Main range

Snowy Mountains, NSW

LOCATION: 36.4492° S, 148.2672° E
LENGTH: 21km
DURATION: 8hrs
ELEVATION GAIN: 835m
ROUTE TYPE: Loop
GRADE: 4

The Snowy Mountains in summer was a revelation to a girl who had spent most of her time in the mountains on skis.

I was secretly delighted when my family declined to join me on a 21km loop of the Main Range, after having walked up Mt Kosciuszko a few days before.

I found myself in heaven – alone in the wilderness, shrouded by early morning mist that bejewelled tiny webs and made the bark of the snow gums shine with exotic colours. When the mist lifted, I was bathed in sunshine at the top of the world and surrounded by wild flowers.

The scenery of ancient hills and grassy moors reminded me of the Scottish Highlands, (which I love) but there is something about the Australian high country that sings to my soul. I don’t know whether it is the wild flowers which are subtle and delicate, or the stories of bogongs and brumbies that speaks to me, but this walk was a reminder that we often travel abroad only to return and find that paradise was here all the time.