By Guest Author Martin Kelly

The snow road trip is an Aussie classic, and, with a good base thanks to steady falls through the season, this spring will be a great time to head for the mountains.

Longer days, warmer weather, lower prices and spring snow—September in the Australian Alps is lots of fun and a great farewell to winter as well as segue to the warmer months ahead. Whether you’re driving from Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide, or even Perth (yes, that does happen), timing is everything. The best advice is stay flexible, keep an eye on the weather, try to go after a storm for snow quality, book last minute, and then hit the road.

Also important is understanding what kind of snow roadie you’re doing. It can be everything from a desperate day trip starting at 2 a.m. where driving hours often exceed time on the mountain, a weekend Friday-Sunday blitzkrieg with little sleep or, my favorite option: a mid-weeker without the crowds and auto urgency. That’s what a friend and I did to score a magic three-day window at Thredbo in early August.

Barely any wind, not many people, and plenty of snow—it was everything that’s good about skiing or boarding in Australia, making the seven-hour drive a rite of passage rather than a chore. We’d left Sydney on a Tuesday and headed for Cooma on a gray and cold winter’s day.

First stop was the village of Collector, three hours south on the Federal Highway, to stretch the legs and enjoy country cooking from Some Café, which had a fire in the grate, decent food plus wine, and jam from local producers to take home.

We’d entered Monaro country, a special part of Australia, characterized by a rolling, rocky, and at times bleakly spectacular landscape dotted with cattle and sheep stretching south to Kosciuszko National Park, our ultimate destination. The drive between Collector and Cooma passes the always-mysterious Lake George–where, if you’ve got time, you should pop into Lerida Estate for quality cool climate wines. The way features some beautiful stretches of road flanked by the marvelous Brindabella Range.

We overnighted in Cooma, picked up some gear from The Ski Co, and stayed at the Alpine Hotel, where the rooms are basic but with comfortable beds and a busy, friendly bar warmed by a roaring fire down below. Cooma is having a low-key moment with plenty of Snowy 2.0 money flowing through the town and some good places to eat and drink. Quality accommodation is harder to find. Early next morning, after coffee and pastry at The Lott Café, which was buzzing with locals and snow road trippers, we headed straight to Thredbo—still another 100 kilometers (63 miles) away. We arrived to clearing weather after several days of rain, snow and wind to find the mountain in great shape; a good cover of fresh snow up top with visible new turns across the whole resort.

Thredbo, tucked into the Crackenback Range, often has some of Australia’s best snow due to favorable topography first identified by its founder Tony Sponar back in the 1950s. “A lot of snow blows in off the Main Range, filling the top half of the mountain with light, dry windblown powder,” local resident Reggae Ellis of Mountainwatch explained to us.

A three-day adult pass bought in advance cost $462, and, as usual, the best skiing was off both sides of the Kosciuszko Chairlift into the Bluff, Cannonball, Kareela Cross, and True Blue. The aptly named Ego Alley accessed by Sponars T-Bar had some excellent packed powder—it’s a great place to do turns and feel like a legend. Up high there was quality riding and views in The Basin and from Karels T-Bar. Until recently, it was Australia’s highest point at 2,037 meters, but now the new Mount Perisher chair at nearby Perisher tops out at 2,042 meters. Funnel Web and Golf Course were also good.

The long runs here mean you need to get plenty of rest and food through the day, taking a couple of stops to relax burning thighs, refuel, and take in the high alpine country. For food on the mountain, we favored Black Sallees—where hearty Japanese soups and gyozas prevailed—with great views across the Central Spur to the Cruiser area, ideal for intermediates. Kareela Hutte was also good—lobster and caviar roles, anyone? The Maisel’s Weiss beer was excellent but expensive at AUD 17. At the base, the Avalanche Café was reliable as always—we can recommend the coffee, winter soup, cinnamon doughnuts, and cheeseburger.

Thredbo has a fantastic village with consistent architecture and more than 4,000 rooms, but finding one at a reasonable rate can be a challenge, so many visitors stay in Jindabyne, approximately 40 minutes away.

We lucked out and found rooms in a ski lodge in the village, which felt quiet mid-week, but there was plenty of fun to be had at Candlelight Lodge. Founded more than 65 years ago, it has got a European mountain feel, traditional alpine food with a modern twist, and a great ski vibe. Clearly many of the patrons have been coming for decades. Meanwhile, the bar at Thredbo Alpine Hotel–built around a modernist funky central fireplace—was buzzing with a DJ, music, and happy people.

So, why not? A great day’s skiing or boarding followed by a drink with friends and a good meal to come. Sure, it can be a long drive—but the snow road trip is always worth it.