The Spontaneity Capital of Australia // Jindabyne (NSW)

Jindabyne is best known as a winter wonderland, but it’s also home to some of the most stunning year-round scenery in Australia. As the snow retreats, it exposes a terrain that’s ripe for pretty much any outdoor activity you can think of. The potential for spontaneous adventures is huge, don’t overthink it, just go!

Highlights

Epic landscapes
Climbing untouched rocks
Swimming in crystal clear water at Lake Jindaybyne.
Campfire jams

Skating Charlotte Pass

There are many hikes in the mountains around Jindabyne, including Australia’s highest mountain (Mount Kosciuszko). It’s also a perfect place to explore your passions in all their diversity. Whether it’s mountain biking, swimming or simply being in nature: Jindabyne has it all.

You can cram a lot into a weekend, we managed to go skating, hiking, swimming, climbing and slacklining.

We didn’t have much of a plan, but we followed a tip from a friend who had said there were some great roads to skate on the way to Charlotte Pass. They certainly weren’t wrong. Long winding roads surrounded by mountains made the perfect backdrop for some smooth downhill carving, even without the snow.

After driving to the end of Charlotte Pass, we saw signs for a hike. With little daylight left, we set off to reach the top and find some boulders along the way. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything great in terms climbing but, regardless of grades, getting to climb in an environment that stunning certainly left its mark and inspired us to return.

Keen to get into bouldering? Read: Bouldering for Beginners

Slacklining Over Lake Jindabyne

After a long first day, a relaxing second day and a swim were certainly in order. Lake Jindabyne on the fringes of Kosciuszko National Park is hard to miss, we felt it necessary to see what it had to offer. We managed to set up a slackline and find a rock island to swim out to.

All in all, this was a trip with no plan that ended up being one of the best trips I have ever been on. Off-season Jindabyne certainly left an awesome first impression.

Essential Gear

A torch (iPhones do work, but make your life easier with a head torch)
Warm clothing (Jindabyne actually gets cold, unlike most parts of Australia)
Marshmallows
Swimming gear
Basic camping gear (tent, stove, sleeping bag, etc)

How To Get There

The Thredbo Diggings Campground is definitely one of the best campsites around and a good place to base yourself during your stay in the area.

For the hike, drive to the end of Charlotte Pass and park up, then follow the signs at the top of the road to Mount Stillwell. It’s a 2km round trip.