Eventually, 85 minutes after leaving Tom Groggin, I reached Dead Horse Gap. We cyclists tend to be drawn to superlatives. Keep up the good work. And then, around the very next corner, a glorious, big red sign stood proudly in front of me, bearing words I was more than happy to read: “Steep Descent”. After saying “hi” to Dad briefly at Tom Groggin — where the road meets the Murray River and the Victoria-New South Wales border — I got to work climbing the 17km to Dead Horse Gap. The road surface was also noticeably rougher and I found myself descending on the smooth, raised yellow line whenever I could, just to make things that little bit easier. The rock fall has occurred from the top of the slope at the same location where emergency work was carried out last month. Don. I wouldn't say DHG is as hard as the Back of Falls but I was definitely happy to get to the top. A couple of pubs and a few shops, broad-accented locals and a dirt-cheap caravan park with an owner that was far less concerned about us paying for our stay than we were. Another alternative travel route between Khancoban and Thredbo is via Elliott Way from Tooma and Mount Selwyn. Khancoban to Thredbo The Alpine Way from Khancoban to Thredbo is a very tight and twisty road with constant signs reminding about the dangers of falling rocks and slippery surfaces. ‘Kosi’ is the crowning jewel in the Snowy Mountains, a range that’s home to the Snowy River — a water course with great poetic significance — and the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme — the largest infrastructure project in Australian history. Descending from Thredbo towards Jindabyne. Khancoban is south of Tumbarumba on the scenic Alpine Way that connects Thredbo and Jindabyne. The beautiful waterway has a boat ramp and is perfect for fishing, kayaking and water sports, with waterskiing and wakeboarding popular in warmer months. I used to take that road from Thredbo to Khan back in the 80's before it was sealed. Fantastic write up Matt! All rights reserved, Khancoban Pondage in Khancoban, Tumbarumba, Open Gardens both in town and in the surrounding rural area. The top attractions to visit in Khancoban are: Hotels near (SYD) Kingsford Smith Airport, See all attractions in Khancoban on Tripadvisor. Buller is a big ski resort, but Thredbo takes it to another level. It took me little more than an hour from Thredbo to reach the caravan park just outside Jindabyne and getting there was certainly a relief. I shudder to think what it must be like in winter. Planning for new fencing which started after the existing fence was damaged last month will now incorporate the latest rock fall in proposed improvements. The 17km climb had an average gradient of 6% and I’d been climbing at much steeper than that for a while now. great to read your blog and each update. Think the climb peaks at about 1,800 metres above sea level from memory. The alternate route is Elliot’s way to the snowy mountains highway. Beautiful Matt. I bet you were relieved to come across some other humans in Lycra. Kosciuszko, Ride report: Audax Alpine Classic (130km version), Vertical K: seeing a different side to Mt. more, Top Things to Do in Khancoban, New South Wales - Khancoban Attractions. Contact: Roads and Maritime Services Media Unit   8588 5999, 2013 Roads and Maritime Services media releases, 2019 Roads and Maritime Services media releases, Roads and Maritime Services has joined with TfNSW, Vehicle examiners, certifiers and assessors. This section is not recommended for vehicles towing large caravans. I’d spent many an hour poring over Street View images from the road’s two main climbs and I’d written about them both in the fictional Tour of Australia route I’d published with David Blom in 2013. Flower Show. For one thing there were lane markings on the road — a novelty after more than four hours without any — and the constant traffic took some getting used to. But as I struggled my way up the climb I remembered a statistic that gave me some hope. We stopped there for morning tea on the way home a few days later and decided that another visit was required at some point. Sitting here a few weeks later, the word ‘lumpy’ seems most apt. The first climb into the hills begins just three kilometres from town, making Khancoban the perfect launching pad for the ride I had planned. The road was forever changing, making it hard to get into a rhythm. inspired to give it a try someday! Such was the case for me with the Alpine Way from Khancoban to Jindabyne. All rights reserved. In the heart of the high country, the town was established to house workers on the now heritage-listed Snowy Mountains Scheme. The inspection will also provide guidance on how long the clean-up work will take and when the road can be reopened. Amazing country up here. Compared to the peaks of Europe or the Americas, Mt. An excellent report and looking forward to part 2. Relax with our Price Promise & FREE cancellation on select hotels in Khancoban. As far as I can tell there’s almost nothing there except a lovely little camp ground on the banks of the Geehi River, but that alone was enough to demand our attention. Such was the case for me with the Alpine Way from Khancoban to Jindabyne. I slept well that night and I needed to. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "af656bdc0675332d3ef63b003ba95499" );document.getElementById("bd858c4a5d").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Copyright © 2020 Matt de Neef. Over a great long weekend I’d get to experience this beautiful mountain range for the first time, starting with a long and challenging ride along the Alpine Way. But the satisfaction of completing that ride and the memories from it will certainly last much longer than the discomfort did. Khancoban is nested bellow the western slopes of the Kosciuszko National Park. Much like the road from Noojee to Tanjil Bren on approach to Mt. All rights reserved. But then I hit a sharp left-hander and any doubt in my mind was quickly erased. Loving it. I set off at 7.30am leaving Dad to enjoy some time in Khancoban before he followed me up the road. And then I remembered seeing a short descent during my brief look at the climb profile the night before. Donna Buang, Exploring Apollo Bay and surrounds by bike, Cycling New Zealand 2015: a return to Christchurch, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDzvSQhTd0s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkYfGlGPZPU, Clearing out the cobwebs | The Climbing Cyclist, Exploring Kinglake: Bowden Spur and other new roads | The Climbing Cyclist, Cycling the Snowy Mountains: climbing Mt. The Khancoban area is open all year, but access along the Khancoban to Cabramurra Road is closed in winter (June to October long weekends). So either the road was about to flatten off considerably or possibly even head downhill. Motorists intending to travel on the Alpine Way between Khancoban and Thredbo near the National Parks and Wildlife Gate at Thredbo will be redirected to travel via the Snowy Mountains Highway via Tumut, Tumbarumba and on to Khancoban. We used to ride the horses through there all the time. Thredbo to Khancoban on the Alpine Way is arguably one of the best rides in the country. Wotif, Wotif.com and the Wotif logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in Australia and/or other countries.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Roads and Maritime closed a 70 kilometre stretch of Alpine Way this morning. The two tracks used in the video are (in order): – “On the Road” by Angus and Julia Stone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDzvSQhTd0s)