The Snow Mountains

A region which can keep a rider busy and happy for the course of a three to four day road holiday, the Snowy Mountains are highly regarded by many riders for the combination of winding, well-surfaced roads, excellent choice of lodgings, summer coolness, and beautiful views over wide prospects of mountain, valley, river, hill, and forest. There are roads in this region which have speed limits from 60 to 80 kilometres per hour. The chief route, the Snowy Mountains highway, passes through the area from north to south and has a considerable police presence.

Getting There

Those coming from Victoria can get off the Princes Highway at Cann River and take the northward route through Bombala on B23 for a pleasant ride. The road north from Orbost, C612, passes through Bonang to Delegate but involves driving over several unpaved stretches. These two routes both end at the southeastern corner of the Snowy Mountains.

Some excellent roads of northeast Victoria are involved in an alternate route to the Snowy Mountains from Melbourne, first striking out to Mansfield, then taking C521 through Whitfield to Oxley. At that point, take the Snow Road, also known as C522, eastward to Myrtlesford. At Whitfield, you also have the option to turn onto a corrugated, dusty gravel road that sport bikes should not venture onto, and drive through Cheshunt to Myrtlesford, saving you about 80 kilometres of travel (although the road itself is 17 kilometres long).

Once you are in Myrtlesford, you should take C534 eastwards through Rosewhite – a section of road also called the Happy Valley Road – and onwards to the Kiewa Valley Highway. Turn north on C531, then take the eastward exit to Tangambalanga and from there to B400, the Murray Valley Highway, which extends to Tallangatta. In place of C531, you can opt for Gundowring Road, a safer route on the eastern flank of the Kiewa valley.

When your destination is Corryong, you can either take the beautiful Granya Gap to C546 and Walwa, or take B400, the Murray Valley Highway, to Koetong.

Where To Ride

Because of a thick concentration of police patrols, the Monaro Highway in the vicinity of Nimmitabel and Coomba is generally best to avoid for riding purposes. The Snowy River Way, bending off from the northbound Monaro Highway 21 kilometres outside Bombala, allows you to bypass this spot, although at the price of driving over 16 kilometres of (mostly straight) dirt.

Bemboka, Candelo, Wyndham, Eden, Tathra, Bega, and Cathcart are a group of towns in the east and along the coast, which include plenty of interesting roads and can provide a full day of sport riding on their own. The Merimbula to Tathra road provides a viable substitute for Princes Highway.

Typical Touring Route

The typical touring loop of the Snowy Mountains runs as follows – Khancoban to Jindabyne to Berridale to Adaminaby to Kiandra to Cabramurra and finally back to Khancoban. A superstition exists to the effect that if you drive this route in reverse (clockwise), then you will be soaked by rain along the way. Branches of this route include Kiandra to Talbingo, Jindabyne to Dalgety to Berridale, and Cabramurra to Tumbarumba via the Elliot Way. Ensure that you have plenty of tread on your tires since snowy roads affect them strongly.