Snowy Mountains

The Snowy Mountains, also known by locals as "The Snowies", are the highest mountain range in Australia. Australian mainland's highest mountain - Mount Kosciuszko is situated as part of the larger Australian Alps and the Great Dividing Range. The range contains the five highest peaks on the Australian mainland, all above 2100 metres.

The Snowy Mountains offers accommodation types to suit all styles and tastes.

The Alpine Way and the Snowy Mountains Highway are the major roads through the Snowy Mountains. The first Kosciuszko Chalet was built at Charlotte Pass in 1930, giving relatively comfortable access to Australia's highest terrain. At 1760m, Charlotte Pass has the highest village base elevation of any Australia ski resort and can only be accessed via over-snow transport in winter.

It was the construction of the vast Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme from 1949 that really opened up the Snowy Mountains for large scale development of a ski industry and led to the establishment of Thredbo and Perisher as leading Australian resorts. Many rare or threatened plant and animal species occur within the Snowy Mountains.

The Kosciuszko National Park is home to one of Australia's most threatened species the Corroboree frog. The endangered Mountain Pygmy Possum and the more common Dusky Antechinus are located in the high country of the park. The high country is dominated by alpine woodlands, characterised by the Snow Gum. Montane and wet sclerophyll forest also occur across the ranges, supporting large stands of Alpine Ash and Mountain Gum.

Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wilderness, characterised by an alpine climate, which makes it popular with recreational skiers and bushwalkers.

The ski resorts of Thredbo, Selwyn snowfields, Perisher and Charlotte Pass lie within the park. The electric rack railway, called the Skitube Alpine Railway, connects the Alpine Way to the Perisher Valley. Guided tours are conducted through several caves in the karst region of Yarrangobilly.

The Australian Alps Walking Track is perhaps the most famous of the walking paths crossing the area. Many thousands of people make the walk to Mount Kosciuszko during the summer. Other attractions include the Tin Mine Falls, Australia's highest waterfall and Valentine Falls.