The Snowy Mountains.

The Snowy Mountains are situated within Kosciuszko National Park and here you'll find Mt. Kosciuszko, at 2228 metres the highest summit on Australia's mainland.

During the winter months, from June to September, the region is home to Australia's best snowfields where you can ski and snowboard to your hearts content.

The snowfield resorts offer exhilaration and spectacular scenery by day and by night, an engaging combination of warm fires, boutique stores, nightspots and cosy accommodation.

Skiers and snowboarders at all levels can revel in snow and apres-ski fun, kids can have a go in ski school or try snow tubing, there really is something for everyone.

These experiences are enhanced by all the visitor services you'd expect from a quality destination including a wide range of accommodation and dining options.

The Snowy Mountains region covers a wide area and includes the highest mountain ranges in Australia, as well as the open plains of the Monaro and the foothills.

This is grazing and skiing country and it's where "The Man From Snowy River" was filmed.

The region produces fine wools, lamb and stud cattle and sheep, but its main attraction to the visitor is the high country wherein lies Australia's premier ski fields.

Although Australia's snow season is quite short by international standards (June to September usually), the facilities available in the main centres of Thredbo, Perisher, Smiggins and Guthega cater for all tastes and levels of expertise.

The Snowy Mountains however have much more to offer than just snowsports.

Outside the ski season, the Snowy mountains provide their own special charm.

In Spring, the alpine wildflowers transform the mountains into a multi coloured patchwork, while in summer the region can provide some relief from the occasional extremes of the coastal plains.

Another notable attraction of the region are the lakes, dams and hydro power stations created as part of the Snowy River Hydro Electric project developed during the 1950's, Australia's largest engineering works to date.

When the snow melts take some time to experience the natural beauty of wildflowers in full bloom, explore stunning alpine trails on horseback or mountain bike, or hire a professional to teach you the secrets of fly fishing.

The area attracts people for its summer bushwalking, horse riding and wildflowers as well as for its winter skiing season.

White-water rafting is also popular on the Murray River which marks the border of New South Wales and the Kosciuszko National Park.

There are a range of cross country trails which are very popular to explore, including Grey Mare Range, Kiandra to Kosciuszko and Thredbo or Charlotte Pass to MT Kosciuszko.

The Perisher Valley also hosts cross country racing, while mountain climbers head to the cliffs around Blue Lake. Kosciusko National Park, located in the heart of the Snowy Mountains, offers the visitor almost 700,000 hectares of outstanding scenery to enjoy.

The National Park is the main drawcard to this area for visitors as it contains the snowfields Perisher Valley, Thredbo, Blue Cow, Guthega and Charlotte's Pass.

The town of Cooma is the gateway city to the Snowy Mountains if you're coming from Sydney, and is the main commercial centre for the area.

Cooma, which has a small airport, was the hub for the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme, a massive project which took over 25 years to complete.

From here it is an easy drive to the towering wilderness of Kosciusko National Park and it's ski fields and alpine meadows.

Jindabyne is the gateway to the snowfields and the numerous Ski Resorts which offer Australia's best snowfield facilities. With a small permanent population of around 2000, Jindabyne is located just over 50km west of Cooma and is the main accommodation centre for the Snowfields however during the ski season the the population in Jindabyne increases dramatically.

Other towns in the region include Adaminaby, Berridale, Bombala, Dalgety, Delegate and Nimmatabel.

Also just north east of Melbourne is Lake Eildon National Park and the pretty town of Eildon.

There are plenty of water activites you can take part in on the lake, which is the parks main attraction.

You can also get to Mt Buller from here.

just south of Mansfield, Mt Buller is also home to Victoria's largest skiing resort, Mt Buller Alpine Village, Which has a selection of skiing slopes for all levels, as well as cross country skiing.

East of Mt Buller is the Alpine National Park which is in the heart of this alpine region.

With its spectacular scenery the Great Alpine Road leads through the Alpine National Park passing many of the ski resorts and small towns along the way.

To the south is Omeo which has a host of historic buildings worth wandering around including the old Courthouse, Log Gaol and the State School.

Yes, The snowy Mountains is a great place to enjoy a week or three, winter or summer, visit us soon,

John.

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