Recently we took off on a road trip to Tumut, Tumbarumba and surrounding areas in Southern New South Wales. This area is called the Snowy Valley Way. As Tumut and Tumbarumba are in the foothills of The Snowy Mountains, our road trip took us through some beautiful valleys, mountain scenery, and so much more.
Why Did We Decide To Go To The Snowy Valley Way?
We asked one of our children what they wanted for their birthday. She replied she wanted to go on a trail ride – on a horse! Really… she does not ride! And, she said she would like us to go with her. Again, REALLY! We do not ride!!! Don’t you love how our adult children encourage us to do things we otherwise wouldn’t?
Anyway, the horse riding idea gained momentum. But, our daughter lives in Melbourne (Victoria) and we live on the South Coast of New South Wales. This means 840 km, or 9 hours driving time, between us. We decided Tumut was about half way. Decision made!
It’s a long way to travel just for a one day trail ride, right? So, given we are retired,we decided we might as well enjoy a two week road trip.
Free Camping Is The Way To Go
We set off in our caravan from our hometown and headed for the Hume Highway. For the two weeks we free camped. The exception being Jugiong, where we placed a donation in the honesty box. So, basically, we had two weeks holiday and our only expense was fuel. How good is that!
Our Road Tripping Route To The Snowy Valley Way And Surrounds.
1. Yass:
We broke up the long drive with an overnight stop in Yass. We camped beside the Yass River in the Joe O’Connor Park.
This campground is an easy walk into the historic Yass township.
2. Blowering Dam – Out From Tumut:
We free camped on the banks of the Blowering Dam at The Pines campground for several nights.
Sunset at Blowering Dam
Here fishing and boating are the name of the game. Greg threw a line and and was disappointed to only catch a Carp.
From our base on the Blowering Dam we visited the Blowering Dam Wall, the town of Talbingo, Yarrangobilly Caves, the Snowy Mountains.
3. Yarrangobilly River Walk At Yarrangobilly Caves.
The Yarrangobilly Caves are in the Kosciuszko National Park. The Caves are about an hours drive from our camp at the Blowering Dam.
Yarrangobilly River Walk
The Yarrangobilly River Walk is a 3 kilometre loop and is a Grade 3 walk. We walked by the Thermal Pool (a constant 27 degrees – take your swimmers), the Yarrangobilly River, and then through the South Glory self guided cave. This is such a pretty walk.
4. Long Plain Hut and Brumbies In The Kosciuszko National Park
From the Yarrangobilly Caves we drove along the Snowy Mountains Highway to the Long Plain Road; still in the Kosciuszko National Park. Here we enjoyed the seeing several herds of wild Brumbies grazing by the road.
We also inspected the Long Plain Hut. This is one of many of the high country heritage huts and homesteads dotted throughout the Kosciuszko National Park. These huts are open to the public.
Historic Hut on Long Plain Rd, Kosciuszko National Park
5. Argalong Trail Rides, Tumut
Argalong Trail Rides was our trail ride of choice, given it is close to Tumut.
We chose a half day trail ride. This was an excellent choice, given we are not horse riders.
We cannot recommend Argalong Trail Rides enough. The horses were beautiful and super quiet. The staff were friendly, helpful and great fun. Along the trail we enjoyed some great scenery.
Mounted and ready to go
5. Gilmore Valley, Tumut
Our friend took us to a high vantage point above the Gilmore Valley to enjoy panoramic views of the area. The scenery was breathtaking. In one direction we looked out over the Gilmore Valley; in another direction we looked over the Blowering Dam; and in yet another we looked towards the Snowy Mountains (but no snow).
6. Adelong Creek Falls Gold Mill Ruins
Adelong is about a 20 minute drive from Tumut. This is a tiny town with a couple of quirky shops. But the main attraction is visiting the Adelong Creek Falls Gold Mill Ruins. If visiting in summer, be warned, walking this track can be very hot.
7. Paddy River Falls, near Tumbarumba
The people of Tumbarumba must be congratulated for the beautiful gardens around the town.
But the highlight of our visit to Tumbarumba was driving 15 kms out to the Paddy River Falls. The waterfall is a 18 metre drop. When we visited the water was gushing over, even though it was early summer, and a lovely spectacle. The waterfall can be seen from the car park and there is a short walk down stairs.
We also enjoyed watching King Parrots at the car park.
8. Jingellic Camping Reserve
Jingellic is about a 35 minute drive south from Tumbarumba. This again is a very scenic drive.
Jingellic Camping Reserve is on the banks of the Murray River – the border between NSW and Victoria. This is such a pretty campground.
Murray River at Jingellic
Be prepared for birds to wake you early in the morning, as there is an abundance of bird life nesting along the river.
Adjacent to the camping reserve is the Bridge Hotel, a lovely country pub.
9. A Pie And A Submarine HMAS Otway In Holbrook
From Jingellic we began the return trip, going via Holbrook.
Holbrook is well known to us for two things. One being the Holbrook Bakery. And two, the submarine HMAS Otway. This is the only inland country town we know that has a submarine in it’s park.
10. Gundagai
We last visited Gundagai two years ago. The town then looked a little worse for wear. On this occasion we were delighted to see the beautification of the main street completed. Well done Gundagai. We love to see these tiny country towns transforming their image, with the hope of attracting more tourists.
11. Riverside Village Of Jugiong
Again, we hadn’t been to Jugiong for two years. This little upmarket village gets a big tick for attracting tourists.
The main street of Jugiong was full of cars. The Long Track Pantry was flat out, as were the Jugiong Wine Cellar. The Sir George (boutique bar and artisan bakery) is building accommodation units, and four new shops called 4 Doors Up have opened.
If you are travelling the Hume Highway, do yourself a favour and call into Jugiong.
The Jugiong Campground is adjacent to the main street and is always busy. There is nothing like pulling in off the highway to enjoy quality food / produce.
12. Bird Life at Barbour Park Rest Area Gunning
Barber Park Rest Area is right in Gunning, adjacent to the swimming pool. We camped right on the banks of the Meadow Creek. The delight of our stay was seeing lots of bird life on the creek.
Cockatoos at the Barber Park Rest Area, Gunning
In Conclusion
We thoroughly enjoyed our road trip to the Snowy Valley Way in Southern NSW. While the Snowy Valley Way may not be as well known as the Snowy Mountains, it sure is a delight to visit.
If we had to sum up what stood out to us most from our road trip we would say beautiful scenery. Much of Australia is very flat. If you are interested in beautiful valleys, with surrounding scenic mountains, then come to the Snowy Valley Way.
The Snowy Valley Way was our main destination. Yet we did not see it all. Next time we’d love to visit Batlow during apple growing season.
We also chose to explore some of the surrounding areas. These destinations added diversity and interest to our road trip.
The next time you are travelling between Sydney and Melbourne, do yourself a favour. Get off the Hume Highway and explore the Snowy Valley Way and surrounding areas.
Please leave a comment. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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Safe travels
From Estelle & Greg – Retirees Enjoying Travel.
We RVed across North America for eight years. I was nostalgic reading this and looking at those pictures. My daughter lives in Melbourne, too. I hope we can do this one of these days, except that we don’t own an RV down under!
Hi Carol and thank you for your comment. Perhaps one day you might enjoy a road trip out from Melbourne with your daughter. You could always hire a RV in Australia. We have visited North America once and visited several National Parks. We then wished we had rented an RV. If we return that will be the way to go.
Loved your post Estelle. Brought back many memories of this wonderful area that we travelled a few years ago. Paddy’s River Falls is indeed gorgeous and I think we may have stayed at Jingellic Campground as well. I remember our horse mad daughter was on a mission throughout Kosciusko to spot some brumbies. Thanks for the great trip down memory lane. Beautiful pics too.
Hi Miriam and thank you for your comment. Yes there are so many wonderful places to visit on Southern NSW. I’m so pleased this post triggered many happy memories for you. And thank you for your compliment about the pics – much appreciated 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this great description of a lovely trip in a part of Australia we haven’t yet seen. The photos were beautiful and punctuated the text with inviting visual interest. You’ve whetted my appetite for travelling in that area, and for free camping – not that we have a caravan! We are thinking of doing a road trip to the Hunter Valley from Brisbane – this might be an interesting diversion!
Hi Roz and thank you for your comment. The Snowy Valley Way is certainly a lovely area and is well worth a visit. I’m pleased to hear the blog post whetted your appetite to visit this area. Yet, the area is a long way from the Hunter Valley. It is closer to Melbourne than Sydney. Regardless, enjoy your road trip to the Hunter Valley and all you see in NSW.
Looks like you had a fabulous road trip. There are quite a few places you mentioned I’d like to see. Some of the town names I’m familiar with as we’ve passed them on the Hume Highway or had a pit stop while en route back to Sydney. Gundagai is dear little town we’ve stayed in for a couple of days at a time and it has an interesting history. You make this road trip sound so tempting!
Hi Elizabeth and thank you for your comment. Yes we certainly enjoyed this road trip. The natural beauty along the way continually changed. And there are so many little towns to call into. This trip is so different to some of the outback trips we have enjoyed. I agree with you about Gundagai. It sure does have an interesting history. I appreciate hearing that you thought this road trip sounds tempting. I hope this post encourages people to visit the area. The small towns could sure do with more people visiting. 🙂
Don’t know if we will make it here any time soon but sounds like a perfect place for a road trip! Your description makes it so tempting!
Hi Christy & thank you for your comment. Like you, I too see places all around the world where I’d love to go road tripping. And on occasions I actually get to go to some of these places, but obviously not always. Yet, it’s wonderful to see what options there are out there. Who knows… maybe one day! And thanks Christy for your positive feedback about my description. 🙂
You have confirmed my view that Australia is one of the best countries in the world to travel in – especially if you enjoy being on the road. I know most of these places well and have stayed in quite a few. Gundagai has always been a favourite with me. As a child we were fed the ‘Dog on the Tucker Box’ song constantly on caravan holidays. I must watch out for the sculpture you photographed next time we go through there. I don’t think I have seen it. I am glad you mentioned the historic hut – there are so many beautiful old cattlemen’s huts in the Snowy. David (hubby) and I have done more than one cycling (mountain bikes) trip where we hunt down those huts, especially the ones hidden away in the bush in hard to get to places. They make beautiful photos.
Hi Lyn and thanks for your comment. Yes, Lyn Australia is certainly a great country to travel. There is no doubt we love road tripping. The only down side is the distances; which don’t put us off, but may for international visitors. It’s so interesting to hear you know southern NSW so well. Gundagai has had a real face lift and the main street looks a picture. The community has done really well creating points of interest for the visitors. And, in regard to the Snowy Mountain Huts, we so enjoy visiting them. Some are surprisingly different, and all with great stories to tell. They sure do make beautiful photos 🙂
I have long wanted to visit New South Wales. Your photos just put it higher on my bucket list! I am not a camper, but I love natural beauty and great photography. Your blog post provided both!
Hi Marilyn and thank you for your comment. I totally recommend a visit to New South Wales. It is a big state full of so much natural beauty. Thanks so much for your feedback about my photography and blog post. Your compliments are very much appreciated 🙂
Sounds like a great road trip Estelle! Beautiful photos and so many places I didn’t know about. I am quite familiar with Jugiong though as this is a regular stop when driving to and from Sydney at Xmas. Great little spot! Punching above its weight in attracting tourists 😊👍
Hi Jenny and thanks for your comment. Yes it is a great road trip. Maybe the next time you are travelling from Melbourne to Sydney you might enjoy this road trip. If you have the time, it is a far more scenic drive than travelling the Hume Hwy. And I agree that Jugiong is punching above its weight. No wonder it becoming such a popular stop. 🙂
Wow! Estelle! What a road trip! Glad that your daughter wanted to horse-ride. I am blown away with the scenic views of your trip. So many pictures…love the parrots. Love the Blowering Dam and the sunset, Remarkable! Hope I will visit and experience this route. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures.
Hi Georgina and thank you for your comment. LOL, we are glad our daughter wanted the horse ride too. We enjoyed this road trip so much, particularly given we spent several days with her. But the scenery in this area is wonderful. We enjoy visiting so much we are repeat visitors. The Blowering Dam is really picturesque. Unfortunately I bumped my camera onto the wrong setting and I lost many lovely panoramic shots. Fingers crossed you get to visit this area one day too. 🙂
This is really a wonderful road trip in Australia. I have gone on many road trips, mostly solo, and while driving from Sydney to Melbourne I stopped at Holbrook and Gundagai. Your article confirms that Australia is a top country to explore on the road and for camping too, with many interesting places to uncover. 🙂
Hi Michela and thank you for your comment. It’s so interesting to read that you road trip solo. So many women are doing this these days. While I enjoy Holbrook and Gundagai, I encourage you to get off the Hume Hwy. The next time you are driving between Melbourne and Sydney consider travelling along the Snowy Valley Way to or from Victoria. It will take a little more time, yet is so very worth it. And I totally agree with your comment that Australia is a top country to go on a road tripping in.
Such a wonderful read Estelle and so many places I’ve never heard of and have now listed for when we travel down south. We have been to Gundagai many years ago – did you see the dog on the tucker box? Your photos are amazing and I can’t wait to camp on the banks of the Murray River. 🙂
Hi Joycee and thank you for your comment. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the read. Yes we have visited the Dog On The Tucker Box. But, if you visit the Snowy Valley Way when you come down south, you will enjoy seeing far many more natural delights. One of course, is camping on the banks of the Murray River at Jingellic. We love visiting this camping ground. Cross the river and you enter north eastern Victoria – a wonderful food and wine region. Come on down Joycee, I’m certain you will enjoy a great time.
We are in Adelong at the moment, stayed the night, such a beautiful little place.
Heading to Tumbarumba today to look around and then back to Tumut.
Amazing scenery, love this area.
Very cold, very beautiful, very peaceful.
You are so right get off the Hume, and a wonderful adventure awaits.
Hi Ruth and thanks for your comment. Yes Adelong is a lovely little town. We camped at the showground and walked around town – so convenient. I bet you will enjoy Tumbarumba, and even simply driving between the towns. You are right Ruth, the area has amazing scenery and a lovely change from simply travelling the Hume! I can imagine it would be super cold at night. Rug up and keep warm 🙂
The title of this post caught my attention because it made me think of the movie, “The Man from Snowy River” Have you seen it?
Did you find out how they got a submarine in the park?! That’s hilarious, but pretty cool too.
Your pictures are lovely, I especially like the picture of the sunset.
It looks as if you had a great time of it. And, I suppose you can thank your daughter, right? 🙂
Hi Patti & thanks for dropping by & leaving a comment. Yes I have seen “The Man From Snowy River” movie. It’s an Australian classic, based on Australian folklore. I’m surprised to read you have seen & remember this movie. I have no dea how they moved the submarine to Holbrook! And I agree this is hilarious!! Thanks for your compliment on the photos. And, yes, we can thank our daughter for suggesting we go horse riding. Fingers crossed we will get to go on many more adventures together 👍😀