Snow in Australia? Am I crazy? It should be sunny and hot country, isn’t it? When I arrived to Australia first time I didn’t know you could see snow there and wasn’t thinking about skiing in Australia at all.
During rainy and windy day in Sydney I was looking that to do during winter as it is too cold go to the beach and was no much fun to do anything else out doors during such weather as even sea was too rough for whale watching in Sydney. One weekend I spent in Canberra, but that to do next weekend?
I know you can go skiing in New Zealand, but you need to buy plane tickets in advance to get good deals, so I started to look for such activities in Australia. Tasmania has similar climate to New Zealand and it has mountains and I thought it should be ski area there. But to my surprise the best ski resort in Australia are located much closer to Sydney.
There are ski fields in Tasmania and Victoria, but the largest ski fields are in New South Wales on the boarder with Victoria state and actually the first ski club in the world in 1861 was established in Snowy Mountains in Australia. Who could thought Australia has such long history of skiing?
Two largest downhill ski resorts are located not far from highest peak (Mt Kosciuszko) in Australia. Thredbo ski resort has longest ski run and Perisher ski resort has largest ski fields – 12 square kilometers (4.6 sq miles) and it calls itself as largest ski resort in Souther hemisphere.
Both resorts are located somewhere in the middle between Sydney and Melbourne and only ~60 kilometers (~40 miles) away from each other, so you can visit both on your trip to snowy mountains.
View Skiing/snowboarding in Australia in a larger map
Here is comparison of these two resorts if you want to choose one of these resorts.
| Perisher | Thredbo | |
|---|---|---|
| Top elevation | 2054m / 6739ft* | 2037m / 6683ft |
| Base elevation | 1640m / 5381ft | 1365m / 4478ft |
| Skiable area | 1244ha / 3070acres | 480ha / 1200acres |
| Runs | 126 | 46 |
| Lifts | 49 | 14 |
| Longest run | 5.9km / 3.67miles | |
| Begginer | 22% | 16% |
| Intermediate | 60% | 54% |
| Advanced | 18% | 30% |
| Snowfall | 1.9m / 75inches | 2.04m / 80inches |
| Lift pass 1 day | TBA** | $110** |
| Lift pass 2 days | $230** | $220** |
| Ski hire 1 day | $76** | TBA** |
| Ski hire 2 days | $102** | $110** |
| Snowboard hire 1 day | $83** | TBA** |
| Snowboard hire 2 days | $120** | $110** |
| Distance from Sydney | 490km / 310 miles (6 hours) | 495km / 310 miles (6 hours) |
| Distance from Melbourne | 610km / 380 miles (7.5 hours) | 550km / 340 miles (7 hours) |
| Accommodation | Perisher Valley / Jindabyne | Thredbo Village / Jindabyne |
* you can go up to 2034 meters (6673 feet) elevation and then climb 20 meters (66 feet) to the nearest peak. Both picture bellow are done from that highest point.
** all prices are in Australian dollars. The price of lift pass and ski/snowboard rent shows how much you need to pay if you pay at the resort. You can get better deals by buying lift pass and hiring skies/snowboard online in advance. Or buy visiting resorts during low season. Check their websites for the deals.
My choice was Perisher, because by lift you can get up to 2034 meters (6673 feet) elevation and climb another 20 meters (66 feet) to the peak of Mt. Perisher for fantastic view.
I also need to note that you should carry snow chains as you may require to put it on in case of heavy snow in a ‘snow-ice’ risk section within the Kosciuszko National Park. Chains can be hired in Jindabyne and Khancoban or in Cooma if you are coming from Sydney/Canberra.
So enjoy the snow but be careful and don’t underestimate snow in Australia, as it happened to these cross-country skiers.
Leave a Reply