Driven to: Is Jindabyne better without snow?
- May 6
- 6 min read
With the Easter holidays approaching and the global climate disincentivising travel abroad, it was time to map out a road trip.
We had 5 days to fill, so a travel time of up to 5 hours was deemed appropriate to ensure adequate time to unwind and relax.
This ruled out the initial preference for the Victorian Alpine region. It’s an area I’ve visited several times that I’d have liked to share with the family, but it was just that little bit too far. Inland NSW wasn’t yielding any joy either, with preferred locations exceeding the self-imposed travel time limit.
That was until I found Jindabyne; or perhaps more accurately, Jindabyne found me. It’s interesting how these things eventuate nowadays; because the destination floated to the top of the list based on an Airbnb search. Coming across the stunning Jillamatong House was the catalyst to take in Alpine Country in our own backyard.
Snow sports never really took off in this family, as such we haven’t had much reason to explore the area. Although a couple of years back, we based ourselves here sans-mum, as a base to get out to the summit of Mount Pinnibar in the Jeep.
Unfortunately, there would be no off-road activities on this trip, given the steed of choice was the Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy. It was a shame, as I’ve explored some incredible spots in this area in a past life.
Google Maps determined the trip to be a 5-hour 480 kilometer run from home. Given that, we decided to hit the road before the sun poked its head; beating the traffic and maximising our time on the other end.
A mandatory stop at the Big Merino in Goulburn was an opportunity for convenience breaks, along with a loaf of sourdough and a few sneaky treats for the road from Trappers Bakery.
Before long, we were approaching Cooma. I was the only one laughing upon spotting a sign for a car museum (I promise I didn’t know it was there!) I’d not seen before.
Tucked away from the main highway, the Cooma Car Club Motor Museum was a veritable treasure trove. The complex includes a club house, but the building close by where members’ cars are rotated as public displays was the real prize.
Everything from early Corvettes, to a Landrover Defender and even a familiar Peel P50 I had seen at Summernats earlier in the year was carefully parked up. A smaller motorcycle display upstairs was complimented by a plethora of historical relics, including catalogues, older journals and even a poster for Wakefield Park Raceway from 1994. It was the best $5 I’d spent in some time and definitely worth the stop.
With less than an hour remaining to our destination, we stopped at Shut The Gate wines for a couple of reasons. The most obvious was to sample their wares, but our research also showed they had a range of local provisions we intended to use for meals.
Unfortunately, stock was a bit of a challenge given the prior weeks' travellers, so after a quick tasting we pointed the nose of the big Hyundai to Jindabyne.
With lunch beckoning and a check in time of 3pm, we decided to stop in at the Banjo Patterson Inn for a spot of lunch. The food was good, but the service was a little ordinary here. Thankfully a table in the sun and a stunning view of Lake Jindabyne more than made up for it.
After a quick shop for basics from Nuggets Crossing shopping centre, we headed onwards to Jillamatong House.
A short stint up a dirt driveway saw us arriving at the 3-bedroom weatherboard cabin, which was surrounded by lush, rolling green grass ahead of the covered front veranda. Its clearly been recently renovation and was well styled inside, with everything you could need on a getaway like this and more.
With 3 bedrooms; one king with an ensuite and 2 doubles with a standalone full bathroom – everyone had enough sprawl space for a relaxing stay. The lounge room featured a comfy couch, digital TV, Star Link and a combustion heater for the colder nights.
Meals were prepared in a full kitchen, which also featured an espresso machine complete with beans for the coffee lover. Literally every utensil you could ask for was available, along with a BBQ outside.
But the money shot that got us here was the hot tub at the edge of the front yard overlooking Lake Jillamatong. It's positioned beyond a large firepit with festoon lights, perfect for evening chats around the fire. At the other end of the yard was an infrared sauna to get the day started just right.
All three of these amenities saw amazing use amongst the entire family, and really added to the experience.
But despite a seemingly insatiable desire to potter around at home, there’s plenty to do In Jindabyne in the “off” season. In an effort to rid ourselves of the schedule-driven chaos that is ordinary Sydney life, we decided to play it by ear and take a more relaxed approach to planning activities on this trip.
The clear highlights are mountain biking and horse riding. The earlier isn't really our thing, but the latter peaked interest. Which is why it was bitterly disappointing to find that we were going to miss out based on availability.
There are some amazing experiences through the mountains on horseback that we will return to do at some stage.
We decided to take a drive-up Mt Kosciusko, a trip we had undertaken as a family many years ago in an LS500 I had on review. At 2228 meters, it is Australia’s tallest peak, and you can drive a fair way toward that summit on tar.
The roads enroute are beautifully smooth; alternating between hairpins and long banked corners, all while taking in the picturesque scenery in every direction.
Given so, if I had a choice i'd be in something far more sporty. But with incredibly low cloud, a dollop of rain, and temperatures in single digits; the Palisade Calligraphy was a great companion for this half-day trip.
With a quick bite to eat from the cafe at Charlottes Pass, it was back down the mountain to what felt like a different world – complete with beaming sunshine and blue skies.
On the way back to Jindabyne, we discovered the Wildbrumby Schnapps Distillery. A sprawling property at the foothills of the mountain, it follows an old Austrian family recipe handed down 3 generations, with a delectible array of flavours crafted using responsibly-sourced local Australian produce.
The complex also houses a restaurant, which also deploys the best of local providors through an Austrian-influenced menu. As a determined meat eater, the Snowy Mountains Smoke Trout Fillet was a revelation – if you visit and don’t try it you’re doing yourself a disservice.
A table on the back veranda also meant the girls could roam when mum and dad’s conversations got too mundane for their liking.
My newfound passion for smoked trout led to a desire to learn more, so a visit to the Gaden Trout Hatchery was in order. The region has been home to this activity for decades, and it was fascinating to take in the work done here. Ultimately, the hatchery restocks various waterways across the entirety of NSW.
Entry is $10 and includes a bag of food that brings everything from the unidentifiably small, through to decidedly massive trout to the surface for a feed.
It would’ve been rude at that point not to round out the food lifecycle and throw a line into Lake Jindabyne. Much like our ill-fated horse-riding adventure though, whilst I brought the rods and basic tackle, we left this activity right to the end of the trip.
That’s ordinarily fine, but the picture-perfect days turned windy. Not just wind, it was 35km/h winds right across the region.
But I was resolute, so a quick visit to Lakeside Lures and Tackle had us armed with the right hooks, some ideas around rigs, bait, and a little local know-how on the best spots.
Unfortunately, despite having the right formula, the wind made things both difficult and annoying.
Ultimately, we left Jindabyne soon thereafter with an empty fish bucket. But more importantly, the metaphorical bucket in the centre of the chest had no room left at all.
Things we did:
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