What to do in the Snowy Mountains

Fishing

Fly fishing is both a relaxing and challenging experience on the pristine Thredbo River. The Thredbo River is home to hundreds of fresh and tasty touts. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to fish. There are several establishments which provide fishing lessons and equipment to all people, regardless of the level of their fishing skills. Other than River fishing, you can also fish in Lake Jindabyne, a fisherman’s heaven located 30 minutes away from Jindabyne. The lake is an ideal location for fishing trout. The annual Snowy Mountains Trout Festival is also held on Lake Jindabyne.

All anglers are required to have Fishing Licenses if they intend to fish in the streams, lakes or rivers in the Snowy Mountains. The licenses are available at Jindabyne Sports.

Mountain Biking

Jindabyne and Thredbo are among the leading mountain biking destinations in Australia.

Jindabyne has over 70km of moutain bike trails offering a range that will suit the beginner to expert rider. Trail maps are available at local bike shops such as ‘Sacred Ride’ or online.

Thredbo is a bit of a mecca for mountain biking and hosts several championships throughout the summer season. It has different types of trails to suit different bikers, several mountain biking lessons, tours and clinics all around the beautiful alpine village. Additionally, it has an unrivalled chairlift access and is home to the highest mountain range in Australia. These factors combine to give you a unique biking experience. You can use your own equipment or hire everything from vendors in Jindabyne. The village riding and easy trail is open for all bikers. However, if you want an adrenaline rush, you should go uphill through Kosciuszko Express and then go downhill through the Jindabyne Downhill trail or the Flow Trail.

Some of the highlights of this unique biking experience include a pump track, a new jump park, several cross-country trails, a flow/gravity trail and a lift-serviced downhill track. There are professional teams which give you tips, lessons, tours and advise you on the appropriate gear for biking. They also hold workshops to guide bikers. If you want to tour the tracks as a group, you can organize yourself and hire an instructor who will help you develop the necessary skills required to ride the biking terrain in Thredbo or Jindabyne. If you are a group, you have plenty of sessions to choose from. These sessions include pedal clinics, excursions, pro-rider clinics, private tours or lessons, downhill clinics, corporate team building clinics or all-mountain tours, among others.

For those who are new to biking on the Flow or Downhill Trail in Thredbo, they must take an initiation or introduction clinic. The clinic involves a general introduction to biking,bike inspection and safety briefing. You will also learn basic and technical bike handling skills related to gravity riding, and how to use the trail and chairlift access. During this session, you will be provided with a lift ticket, full body armor, full-face helmet and a front suspension bike.

Walking

There is no better way to experience the magic of Australia’s Alpine region than by foot. Jindabyne, Thredbo and the surrounding regions are home to unique landscapes with amazing views. You can opt for a self-guided walk or a guided walk at Thredbo Resort. With a guided walk, you will be guided by a knowledgeable and friendly team. A self-guided walk enables you to explore and experience the Snowy Mountains at your own pace. There are a series of maps which guide you as you take the self-guided walks. These maps are available at the Thredbo Sports and Jindabyne Visitor information Center/National Parks Centre.

Some of the trails in Thredbo include Mt Kosciuszko Summit Walk, Riverside-Golf Course Walk, Meadows Nature Track, Alpine Lakes Walk, Bridle Trail Loop, Pipeline Path, Merritts Nature Track, Merritts Traverse, Main Range Walk, Jindabyne River Track and Dead Horse Gap. Each of these trails has a different rating (Easiest, Moderate or Strenuous) and it may take you between 1-10 hours to complete, depending on the rating and length of trail.

The Summit Walk takes you to Mt Kosciuszko, the highest peak in Australia at 2228 meters above sea level. During the walk, you will explore the head waters of Snowy River, wonderful 360 degree views of the area and unique animals and plants. The Summit Walk is 13kms long and it can take about 5hours. You should carry water and lunch because they are no refreshments along the trail.

A walk through Kosciuszko National Park allows you to explore over 200 species of birds and a wide variety of flora and fauna. The park was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for its exceptional natural features. You can camp almost anywhere in the park except in resort areas, catchment areas of the lakes and at Yarrangobilly Caves. Park fees are payable as one enters the park from Khancoban or Jindabyne.

Thredbo Informational Walks

With a self-guided walk, you will learn a lot about the history of Jindabyne, the artifacts within the region, the ecology of the area and the conservation efforts being taken to care for the environment. The informational walks are divided into;

· Art Walk- As you take this segment, you will come across several artifacts, original paintings and prints. A self-guided tour will allow you to admire and discover these works of art at your own pace.

· Heritage Walk- The Heritage Walk segment teaches you the fascinating history of Jindabyne village, its structures and the surrounding areas. The history of this region dates back to 1957.

· Memorial Walk- This segment was created in memory of an event that took place on 30th July. On that particular day, a section of the road above Jindabyne caved in and led to loss of lives and destruction of buildings. The Memorial Walk takes you through the collapsed site.

· Environmental Walk- This section of the walk will take you through the village to the Environmental Services area. In the Environmental Services area, you will learn how the infrastructure supports the natural environment in the region and the measures taken to conserve the environment in Jindabyne and the surrounding areas.

· Ecology Walk- The ecology walk allows you to discover the different types of plants in the region. This walk follows Merritts Nature Track and gives you the rare opportunity to see the Alpine, Montane and Sub-alpine vegetation.

There are more Jindabyne activities other than walking, fishing and mountain biking. You can swim in the 50metre pool at Jindabyne Leisure Centre, play tennis or basketball at the same venue, or visit the Jindabyne Ski Museum to learn the history of snowboarding and skiing in Australia. You can also go horse riding on Snowy Wilderness, play golf in Thredbo or Berridale and skateboard in the parks located in Jindabyne, Berridale and Thredbo. In a nutshell, there are plenty of things to do in our beautiful region.