Yes, I know, one goes to the Snowy Mountains when it snows!

Well, not necessarily.Β The Snowy Mountains are great in Spring too, when the views are wonderful, the walks are great and the weather just right.Β That was when we went there.

Where are the Snowy Mountains? In Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, Australia – drive time is two hours from Canberra, seven hours from Melbourne and five hours from Sydney.

View of Jindabyne Lake, Snowy Mountains, AUS

We started at Jindabyne, a delightful little town with a lovely lake.Β Our lakeside hotel had a large terrace with the entire lake just in front of us. Evenings were a pleasure as the setting sun slowly changed the colours, reflections and shadows all around. The town is small but quaint, with a couple of nice places to eat.

There is a lot to do in Jindabyne in the springtime if you are athletic – horse-riding, mountain biking, sailing, canoeing, fishing and your choice of bushwalks from very easy to very tough. If you aren’t into any of that, the lakeside is a wonderful place to enjoy peace and nature, especially in the evening.

Surge Tank in Jindabyne, Australia

After breakfast while gazing at the lake we set off for Perisher and Charlotte Pass on a twisty hill road that repeatedly offered lovely views of the lake and the hills around it. On the way there is a tall concrete tower with a surge water tank -where we stopped for a great view and a photo-op.

We were stopped at the entrance to theΒ Kosciuszko National Park and told to pay a small fee to enter the ParkΒ andΒ to get snow chains. We found this a bit odd because there was no trace of snow anywhere on the road, but a rule is a rule, so we went back and rented a set for the day from a gas station. We, then, found out that there is a possibility of unseasonal snow in Spring!Β 

Back to the Park and on our way to Perisher, we saw notices saying that the road to Charlotte Pass was closed due to snow.Β  Snow??Β  That raised our hopes of seeing some snow.Β  Almost at the end of the 33 KM hill road to Perisher valley we got the first glimpse of snow on a hilltop far away. But soon there was more and more, until there was clean white snow (not the grey slushy stuff) covering both sides of the road. Unexpected, but nice!!

Perisher valley is bowl shaped, surrounded by hills, and surprise, surprise, there were hundreds of people skiing down the snowy slopes and the ski-lifts were working at full pelt. We watched the skiers, took a couple of walks, fortified ourselves at the cafΓ© and decided to get back towards Jindabyne.

Perisher valley offers many walks of different difficulty categories, and even bushwalking.Β  One of the easy, but long walks is on the Perisher to Blue Cow link trail which is all of 10 KM but gives you fantastic views of Blue Cow Mountain, the Brindabella Range and Schlinks Pass.Β  The choices are many and even if you can’t manage a very long or difficult walk you will find one that turns out to be just right for you.

On our way back we went all the way to Thredbo, a pretty little village at the foot of a slope with a stream running through it. It has a great vibrant environment with good cafes, bars, restaurants and shops. It is another great skiing center in winter, but in spring you can take the Koscuiszko Express scenic chairlift ride.Β  It takes just 15 minutes one way and rises 560 vertical metres, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains of the Kosciuszko National Park and the stunning Thredbo Valley.

The Snowy Mountains are great in any season, and we are so glad that we made it a part of our rambling and our leisurely drive in south-east Australia.

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Snowy Mountains in Australia
Jindabyne Lake in Australia

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