Good holiday destination: Thredbo or Perisher?

Oh yeah, definitely stop at Brumbies!

And definitely go to Thredbo, there’s a whole village there that really feels like you’re properly at the snow, plenty of stuff to do for people that aren’t skiing. Car access most of the year but you will need to carry chains. Driving in the snow really isn’t that hard anyway.

Dont go to Perisher if you’re not skiiing, the whole place is set up for skiiing families, and not a great deal else.

Clown Killer said :

Shameless plug: If you’re up that way, dont go past the Wild Brumby Distillery on the Alpine Way. Excellent locally produced schnapps, eaux de vie and vodka. The cafe is good too if you like Austrian fare.

+1 for Wild Brumby. I get their Devil’s Tongue Liqueur every time. It goes perfectly with um…. who cares, it’s awesome!

Selwyn is the cheapest of the options (other than just going up into the hills for some snow-play). If the weather closes in you’ll need chains (I second the advice about avoiding the sour twat at BP in Adaminaby).

As far as Perisher and Thredbo go, if you’re not intending to ski then Thredbo is the choice. The village is nice and compact and it gives you a range of options in terms of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars. You can also go up the Kosciuszko Express chairlift without ski’s and there’s a passable (albeit not budget priced) cafe at the top – on a clear day the views are pretty good. Also, you’re unlikely to have to fit chains on the road up to Thredbo (unless it’s really well and truly dumping snow) as the Alpine Way is lower and more sheltered than Kosciuszko Road.

Shameless plug: If you’re up that way, dont go past the Wild Brumby Distillery on the Alpine Way. Excellent locally produced schnapps, eaux de vie and vodka. The cafe is good too if you like Austrian fare.

If you’re not skiing, I’d stay near Jindabayne, hire some snow boots and a tobogan and then drive to wherever there is enough snow (and a good slope) for snow play. Personally – and I don’t ski – I hated the snowfields, especially with kids. Very crowded and uninviting. And apart from the ski lifts, all there is is a canteen with overpriced crap food.

We stayed at Bimblebumbie a few years ago. Fabulous place, somewhere in between Thredbo and Perisher (google it). Not cheap, but doable if you’re with a group and it’s charming and comfortable. The owners are followed around by a friendly pack of dogs and they’ll make you cups of tea for free and dinner (not for free) if you book.

Have a look at Wotif or similar for accommodation too. There’s heaps of nice and not so nice holiday houses for rent in that area too.

That’s a shame, it used to be the toboggan lift, and from memory, it might even have been free. But they didn’t have tubing then.

I’m pretty sure there’s no toboggan lift, you’ve got to walk back up. You might be thinking about the tube lift…

Go Selwyn, you won’t get fleeced, it’s laid-back and user-friendly for snow play. They have a toboggan lift too, very unusual, most resorts hate toboggans. If the weather’s good, take the scenic route through Namadgi, see something different. And maybe hire your chains from somewhere local and you can practise putting them on (you probably won’t need them though).

As everyone else is really saying, they’re all different.

Selwyn is good if you’ve got kids, hate crowds and are just looking for a cruisy day in the snow. Plus you can usually pull up short of the turnoff and plow down the hills on a toboggan and you won’t be alone.

Thredbo is very villagey, second in Australia (IMO) to Dinner Plain near Hotham. Got some nice technical runs and good for apres action.

Perishers is the best for pure volumes of skiable snow. Smiggins + Blue Cow + Guthega + Perisher = Perisher Blue. Gets crowded in Front Valley, but if plan your day you can avoid it until 4:30pm when you need to get home again. It’s my favourite because there’s just so many options.

My advice though, based solely on the last sentence in your second paragraph is Selwyn.

I’d say Selwyn, or Thredbo as it’s more of a village and you have more option if you tire of the snow or the weather closes in. Perisher is more of a dedicated ski resort and not so much to do if you’re not on the slope.

As for getting there, coach is fine and takes the driving stress out of the day, but you’ve got to be up hellishly early. Otherwise hire chains, and PUT THEM ON BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HIRE CARPARK to make sure they fit correctly and are not broken. Heaps of people take 2wds, but if the snow is significant you’ll be turned back if you don’t have chains. Even sensible 4wds carry chains.

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to drive up at a little more civilised time but don’t won’t to negotiate snow, do as andym suggests, park at the Skitube which is generally clear and catch the train to Perisher. You get the best of both worlds then: you drive at your own time, but don’t have to deal with crowded carparks and long queues at park entry. But you only have that option if you want to go to Perisher.

That’s if you want to do a daytrip. If you want to spend a few days, stay in Jindabyne where accommodation is cheaper and there’s heaps more to do, and drive to whichever resort takes your fancy. They both take about 30-40 mins from Jindabyne.

Be aware that you will have to pay a park entry fee if you want to drive to the resorts.

If you don’t want to ski you could save money by taking the snowy Mountain Highway towards Mt Selwyn and drive until you hit snow. Last week before the big falls we’ve just had there was plenty before you have to pay to go into the national park.

Big tip, do not hire chains from the A hole at the Adaminaby BP.