Monaro Region

The Snowy Mountains Highway starts at Cooma, which is the middle of the Monaro Region. The Monaro region is a plateau area lying about 1000 metres above sea level and is naturally treeless due to it being cold and dry due to it being in the Snowy Mountains rain shadow.

I do rather like high, flat, treeless plains where you can see a long way. And plenty of granite outcrops as well!

Kiandra

About half way along the highway, high in the Snowy Mountains, are the remains of Kiandra. Gold was discovered here in 1859 and within months 15,000 prospectors were on the Kiandra goldfields. The NSW governments had high hopes for a boom and invested heavily in infrastructure. But it didn't eventuate and by autumn 1861 only a few hundred miners remained.

Now all that's left of the stores, hotels and schools of art are the old court house, the occasional chimney and a lot of signs telling what used to be here.

Long Plain

A nice little side trip up the Long Plain. Once used for cattle farming it features a number of huts and the Coolamine homestead and the mighty Murrmbidgee river. But not as nearly mighty as it when it hits Gundagai.

Yarrangobilly Caves

Once the most popular resort in New South Wales. Very pretty and lots of easily traversable caves.

Talbingo

After a seriously steep descent down the mountains you arrive at Talbingo. Strictly speaking this is the second Talbingo as the town was moved as the original ended up under the Jounama Pondage as part of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme.

You can check out the Tumut 3 powerstation which is way cool.