Day 1
Tom and I planned a road trip over late January's holiday weekend. We packed up the car and left Melbourne after lunch on Friday, heading northeast on a 7.5-hour drive that would take us past Alpine National Park and across the New South Wales border—almost as far as Canberra and Sydney.
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| Jan 23 - 26 |
We took the southern route, and once past Lakes Entrance, the drive eased into quaint country roads lined with gum trees, turning golden as the sun set.
Day 2
Jindabyne (or "Jindy") is a vibrant alpine town and the main gateway to the Snowy Mountains and Australia’s major ski resorts. The region is home to kangaroos, wombats, emus, and brumbies—wild horses descended from those that escaped or were lost during early European settlement.
Jindabyne (or "Jindy") is a vibrant alpine town and the main gateway to the Snowy Mountains and Australia’s major ski resorts. The region is home to kangaroos, wombats, emus, and brumbies—wild horses descended from those that escaped or were lost during early European settlement.
On Saturday morning, Tom headed out for a long run while I took my stand-up paddle board to Lake Jindabyne—a large, man-made reservoir. The lake was quiet but the wind picked up quickly and turned the return paddle into a slog.
We grabbed lunch at the Jindabyne Emporium, which was excellent. Although the nights here are cool, it heats up during the day—sunscreen is essential. It felt good to be back in the high country, even as smoke and haze from nearby wildfires began to roll in.
Later on, we visited Snowy Way Brewing and Jindabyne Brewing. The latter had great vibes, brews and vegan options.
Winter is peak season here, yet the town felt surprisingly quiet for a holiday weekend. I suspect that the mountain towns closer to Melbourne, like Mansfield and Bright, were packed.
Day 3
On Sunday, Tom and I were up at sunrise with a big day ahead of us. We drove 35 minutes to Charlotte Pass in Kosciuszko National Park, finding a spot to park along the roadside. By 7 am, we set off on the Main Range Loop.
It's recommended to hike this loop counterclockwise, starting on the Main Range Walking Track. This is the most scenic part of the trek with wildflowers and striking alpine colors that made me realize just how much I’d missed the mountains.
We crossed the Snowy River and took a short detour to Blue Lake.
The track is extremely well-maintained and wide.
It's also very exposed. Fortunately, scattered clouds provided shade, and the wind kept the flies away.
About halfway through the hike, we committed to a 5.5 km side trip to Mt. Townsend—Australia’s second-highest mountain, just 19 m shy of the top spot.
It involved a bit of scrambling and route-finding, and was the steepest part of the day.
We passed almost nobody and had the summit to ourselves, with 360-degree views.
Back on the main trail, things got busier as we approached Mt. Kosciuszko. There are several shorter routes to the summit, and the crowds reflected that. Compared to Mt. Townsend, the summit was underwhelming—relatively flat, with a line of people waiting to take photos at Australia’s highest point (2,228 m / 7,310 ft).
The walk back to Charlotte Pass was a long, gradual descent on the Summit Walk Track.
We reached the car around 3 pm, clocking about 28 km (17.4 mi) with 1,000 m (3,281 ft) of elevation gain. It wasn’t hard—just long. Tom summed it up perfectly: "Mt. Kosciuszko—easier to climb than spell."
Despite having hiked in some stunning mountain regions overseas, I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful this hike was. Highly recommend!
Day 4
Tom and I were moving slow on Monday—the gray skies and light drizzle didn't help. We left after breakfast and took the northern route home via the Alpine Way, a scenic drive through Kosciuszko National Park and the Great Dividing Range. Already, I felt relunctant to leave the quiet and open space behind.
Suddenly, a herd of brumbies appeared along the roadside—dark brown and lean, with a few foals tucked in close. It all happened so quickly, and I immediately regretted not pulling over.
Traffic was refreshingly light, perhaps because people were dispersing toward three major cities in different directions. It was a stark contrast to past trips where caravan parks emptied mid-morning and marched back to Melbourne in a long line.
We followed the jagged NSW–Victoria border, rolled back into Melbourne by dinnertime, and were greeted enthusiastically by the boys.
Traffic was refreshingly light, perhaps because people were dispersing toward three major cities in different directions. It was a stark contrast to past trips where caravan parks emptied mid-morning and marched back to Melbourne in a long line.
We followed the jagged NSW–Victoria border, rolled back into Melbourne by dinnertime, and were greeted enthusiastically by the boys.
