The Alpine Way

Australia's "high country" comprises of a mountain range high enough to support ski resorts at over 1500 meters and is almost as good as the Alps in Europe. The area of the Australian Alps lies in the north eastern part of Victoria and South Eastern area of New South Wales.

Well known areas are Mount Hotham (1862 m), Mount Buffalo (1723m), Falls Creek (1883m) Mount Buller (1804m) and the largest of them all: Mount Kosciuszko at 2228 meters. The latter also being Australia’s highest mountain. In between these mountains and around Mount Kosciuszko some of the best motorcycling roads are to be found. One of them is “The Alpine Way”; the start of this road is about 45 km east of the Albury-Wodonga after the town of Khancoban. This road used to be a dirt road until recently.

Needles to say that this road is not a place to be in winter unless you drive a car as it would be covered in snow drifts. Khancoban is only a small town with a few hundred people employed by the nearby Hydro Electric Power Stations. The twisting road runs through the Kosciuszko National Park for which is small fee is payable (voluntary). Wild horses called Brumby’s live in this area and usually roam in groups. Just before the town of Thredbo I passed Dead Horse Gap, a place where a group of these Brumby’s where found frozen to death during a winter blizzard.

The weather can change very quickly in this region and it has been known that even during summer it can snow at times. Today there was not much chance of that as it was 21 degrees. I am glad about that as my kit is void of thick jumpers. Thredbo is a tourist town with a somewhat European feeling. I think it has the do with the shape of the buildings and the materials used for construction of these buildings which I saw in Europe in various paces.

The next town was Jindabyne with its beautiful lake of the same name. Soon after I reached Cooma where the roads splits into the Snowy Mountain Highway and the Monaro Highway- an undulating road with long sweepers to ride the 100 km to the city on Queanbeyan, right next to Canberra which will be the highlight of my trip as I will be visiting my daughter and family who haven’t seen for over a year.