Great outdoors ... flower fields and walking trails.
I think my family might be addicted to Thredbo. There's something about the Snowy Mountains' most famous village that draws us back year after year. And it's not the skiing - we only ever stay here in summer and autumn.
We've just spent a week riding waterslides, bobsleds and bicycles and negotiating a maze, aquatic obstacle course and climbing wall. We enjoyed some great food, clean air and mild weather and stayed in excellent accommodation that would exceed our budget during the ski season. Indeed, as an off-season alpine destination, Thredbo is top drawer for adventurers, weekenders seeking relaxation and families.
Clinging to the foothills beneath the Alpine Way, the smooth, winding road that runs through Kosciuszko National Park, Thredbo accommodates between 300 and 4000 people, depending on the season. About 300,000 people visit the town between November and May each year. It gets very busy between Christmas and Australia Day and during the April school holidays but it is quiet and relaxed for the rest of the warm "off season".
One of the town's great drawcards is its location, at an altitude of 1365 metres and at the base of Mount Crackenback. From here, the 1.8-kilometre-long Kosciuszko Express chairlift runs year-round, taking visitors up 560 vertical metres to the closest access point to Australia's highest peak. A two-kilometre walk along a raised mesh and paved walkway leads to a lookout, from where you can view the top of Mount Kosciuszko. Hardy souls can continue on for a further four kilometres past Australia's highest lake, Lake Cootapatamba, to the mountain's summit 2228 metres above sea level.
Another walk is the intriguingly named Dead Horse Gap Track, a five-kilometre trail that runs down to the subalpine woodlands surrounding Thredbo. Brumbies can sometimes be spotted here.
Action station
There's more to Thredbo than its walking trails and the wide range of activities is what makes the town such a great spot for families. One of my children's favourites is the bobsled track, a 700-metre "luge style" metal half-tube down which one hurtles on a small cart fitted with a handbrake. It's great fun and even very young children can have a go if they ride with an adult.
Another winner with the kids is the waterslide at Thredbo Leisure Centre. The centre is accredited as an Australian Institute of Sport altitude-training facility, so it has an Olympic-size heated pool, squash court, gym, bouldering wall and sports hall. We've found ourselves watersliding and working out with a number of Australian swimming stars over the years. The centre regularly rolls out a contraption called Mission Inflatable, a 16-metre-long floating obstacle course for children with reasonable swimming ability.
If swimming in the outdoors is more your thing, you can take a dip in the snowmaking ponds at the northern end of the village. Thredbo River and Merritts Creek have some great swimming holes, too.
A good way to keep things easy and economical is to buy a multi-day resort pass that entitles you to use all the leisure centre's facilities, as well as the village tennis courts and nine-hole, Australian Golf Union-rated golf course. You also get unlimited chairlift rides and limited bobsled rides. Prices range from $68 for an adult for two days to $312 for a family for seven days.
Riding high
Many people travel to Thredbo in the off-season for the excellent mountain biking. There's plenty of easy trail and village riding but the main attraction is the Thredbo Downhill Trail. This track starts at the top of the chairlift and anyone planning to ride down must have completed a three-hour morning initiation session in a group lesson with a qualified instructor. After that you are free to ride during specific patrolled sessions. Guided bike tours are available around the village and on cross-country trails such as the Bridle Trail Loop and Pipeline Path.
Self-guided walks along these paths are an option, with free booklets providing details of tracks that visit sites of artistic, historic and environmental significance. There's even a memorial walk focusing on the 1997 Thredbo road collapse in which 18 people died. Some gentle walks that young children and the elderly can enjoy include the Riverside Walk and Meadows Nature Track.
One of the benefits of all this exercise is that you've got a great reason to tuck in at mealtimes. Many visitors choose to self-cater in their apartments and make use of the free barbecues by the river and on the Village Green but it's definitely worth trying some of Thredbo's interesting eateries. Opening times vary wildly during quieter periods, with many restaurants not opening at all outside the winter months, but quality cuisine is available year round.
One of the most consistent restaurants in the village is Cascades in the Thredbo Alpine Hotel, where we've never been disappointed. Another local favourite is The Credo, a cosy eatery by the river, though we've had mixed experiences here. The award-winning Terrace restaurant in The Denman lodge is highly regarded but it opens only during peak periods.
Nestled in a crop of striking granite tors at the top of the chairlift, Eagle's Nest Restaurant and Bar is a must, if only for its stunning location. The coffee is excellent but the food and service is a bit of a mixed bag. Luckily the views through the restaurant's enormous windows are so entrancing that waiting for your meal is no great trial. In peak periods, you can ride in an enclosed cable car to Eagle's Nest on Thursday and Saturday nights for a set-menu dinner.
Schnapps decisions
No visitor to the region should miss eating at Crackenback Cottage Restaurant, which is about halfway between Thredbo and Jindabyne on the Alpine Way. The coffee and scones are first rate and the restaurant is often open for lunch and dinner. A three-course a la carte meal costs $70 and would be worth it at twice the cost. Chef Sarah Wilton's creations range from superbly prepared local trout, lamb and beef dishes to divine desserts such as kulfi with Persian fairy floss, baklava and Turkish delight.
It's worth the trip to Crackenback Cottage just for the food but the property also has a unique attraction. With 670 timber posts and 13,426 nails, the Cracka Maze claims to be the largest timber maze in the southern hemisphere, although I'm not sure how many others there are. It's great fun for families and there's a small playground for children.
Just across the road is Thredbo Valley Distillery, which produces the wildbrumby range of schnapps. Set on a picturesque property with an eclectic collection of outdoor sculptures, the distillery has a welcoming atmosphere and free schnapps tasting most days. Our group seems partial to the butterscotch and pink-lady apple flavours but there are many others, including a spicy "devil's tongue" drop.
A few kilometres down the road there is horse riding for beginners and experienced riders at Penderlea Farm. There are short rides for all standards and overnight camping trips in the surrounding hills.
Village people
For families who visit Thredbo in peak times, there are many activities available for children: guest performers, circus skills workshops, night adventures and more. The Thredbo Early Childhood Centre is also open to provide occasional care for young kids.
There are several events held throughout the off-season that draw big crowds. These include a roots and country music festival and mountain-bike racing in March, the Thredbo Jazz Festival in May and, in January 2010, National Runners Week and the Thredbo Blues Festival. Download a detailed calendar of events at thredbo.com.au/activities-and-events/events-and-races/.
Now is a great time to visit the Snowy Mountains: never too hot and never humid. The main thing to remember is that it can get very cold at any time - it can snow even in the middle of summer - and the weather changes very quickly, so pack for layered dressing.
The region's native wildflowers are at their peak during the off-season. The delicate billy buttons, mountain celery, carpet heath and bluebells last until mid-March.
Thredbo is a surprisingly fulfilling and affordable holiday destination, even when there's not a pair of skis in sight. It's a testament to the fact that off-season doesn't always mean off-the-boil.
FAST FACTS
Thredbo is about 500km south-west of Sydney. Take the M5 to just before Canberra where you join the Monaro Highway to Cooma, then Jindabyne Road to Jindabyne and finally the Alpine Way to Thredbo. The drive takes about six hours. National Park entry is payable at the park entrance gate about 15km before Thredbo (24-hour fee is $16; annual fee is $190).
Staying there
* The Lantern Apartments is a six-level building of 35 self-contained units with in-house movies, satellite television, kitchen and laundry. 2 Banjo Drive, Thredbo Village; 6457 6600.
* Thredbo Alpine Hotel, in the centre of the village, has 65 rooms with in-house movies, room service, pool, licensed restaurant and bar; 6459 4200.
Eating there
* Crackenback Cottage Restaurant, Alpine Way, Thredbo Valley. 6456 2198. Open for lunch every day during school holidays; dinner Wednesday-Sunday. Outside of school holidays: lunch Thursday-Sunday; dinner Friday-Sunday.
* Cascades, in the Thredbo Alpine Hotel. 6459 4200. Open daily for breakfast and dinner.
While you're there
Try your luck fly-fishing for trout on the Thredbo River or take a helicopter ride over the Snowies. Bookings on 6459 4119. More information: general resort inquiries, 6459 4100; central reservations, 1300 020 589. See thredbo.com.au.
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