Hi all, has anyone got any info on the above mentioned trip, road conditions etc would be greatly appreciated, just the 4 of us in an suv this trip. thanks in advance, Neal.
1. The shortest way to go is to take the Alpine Way through Khancoban. It is sealed all the way and is very pretty. It is also quite windy. Do not go this way during winter or when snow is forecast as the road can be covered by snow. It has one of the best free camping spots that I have ever seen at the bridge over the Geehi River between Khnacoben and Thredbo. This is my prefered route and you can do it in a day.
2. Beechworth to Corryong to Cabramurra to Cooma. This is also sealed all the way. Cabramurra is the highest town in Australia. It is a nice trip but again the road is very windy and also narrow in places. It is closed during winter.
3. Beechworth to Albury to Tumut to Kiandra to Cooma. Good sealed road. A little longer but much easier driving. Again, you can run into snow at Kiandra during winter.
4. Finally, Albury to Gundagai to Canberra to Cooma. A bloody long way but the easiest drive and snow is not a problem. Least scenic.
Good luck- let us know which way you went and how you enjoyed the trip.
Where do I start? Bigwesty, you have several options available to you.
1 Beechworth to Corryong, to Cabramurra to Cooma: Right now, and until after the snow season, this route is closed because of fires down low on the western face of the Snowies. This takes you past Tallangatta (the new town, the old town site is about 20 km further East, the remains are barely visible now). This is the shortest route. You do not go into Khancoban - about 8 km before it, you turn and head into the mountains. It has two steep climbs, with narrow winding roads. The first steep climb is about half way along beside the high voltage transmission lines. This is a short but winding section of road - keep well to your own side of the road. About 5 km more and the transmission lines then head off to the left and you then run into a narrow, steep winding section of road. You soon will come to Tooma Dam. There is a large boulder beside the spillway. It weighs 14 lbs (14 lbs = 1 stone, that's a joke boy... After that, you face another climb (not as steep as you have done till now). that, you emerge onto a high plateau. As soon as you emerge onto the plateau, if you look to the left, you will see a major ridge plummeting down into the Tooma River. About a third of the way up this ridge is the site where the Southern Cloud, one of Kingsford-Smith's fleet of Australian National Airways crashed in the 1930's. There is a fire spotting tower on the top of this ridge. Shortly after, you then drop down to Tumut Pond dam. Be sure to use low gear in your vehicle to save the brakes. In 1972, a tourist bus missed a gear change at the top and nearly made it to the bottom, but crashed just near the valve house. Several old pensioners were killed , but most were saved. This is a concrete arch dam, constructed such that it is an arch facing upstream. As the water builds up against the wall, it tries to flatten the arch, thereby pushing the sides into the abutments on the sides. This is also where they filmed a advertisement for Snickers or similar, with a brave person forward abseiling over the crest down to the bottom of the dam - about 85 m. From Tumut Pond dam, it is a mild climb up to the top of the ridge and then drop down into Cabramurra. From Cabramurra you head to Kiandra, then Cooma.
2 Alpine Way, Via Thredbo: As mentioned by 2 trout above, this is another way to get to Cooma, but he forgot to mention that you have to stop in Khancoban to get a transit pass (free for straight through, no stopping en route) from the Kosciuszko National Park. The transit pass is timed and apparently you have 2 hours to get to the camera at Thredbo village, or you get booked. What happens if you get a flat tyre??? As stated, the site at Geehi is the perfect spot to free camp, except that it is not free - you have to pay the Yogis for the privilege, and it you are on a transit pass you will be booked by a camera near Thredbo. If you want to stop en route, you have to purchase a Nat Sparks & Wildfire pass - $18 per day in summer, about $30 per day in winter. The road is sealed all the way and has some steep sections in it. Generally it is wider than the Cabramurra Road, but you still ahve to keep well to your own side of the road.
3 Beechworth to Cooma via the Elliot Way: This road is sealed all the way and is about 15 km longer than the direct Khancoban to Cabramurra road, but still shorter than the Alpine Way. And you don't need a transit pass... About 25 km before Corryong, there is a fork in the road at the base of a steel decline. Take the left fork and go via Cudgewa. Keep going straight and eventually you will run into the Murray Valley Highway at Tintaldra. Go down through the town (a general store and a pub is all that is there). From there, follow the sealed road and signs, heading towards Tooma (a pub and a store only) and Tumbarumba. There are some long steepish hills on this route, which may cause you to wonder if your car is going OK, but the hills are steep and you don't notice that. About 15 km from Tumbarumba, you will come to a right turn which should be signposted to Cabramurra and Cooma. Take this road.
It climbs gently all the way. Be careful on this stretch of road about horses and other wildlife. You will probably see lots of horse poop, in which case I suggest that you slow down a bit because they are there... Eventually you will come to a downhill section. Select low gear - the road is steep (downhill) and narrow, and you are on the drop side of the road. The water you will see at the bottom is Talbingo Reservoir - the storage for Tumut 3 Power Station. You will pass the headwaters of the reservoir. There is a tunnel outlet from Tumut 2 Power Station, but it is under water so you will not see that. From here, you follow the bed of the Tumut River (mostly dry river bed) for about 10 km, and then start to climb steeply. Almost immediately on your right you will see a carpark and some rock buildings. This is the entrance to Tumut 2 Power Station which is about 400 m underground. There is a toilet here if you need this at this stage...
Continue upward, ever upward. Again, narrow road, but for most of it the drop is on the other side of the road. Eventually you will come to a fork in the road. Right goes to Cabramurra, left (straight on) goes to Kiandra. You can get coffee and snacks at the Cabra store, or even a meal at the mess there is you are really hungry. Basic but good food. The road goes up and down for about 15 km, and eventually you will climb a long hill and go under some power lines. This si called Power Line Hill. The power lines span about 4 km here across a valley. Cresting the hill, you will then come down to and cross Three Mile Dam. This was constructed in the late 1880's as a water supply for gold mining sluices. It was stocked with Rainbow trout, but then someone put Brown Trout in, and since the Browns spawn about a month earlier, they ate all the rainbows out. It is still a nice place to camp and fish, and relax. From here, it is a simple mainly downhill run into Kiandra.
Kiandra was a town of about 1000 people in the 1880's - gold mining. Kiandra was also the site for the first skiing in Australia, and some people say that first was the first place in the world where skiing was done for recreation.You will pass a mining exhibit on the left just past the Kosciuszko Nat park ranger station (they charge to go to Selwyn Skifields during winter, but don't man the station at other times). The exhibit is a crusher battery and a roller seive drum. Not far past the exhibit, you come to a Tee junction - the Snowy Mountains Highway. Turn Right, go through Kiandra and then follow on to Cooma - 90 km.
4 Beechworth to Cooma via Tumut: This is yet another way to go, but it is much longer. This would mean going through Albury and then turning off to Tumut, or taking the road towards Corryong and then going via Tumbarumba and Batlow. It is much further and I generally don't recommend this route.
Sorry for the long winded stuff, but someone may find this interesting. Have a good trip.
Screen with hydro info at Cabramurra in the cafe, coffee was reasonable. Only two turbines working! There is a restaurant which seems reasonable for the location. The hot chips were good which we got as a takeaway.
