders dotting an artful and serene sculpture garden; wildbrumby.com.
Best beds
10 Located on Alpine Way, halfway between Jindabyne and Thredbo, Tinkersfield is a country property dotted with luxury homes that reflect the region’s cattlemen heritage in their design. Houses are decked out in reclaimed timber and granite but equipped with Neff appliances and airconditioning. Kangaroos graze metres from a clawfoot bath (the bathroom becomes part of the outdoors once the bi-fold doors are drawn back). If guests strike a chilly night, they can light the open fire. Want to stay cosy indoors? Chef Warren Hickey will deliver a gourmet dinner. Dogs are welcome and can be be looked after in doggy daycare while owners are out exploring the bordering national park.