By serendipitous circumstance I managed to land the opportunity to head to Thredbo in March, an adventure I’ve taken over the years usually reserved for peak season Winter escapes in search of white runs and warm flushed Gluhwein.
A contrast this year, the road trip down was filled with blue warm skies, Lake George glistening with a nice pool of water and the beyond range showing not a spec of snow. Today instead of snowboards, the bikes were onboard and the hiking boots and backpack awaiting a new adventure.
Thredbo is good fun in Winter, but in the temperate months this place is extraordinary. There is unquestionably something for everyone. I left the boys to take on the fast paced mountain bike tracks, whilst I strapped on the day pack and rushed to the information centre to load up on maps and tips.
Oh dear… where to start! There are so many little trails and longer challenging ones that start right at your doorstep in the Village. This is bushwalking heaven! So best thought, start with the easier ones today, adjust to the slightly higher altitude and progress from there over the next few days.
Day one, straight into the Riverside walk from the information centre. See video here. This walk starts at the Community Centre and meanders along the Thredbo River encompassing the golf course then with excellent signage you can join the Dead Horse Gap track. This track again continues along the river leading to some beautiful cascades. With no plan other than to walk until I’d had enough, I kept exploring along this trail as it headed up the mountain to which it eventually joins the top of the Village chairlift. I walked a fair way, but certainly didn’t reach the top of the mountain, the track is most certainly meant to be walked from the top down, but hey, it’s a great little walk anyway and a nice healthy alternative.
Although an alpine walk, the scenery at the lower reaches are still very familiar to home just with different species; wooded forest, paperbarks, mosses and delicate flowers. The quiet stillness, dusty trails, sunshine air so fresh it’s like breathing for the first time, every cell is rejuvenated and vibrating with energy. I feel instantly content and buzzing to be alive.
Once the incline started to turn contentment into tiredness from the early start to the day in Wollongong, I retraced my steps back to the track junction and continued on the high side of the Riverside walk above the Golf Course, then joined onto the Meadows track before heading back down to the village.
The options here are great, you can really tailor the adventure to your fitness and desire. My easy walk turned into 21,000 steps so I did alright, the scenery was obviously distracting me from the kilometres under foot.
Footnote: Thredbo Resort prints terrific maps and guides to this area – so good, I wouldn’t care to replicate! For full details refer to the walks map or stop in person to their information desk for a chat.
