Talbingo

Located in the Snowy Valleys of NSW, Talbingo is the perfect country escape. It is heaven for fishermen and those who love water sports, as it is located by the Tumut River between Blowering Dam in the north and Talbingo Dam to the south.

Talbingo Dam is the largest of the 16 dams in the Snowy Mountains Scheme, with the town originally built to house workers on Australia’s greatest engineering project. The hydroelectric and irrigation project is now run by Snowy Hydro.

Yarrangobilly Caves, Kosciuszko National Park

Things to do

On edge of the Kosciuszko National Park, Talbingo is the place for fishing and boating. Try your luck catching rainbow trout and trout cod in the deep water of the dam or choose to go fly fishing in the clear mountain streams. For fishing enthusiasts, the Jounama Classic is an annual fishing competition held on the Jounama Pondage.

In summer, the waters of the dams are popular for waterskiing, canoeing and swimming, with spectacular mountain scenery an excellent backdrop.

Truenorth Helicopters, Snowy Mountains

Bushwalking is another attraction for lovers of the outdoors, with short walks like the Jounama Creek track and the more difficult Old Mountain Road walk, which delivers incredible views over Jounama Pondage, Bogong Peaks and Blowering Reservoir. This track actually follows a road built in 1860 during the Kiandra Gold Rush.

For something a little different, the Talbingo Tattoo is planned for 2022. Pipe bands from around the NSW, Victoria and the ACT come to the event, which is held by the Jounama Dam. 

If you would like to see a bird’s-eye view of the area, join a tour with Truenorth Helicopters. The action-packed adventure will take you through the spectacular Gilmore Valley, onto the Snowy Hydro above Talbingo, then along the three dams of Talbingo, Journama and Blowering.

Truenorth Helicopters, Snowy Mountains

Day trips & scenic drives

There are 4WD touring routes through the spectacular wilderness of the Kosciuszko National Park and don’t miss the view over the park and the Bogong Mountain Range from the viewing platform at Black Perry Lookout. It is astonishing. There’s another great view to be had from Landers Falls Lookout, which looks over Talbingo Reservoir.

Black Perry Lookout, Talbingo

Yarrangobilly Caves are just 35-40mins away, with cave tours and the beautiful thermal pool sure to be a highlight of your trip.

Delve deeper into the area’s heritage, industry and people on an expert-led tour with Our Snowy. Running for a full day, you can select from multiple itinerary options, from visiting working homesteads to dropping into local producers, including wineries, distilleries and orchards.

Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool, Yarrangobilly

Getting there

Talbingo is a 4hr 45min drive from Sydney and 2hr 45min from Canberra. You can also fly into Wagga Wagga Airport, less than two hours away, and hire a car to explore the region.