2004/02 New South Wales loop - Thredbo Diggings |
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We stopped at Dead Horse Gap for lunch, briefly contemplated a very long hike from there up to Mount Kosciusko, and instead drove a few miles to the village of Thredbo.
Thredbo is a ski resort that is trying hard to be profitable in the summer, so it is using its chair lifts to get people up the high country for hiking, mountain biking, and slides. We decided we’d be back the next day to use the lift for some easier hiking up to Mount Kosciusko.
The nearby campground at Ngarigo looked enticing and empty, but it had absolutely no shade for the campsites, and so, like everyone else, we moved on. The next, at Thredbo Diggings, had shade but was nearly full, and we had to jiggle around until we found a level spot. The campground is named for the digging for gold along the river in the past. They didn’t find any gold. Nor did we.
Sandie was nursing some sunburn, so I hiked alone along the Thredbo River to Dr Bullock’s Hut. The doctor and his family used to spend their summers there, at a fork in the river, and the park service still maintains their old buildings. Unfortunately, much of the forest around the campground had been recently burned, and there was little wildlife to be seen. There were some rusty relics of ancient industries scattered around the river.
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