We had no particular destination in mind. The ski season had started late this year. The opening weekend saw no snow at all and the resorts were beginning to get a bit desperate four weeks later when a sudden change in weather coincided with the beginning of the school holidays. I jumped online and literally grabbed the first available accommodation that fitted our price range.
Talbingo is about five hours drive from our place and an easy 40 minutes from Selwyn Skifields in southern New South Wales. The town is little more than a tourist park, some cabins, a small country club, half a dozen shops and Talbingo Lodge where we would base ourselves for the next three nights. The original town lies beneath the lake that flooded the valley during construction of the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme. This old photo shows the original pub which now lies submerged beneath the lake. Another historic building lost to progress was the Lampe Homestead, the birthplace of acclaimed Australian author Miles Franklin.Our accommodation consisted of a single room for the four of us with bunk beds. The bathroom facilities were shared and meals were taken in the downstairs bar and bistro. Most of the staff at the lodge at the time we stayed were young travelers. We met a mixture of English, Canadian and French nationals during our stay. Our host, Dave is very friendly and the atmosphere at the lodge is warm and welcoming. One word of warning, the bar and bistro serve the entire town so on busy nights it's a really good idea to get your dinner order in ahead of the rush. Our order went missing one night but the staff were extremely apologetic and presented us with a complimentary bottle of wine to make up for it.
Our short stay in The Snowy Mountains continues here.
