Page 193 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

THE SOUTH C O AST AND SNOWY MOUNT AINS  191

also the weekend base for the
thousands of immigrants working
up in the mountains during the
week. Stories surviving from this
era include tales of frontier­like
shootouts in the main street,
interracial romances and bush
mountain feats. However, Cooma
is now a sleepy rural town that
acts as the gateway to the Snowy
Mountains and the southern
ski slopes.
The modern resort town of
Jindabyne on Lake Jindabyne is
Impressive peak of Pigeon House in Morton National Park home to the Kosciuszko National
Park information centre, a
5Morton
of the town of Mittagong, form myriad of ski shops and lodges,
an imposing underground lime­ National Park and plenty of nightlife. The two
stone cathedral. major ski resorts are Thredbo
£ Bundanoon. @ Fitzroy Falls.
n Fitzroy Falls (02) 4887 7270. Village along the Alpine Way
E Bradman Museum ∑ nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/ and the twin resort of Perisher
St Jude St, Bowral. Tel (02) 4862 1247. morton Blue, linked by the ski tube train
Open 10am–5pm daily. Closed 25 to Lake Crackenback and the
Dec. & 7 - ∑ bradman.com.au Morton National Park stretches Blue Cow ski fields. Take the
along the rugged hinterland chairlift from Thredbo in summer
from north of the Shaolhavern to walk to the summit of
Valley to the Ulladulla area. Australia’s highest mountain,
Fitzroy Falls are at the northern Mount Kosciuszko (see p164),
end of the park. At Bundanoon, or simply to stroll among the
magnificent sandstone country wildflowers and snow gums in
can be explored. the alpine meadows. Another
To the south, views of recommended walk is to Blue
the coastline and Budawang Lake and the Cascades from
wilderness can be found at Dead Horse Gap. Lake
Little Forest Plateau and the top Eucumbene and the Thredbo
of Pigeon House Mountain. and Eucumbene rivers offer
Sandstone house in Goulburn excellent fly­fishing.
4Goulburn 6Cooma and the Environs
Snowy Mountains
* 24,500. £ @ @ n 201 Sloane The ghost settlement of
St (02) 4823 4492. ∑ igoulburn.com * 8,000. ~ @ @ n 119 Sharp Kiandra has a marked historic
St (02) 6450 1742. ∑ visitcooma. walking trail detailing the gold
Goulburn is at the heart of the com.au rush era in the town (see pp58–9).
Southern Tablelands, with its rich Nearby is the gentle ski resort
pastoral heritage. Proclaimed in Colourful Cooma has a rich of Mount Selwyn and the
1863, the town’s 19th­century history as a cattle, engineering spectacular Yarrangobilly Caves
buildings, such as the courthouse, and ski town. During the con­ with their underground walks
post office and railway station, struction of the Snowy Mountains set among limestone stalactites
are testament to the continuing Scheme (see p187), Cooma was and stalagmites.
prosperity of the district.
The Big Merino, a giant,
hollow concrete sheep, marks
Goulburn as the “fine wool
capital of the world”.
Environs
The town of Yass is known for
its fine wool and cool­climate
wines. Worth a visit is the
historic Cooma Cottage, now
owned by the National Trust.
It was once the home of
Australian explorer Hamilton
Hume, between 1839 and 1873. Resort town of Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains