From Canberra we make our way to Jindabyne, a gateway to the Australian Alps.
Jindabyne is one of the towns that benefit from the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a giant hydro power-and-water-conservation project.
It’s strange to see snow in Australia. Above is the Perisher Valley ski resort. It’s on the way to Charlotte Pass, from which you can walk to the peak of Mt. Kosciusko, Australia’s highest mountain. We see many masochistic cyclists working their way up to Charlotte Pass, no doubt looking forward to the gravity-powered return trip.
In the background is the Snowy River, a household word in Australia thanks to the poem The Man from Snowy River. The river has its origins around Mt. Kosciusko.
(By coincidence, a few days later we pass through Marlo, Victoria, where the Snowy enters the sea.)
‘He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko’s side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough,
Where a horse’s hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between…’
A rare photo with both of us, thanks to passing couple.
Maria rests on a snow gum.
We backtrack to Jindabyne and head to Thredbo on the other side of Mt. Kosciusko. Thredbo is the Whistler of Australia – such as it is – including sky-high prices for everything.
It’s a breathtaking journey from Jindabyne to Omeo on the Great Alpine Way, via Khancoban.
The scenery driving through the mountains is spectacular. We don’t have many pictures because that means stopping every few minutes. You can get an idea of what it looks like here. (Thanks, Google.)
After crossing the Murray River back into the state of Victoria, we spot another echidna and help him cross the road.
We spend the night in Omeo, Victoria. Our caravan park sits on Livingstone Creek. There are platypus in the river, but we don’t see any.
We make a point of visiting the Buchan Caves, after seeing this antique tourist poster in the Australian National Museum.
Turns out to be worth it. The formations in these caves are on the mind-blowing side.
Once again, we can’t stop every few metres to take photos, so we enlist the help of Google images here.
Sight or Insight of the Day – Australian Alps
We drive across Gippsland to Wilsons Promontory. At the Tidal River campground where we stay, the wildlife is very tame.
