Mount Selwyn, New South wales, Australia

Mount Selwyn

Overview

Mt Selwyn lies to the north east of the other well known southern Snowy Mountains ski resorts (Thredbo, Perisher, Charlottes Pass and Blue Cow) located in the Jindabyne area.

With its eleven lifts and runs of all standards, Mt Selwyn is primarily marketed as a friendly, family orientated ski resort.

Selwyn is ideal for those beginning skiing or snow boarding since the runs are not too long or arduous; the longest run is around 800m and the base is at 1490 metres whereas the top is 1608 metres.

In addition to the ski lifts there is also a toboggan park, a snow-tube park and almost 50Km of cross country ski trails of varying length.

As in other resorts in the Snowy Mountains, snow making at Mt Selwyn is undertaken on an impressive scale and covers 80% of the runs.

This ensures that under most conditions there should be ski-able snow.

Weather permitting, the ski season usually lasts from June to August and often extends well into September and early October.

Adaminaby

The original site of Adaminaby is now submerged as in the late 1950's, with the construction and flooding of Lake Eucumbene, over 100 buildings were moved from the old town to its current location.

It is interesting to see the old buildings that were moved and to muse over whether it was worth it.

Kiandra

In late 1859, gold was discovered in the region and by April 1960, over 10,000 people were living at Kiandra which has an altitude of 1400 metres and lies to the north east of Mt Selwyn.

However, within 12 months, this dropped to just 300. Over the years the town dwindled and in 1972 the ruins of the once thriving town were bulldozed.

All that remains are a couple of derelict buildings and a history trail with plaques telling what was once there.

The setting of Kiandra is a beautiful, vast treeless plain.

Yarrangobilly Caves

Around 40 minutes from Mount Selwyn are some of Australia's best caves, the Yarrangobilly Caves.

Since they were first discovered in 1834 there are now known to be nearly 300 caves in the massive limestone block.

Five of the caves are open to the public with the most popular being the Glory Arch cave.

However, the exquisite Jillabenan Cave is well worth a visit since at 2 million years old it has more formations per square metre than just about any other cave.

After walking through the caves, enjoy a swim in the natural thermal pool which is naturally maintained at a constant 27°C.

This is an ideal area for bush walks along the Yarrangobilly River or picnics near the visitor centre.