TALBINGO
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
On the north-western edge of Kosciuszko National Park is the small, picturesque town of Talbingo, just off the Snowy Mountains Highway. Talbingo sits on the banks of Jounama Pondage, on the Tumut River, which flows downstream into Blowering Dam only a few kilometres south of the town. The large regional centre of Tumut is only around a 30 minute drive north of Talbingo.
Talbingo is a small town, with a population of just over 200 and is another High Country town that was moved, to make way for a dam. On this occasion, in 1968, it was for the civil engineering wonder of the modern world, The Snowy Hydro Electric Scheme. The original town and hotel, established in the 1890’s, are now submerged under the waters of the Janouma Pondage. The new town grew and became home to many working on the hydro scheme.
There are 9 power stations throughout the Snowy Scheme and Talbingo has the largest of them all, ‘Tumut 3’. The Snowy Scheme Visitor Display Centre, located in the small shopping village, is open 8am – 4pm, 7 days and entry is free. The display centre features large models of the scheme and informative displays. Continuing along the main road through Talbingo for a further 5kms takes you to the power station where the scene is quite spectacular as enormous pipelines feed into the station and water exits the system, right in front of you. An adjacent park has picnic/BBQ facilities and detailed signage.
Talbingo offers accommodation options, a supermarket (open 7 days), fuel, a pub and café. Bushwalking tracks, a golf course, fishing, boating and camping are available, including the nearby camping ground ‘The Pines’ at Blowering Dam. The Pines camping ground has a boat ramp, toilets and fireplaces and a lot of space for campervans, caravans, in a superb setting. Detailed information on camping throughout Kosciuszko National Park can be found here
Driving further up into the alps from Talbingo, the Snowy Mountains Highway ascends towards the alpine area of this part of the High Country past Black Perry Lookout, 10kms south of Talbingo. Here, visitors will find another example of how the NSW Parks & Wildlife Service have created a place to experience the majestic Kosciuszko National Park with detailed signage and a view over the wilderness from a wheelchair accessible viewing platform.
45kms south of Talbingo via the Snowy Mountains Highway are the Yarrangobilly Caves, featuring stunning caves that can be entered via various walking tracks, with guided tours available, a thermal pool and accommodation. Detailed information can be found here. 55kms south of Talbingo is the ‘must see’ ghost town of Kiandra, high up on the open plains at around 1400 metres altitude. The informative, self-guided walk is one of the most fascinating 30 minutes that can be spent in all of the Australian High Country. Parts of this area were affected by the 2020 bushfires, so check the alerts for closed areas via the following link
Driving the Snowy Mountains Highway from Talbingo, across the alpine landscape to Adaminaby, near Lake Eucumbene and on to Cooma, is unforgettable. Brumbies can often be seen and preserved historic mountain huts are open for day visitors to experience. Talbingo is a fantastic little town to base yourself to explore the northern end of the Kosciuszko National Park set amongst a backdrop of lakes and mountains.