The Nomadic Explorers | Australian Travel Blog

Wandiligong is a quiet community 6 km south of Bright. Its population is about 250 people who work in the apple orchards and small holdings, its cottage industries and in the neighbouring districts. Established in the 1850s during the Victorian gold rush, it was at one stage home to over 1000 people with schools, public library, churches, shops and hotels. Several trails lead down to the diggings turned over in search of gold, which ran out by the end of the century.  The whole town is now registered with the National Trust as a historic landscape and features historical buildings such as the Manchester Unity Public Hall (built in 1874), the general store, several churches and a number of quaint cottages.

Main attractions of Wandiligong are Australia’s largest living hedge maze, the largest apple orchard in the southern hemisphere, historic buildings and the Alpine Park, and The Wandiligong Nut Festival. There are several walks as well including the Wandi Wander, Royal Bridge Walk and The Diggings Walk with its Chinese Swing Bridge giving a hint to some of the locals of old.

We visited Wandiligong Maze, walked the Diggins Walk on the first day of your visit and went to the Wandiligong Nut Festival next day.

We stayed in Jindabyne during our visit to Kosciuszko National Park. 

Jindabyne is a small town with a population no more than 2000 people. It is a service town for Australia's highest ski resorts: Perisher, Thredbo and Charlotte Pass. In summer most of the shops in the town are closed and it is very quiet. But do not be shy and plan your summer visit - the area offers relaxing things to do, such as fishing for trout or meandering bushwalks around the water's edge. You can also jump on your bike and ride around the the lake to find beautiful views as you head north on the Kosciuszko Rd.

If you came to explore the Kosciuszko National Park, you can stay in Thredbo Village as well. It is located not far away from Jindabyne. Unfortunately there was an annual motorcycle event (Snowy Ride) in Thredbo on these days (3-5Nov), so it was tricky to find a good affordable place to stay.

We spent three lovely days exploring the Kosciuszko National Park. We went to the Mt Kosciuszko and Yarrangobilly Caves, walked a lot around the Jindabyne Lake. Wish next time we will have more time to stay.

I decided to organise all links and files in this post for those who started reading about our Kosciuszko National Park Trip.

Here are some facts: in Nov 2013 we spent 3 days exploring Kosciuszko National Park. We climbed the highest peak on mainland Australia Mount Kosciuszko, went into Yarrangobilly Caves, walked a lot around Jindabyne Lake and went home via scenic, but very narrow Alpine Way.

It was a pleasant sunny spring day when we went to the Australian Garden in Cranbourne. It is a place of beauty, enjoyment and education that can be appreciated at several levels – as a celebration of the diversity of Australian plants, as a source of knowledge about our environment and its management, and as a demonstration of sustainable practices for home gardeners. This project for the Royal Botanic Gardens showcases more than 100,000 plants including 1,000 trees, 160 native bird species, 20 native mammal species, 18 native reptile species, 11 native amphibian species over 11 hectares. It is a new Botanical Garden - first section was opened in 2008 and the second one in 2011.

We spent almost a day there exploring heathlands, wetlands and woodlands, reading ALL information signs and discussing them with our son. Absolutelly must visit place for those who enjoys Australian flora and walks.