The Snowy Mountains
Comments
The Snowies are a mecca for touring and sport riders. Scenery is
impressive, the heights are cool in summer and there are many fine
roads with good surfaces and a wide choice of accommodation. However,
some roads now have 60 and 80 km/h limits and the main north-south
route, the Snowy Mountains Highway, is well patrolled.
The Snowies are best explored over a three to four day holiday.
Access from Victoria can be made more interesting by taking the
southern route leaving the Princes Highway at Cann River and heading
up through Bombala (B23). An alternative is to head north from Orbost
through Bonang to Delegate but this has some stretches of dirt (C612).
(Elsewhere on this site is a route involving some fine roads in W. and
Central Gippsland that avoids much of the mind-numbing Princes
Highway). Both these routes will bring you to the south east side of
the Snowies.
The Monaro Highway around Cooma and Nimmitabel are well
patrolled and of limited interest to sport riders. The area can be
avoided by taking the Snowy River Way which branches north west off
the Monaro about 21 km north of Bombala. This has a 16 km section of
dirt but it is in excellent condition and is mainly straight.
To the east there is a challenging complex of roads around the towns of
Bemboka, Candelo, Cathcart, Wyndham and the coast (Eden, Tathra,
Bega). There is a day's riding here alone. The road from Merimbula to
Tathra is now all made and a good alternative to the Princes Highway.
Another route from Melbourne to the Snowies combines some of the best
roads in North East Victoria. From Mansfield head to Whitfield
(C521), then to Oxley picking up the Snow Rd (C522) eastwards to
Myrtleford. An alternative that involves a stretch of about 17 km of
gravel road runs directly from Whitfield to Myrtleford via Cheshunt.
It is pretty dusty, tight, corrugated: not suitable for sports bikes.
When they make it, it will cut off 80 km of highway.
Five km south east of Myrtleford, head east through Rosewhite (C534)
on the Happy Valley Road and over to the Kiewa Valley Highway. Then
turn northwards (C531), turn off east to Tangambalanga and on to the
Murray Valley Highway (B400) and east to Tallangatta. (The north
stretch can also be done on the Gundowring road on the east side of
the Kiewa valley, a far "safer" alternative).
Heading for Corryong,
there is a choice of the sublime Granya Gap road to Walwa (C546) and
beyond or the fast route via Koetong (B400).
The basic loop of the Snowies runs Khancoban - Jindabyne - Berridale - Adaminaby -
Kiandra - Cabramurra - Khancoban. Myth has it that if
ridden clockwise you will be rained on.
Branches include Kiandra - Talbingo, Jindabyne - Dalgety - Berridale,
Cabramurra - Tumbarumba (Elliot Way).
Warning: Snowy roads take a high toll on your tyres so start out with
plenty of tread.
Khancoban - Jindabyne (Alpine Way)
107km
From Khancoban to Thredbo this is mostly a technical route with a
seemingly endless sequence of tight bends and some fast straights,
without centre or shoulder lines marked. Road surface is good. There
are a number of narrow cuttings and though traffic is rarely heavy it
is not unusual to encounter 4WDs using most of the road. Beware sharp
turns at the end of bridges. There are some decreasing radius turns
south of Dead Horse Gap and the bitumen here is glassy in the wet on
some bends.
From Thredbo to Jindabyne the road widens and opens out and has some
fine sweepers. This applies as well to the branch up to Charlottes
Pass which is recommended - a short walk from the car park at the end
offers a lookout with views of our highest mountain.
Jindabyne - Adaminaby
69km
From Jindabyne head to Berridale then onto the mostly C grade road
posted to Adaminaby via the locality of Middlingbank. Before this
section, and after it when you are on the Snowy Mountains Highway,
there is a strong police presence. Roads are fast and well surfaced.
A worthwhile alternative is to loop down to Dalgety from Jindabyne and
then on to Berridale. This has the odd surprise slow bend and some
fast sweepers.
Adaminaby - Kiandra (Route 18)
40km
This section takes you into the high country proper. Road surface is
very good, shoulders are marked and some of the finest regular radius
S bends will be found as you snake through the frost plains and Snow
gum spurs. As you progress north however and run up the open river
valley, beware a crest with a hidden tight right-hander beyond it.
Kiandra - Cabramurra
18km
Just north of Kiandra is the turn-off to the Selwyn snowfields and
Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Food and fuel are
available here and the road in becomes a little more technical. The
surface is good and after you turn left at the Elliot Way junction
there is the pleasure of linked S's with good sight lines.
Khancoban - Cabramurra Road
79km
This is mostly a tight, winding and narrow road without lines marked,
with some narrow sections, limits of 60 and 80 kph, and it rates as
technical but fun. There are some fine vistas across the high plains.
For the moment, the absence of vegetation gives the canny rider a
chance to sight a good length of road and spot oncoming hazards. Road
surface is generally good though in hot weather patches of soft tar
will be found. The route drops into and climbs out of a couple of
valleys, with a single-lane dam crossing at Tumut Pond. The north
side of this drop often has some gravel on a bend or two while part of
the climb out on the south side is little more than one lane wide.
At the Khancoban end the road follows the power lines with some long
straights; watch out for kangaroos at dawn and dusk.
Cabramurra - Tumbarumba via the Elliot Way
49km of Elliot Way, 17 km of (heavily patrolled) highway
The Elliot Way is a well known motorcycling road. It offers 49 km of
uninterrupted motorcycling bliss with no intersections. It is
technically very challenging and is best attacked from the
Tumbarumba end. It has a mix of undulating faster, more open sections and steep, tight and twisty up-hill/downhill sections. Something for everyone.
It has very litte vehicular travel due to the steep nature of the roads
and it goes between nowhere and nowhere. If you see a caravan (you'll
smell the brakes a long time before), the driver is lost.
Four kilometres north of Cabramurra heading for Kiandra branch north (turn
left downhill) at the T junction and take a
winding road that drops very steeply down to the Tumut River. It crosses
the river several times with some minor straights leading into tight
bends before and after the recently replaced bridges.
Stop at the Sue City camping area at
the pondage to fill your water bottle and have a breather.
The road then climbs steeply westwards
through more tight bends (recently widened) and then opens out on to
a faster forest section. Kangaroos and wallabies abound late
afternoon.
The road ends after 53 km at a T intersection.
Left to Corryong and right to Tumbarumba, 17 km away.
If heading north from Tumbarumba, avoiding Batlow is advised,
following instead sections of the Taradale, Rosewood and Old
Tumbarumba roads. This route is a mix of B and C grade roads and
starts just west of Tumbarumba. It offers some fine sweepers, tight
90 degree bends and outstanding views from the ridgetop.
Kiandra - Talbingo (Route 18, Snowy Mountains Highway)
54km
Long straights take you away from the somewhat Martian aspect of the
diggings around Kiandra. As part of the Snowy Mountains Highway this
is section is well patrolled. Heading north the road drops off the
plateau through some narrow sections before opening out into sweepers
in the valley. In the valley there are one or two bends that are
surprises. Surfaces range from adequate to excellent.
Last modified by Ben Warden, 10th November, 2006.
Minor mods 18/10/2010.