Cresting the Great Dividing Range

ANOTHER regional road to add to your bucket list is the Alpine Way, a 121-kilometre, all-weather, fully sealed road located in the southeastern corner of the Southern Riverina.

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Built in the 1950s as an access road for the construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme, the road connects the sub-Alpine town of Jindabyne in the east, to the New South Wales/Victorian border at Bringenbrong (near Khancoban) in the west, skirting the southern and western slopes of the Kosciuszko National Park.

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As the road passes through a national park, fees and other conditions apply, so before heading off, best you call into either the Khancoban or Jindabyne Visitor Information Centres (depending on direction of travel) to check road conditions, buy a pass, and ask the friendly staff about camping grounds, where to take some magnificent walks, the various ski resorts, or even where to capture that perfect photograph of Australia’s highest mountain – Mount Kosciuzsko (2228m).

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The road is also a somewhat slower-paced alternative route from North East Victoria to the NSW snowfields of Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Perisher, Smiggin Holes, Crackenback and Guthega.

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The Alpine Way terminates three kilometres west of the sub-alpine town of Jindabyne.

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Here you can turn onto the Barry Way which, after several name changes, joins the Princes Highway at Nowa Nowa in South Gippsland.

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(Just south of the turn-off is The Snowy River Way, an alternate route to Bombala and Cann River).

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From Jindabyne, the Kosciuszko Road traverses rolling countryside before joining the Snowy Mountains Highway just west of Cooma.

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From Cooma you can follow the Monaro Highway northward to Canberra, or continue south east along the Snowy Mountains Highway until it joins the Princes Highway just north of Bega on the NSW South Coast.

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Whether you are driving or riding a motorbike along the Alpine Way, the drive allows you to soak in the spectacular mountain views, but as the road is steep, narrow, and winding between Khancoban and Thredbo, and subject to rock falls, it is not recommended for vehicles towing large caravans.

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Winding through tall mountain forests and past the dramatic western fall of the Main Range, snow-capped peaks can be seen from winter through to spring.

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You’ll be driving a path well-travelled, rich with historic significance.

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Aboriginal people travelled this route to the high country, and more recently, it was used as a drover’s stock route and for the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme.

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Adventures to be had along the way include spectacular walking tracks, fishing, camping, and mountain bike riding.

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There are plenty of accommodation options, including riverside camping at Tom Groggin and Geehi Flats, plus cabins, caravan parks, and motels at Thredbo and other resorts.

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The Alpine Way crests the Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap at an altitude of 1580m.

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The majority of the road is contained within the Kosciuszko National Park  and since 2004 has been maintained by NSW’s Roads and Maritime Services.

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The road, which is sealed all the way, has no major intersections.

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Road restrictions in the region require all vehicles to carry snow chains between June and October but, due to sudden weather changes, be prepared at any time of the year.

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And that includes dressing appropriately.

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Distance Khancoban to Jindabyne - 121 kilometres

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Driving time (non-stop) - 1 hour 50 mins

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Towns along the way - Thredbo