Mount Kosciuszko is mainland Australia’s highest mountain, at 2,228 metres above sea level. Reaching the top of this sounds like an impressive bucket list type achievement but surprisingly it wasn’t that difficult. We drove to Thredbo and then got on the chairlift and from there walked the 13km round trip to the summit and back. The trail was very well marked and well traversed. It’s amazing that summiting the highest peak in Australia has been made so accessible.

On the day we went, it was beautiful blue skies but only about 4C. The temperature would have been freezing overnight as there was some icy snow on the ground.

This is not a serene trail where you can be alone with nature. There were lots of people at all parts of the trail and especially the summit. There were also lots of hardcore mountain bikers riding down trails of varying difficulty down the mountain. It’s great to see this winter town thriving at times when there is no snow.

Jindabyne is the town that serves as the hub for the surrounding towns including Thredbo and Perisher. It sits by the beautiful Lake Jindabyne.

Not far from Jindabyne is the Gaden Trout Hatchery. The government breeds trout and salmon to restock cold water lakes for anglers as sport fish. The tours are really interesting and informative.

An hour drive from Jindabyne is Adaminaby. This tiny town hosts the Snowy Scheme Museum which contains an interesting collection of items and information of the project. The opening hours are extremely limited. These information boards are available outside the museum if it is not open.

After visiting the museum, it’s worth a drive to Old Adaminaby to see a small part of the massive Lake Eucumbene, a dam, part of the Snowy scheme.

It has been a pleasure to see Australia’s alpine regions and to understand a bit more about how large and complex the Snowy hydro project was and is.

Stunning scenery, curious wildlife and a lovely campground for a national park. The main campground at Tidal River has great amenities. There are rubbish bins, toilet and shower blocks, visitor centre, small shop, BBQs and picnic tables. Additionally, in a lot of areas there is good mobile signal and many campsites includes the sound of the nearby ocean. Magic! Watch out for wombats at dusk, possums at night and the colourful rosellas that are always loitering hopefully when you eat meals.

Melbourne is one of the best cities to visit, with it’s neat grid-like CBD, the mix of old buildings with gleaming sky scrapers, the fancy rooftop bars and the gritty laneways with small, sometimes hidden bars and the many diverse restaurants to tempt you. Berlin Bar, a small bar on Corrs Lane requires you to climb some stairs and then ring the door bell. The staff will let you into a space which is a split into austere East Berlin and opulent West Berlin and you will have to choose where to spend your evening.

A visit to Melbourne is not complete without visiting the food markets. Both Queen Victoria Markets and the South Melbourne Markets are close to the CBD are a food lover’s paradise.

Fitzroy Gardens is a lush green sanctuary on the east side of the CBD.

NGV International in worth a visit with many artworks by big name French impressionist painters as well as many modern works.

The State Library of Victoria is a beautiful old building and is magnificent on the inside as well. Best of all, it is being used by lots of students, industriously studying away in these magnificent surrounds.

One of the best things about travelling is happening randomly upon something weird or wonderful, such as these street sculptures.

More pictures of lovely places in South Australia to visit.

Thanks to the lovely folk at Sky Seafoods for providing us a an informative tour through their lobster processing facility. This magnificent specimen is about 30 years old!