Australian Road Trip: Day Five

Day Five: Thredbo to Geelong and the Great Ocean Road

The drive leaving out of Thredbo after hiking Mount Kozzie was a nice rest for my tired legs and I welcomed the long period of sitting. But the view from the driver's seat was stellar! The road leaving the alpine region is windy and completely canopied with the leaves of the ubiquitous Eucalyptus trees.

Australia is an old continent. It feels so, in part, because of the Eucalyptus trees and they are the masters of the great southern land's extreme conditions. They're found in the cold and snowy regions. They're also found in the hot, dry climates where only the monsoons rains sustain them for a season. The shed their bark almost constantly and their tendrils hang down onto anything the dares to inhabit the space below the trees' branches. This bark is seen hanging from other limbs, from highway signs, guardrails, buildings, and the highway. Cleanup, it would seem, isn't the highest priority on the highway department's list of maintenance items as large pieces of bark are a constant hazard on the road, especially for motorcycles.

The road gradually changed from winding mountain roads and passes to more level terrain replete with farms, dairies, and wine vineyards offering samples and food. Most of this day was driving, and while it may seem like a waste, I was able to see a great deal of the countryside and its terrain.

Tomorrow: the Great Ocean Road.

Australian Road Trip: Day Three

Day Three: Onward to Thredbo





The highest peak on the continent of Australia is Mount Kosciuzko. Apart form the first aboriginal peoples, the first European to scale the mountain was a polish explorer named  Paweł Edmund Strzelecki in 1840. He named the mountain after a Polish war hero and freedom fighter. The mountain is about 2300 meters high (7300 feet) and is no where near as high as the behemoths of the alps or the Himalayas. In fact, Pike's Peak in Colorado is nearly twice as tall. While it may be smaller, it's much, much older at over 440 million years old. There are a few options to scale the summit. The most popular appears to be to begin in Thredbo, a small village nestled in the gap between the base of Kosciuzko and surrounding hills. It has the benefit of a ski lift to overcome the steeper parts of the hill and get the climb started.

Looking toward Thredbo along Friday Drive.


After a good night's sleep I woke up and loaded up the car. The drive from Cooma to the park entrance was about an hour long and it became more and more clear as I drove that my goal of scaling the mountain that morning might not happen. I bought my entry ticket to the park and almost immediately the rain started. And it only got worse. Driving through the park is very similar to a drive in any other national park in or near the US's rocky mountains. Winding roads with sharp switchbacks that fell and rose sharply made driving the speed limit of 100 kph treacherous.

I arrived in Thredbo to a torrential downpour. And it didn't cease. The ski lift was closed and it didn't look like it would open that day. The wind was approaching 40 kph and the rain was scheduled to continue till 16:30, which incidentally is when the ski lift is normally shut down for the day.

So, my plans got nixed and there was no place to camp anywhere nearby so I opted for a hotel room again. I got on my Kayak app on  my phone and the cheapest room in town was 110 AUD at the River Inn. I booked and paid for my room and decided to see the village on foot.

 A swollen Thredbo River that cuts through the village.

 Thredbo is a very walkable community. 

Since my plans were cancelled due to the rain, the only thing to do was to grab some food and a few beers. After dinner and drinks and conversations with the others in the bar, who were mostly seasonal workers, I made my drunken walk back to my hotel room and crashed.

Kosciusko would have to wait.