Australian Ski Resorts – The best places to ski in New South Wales

This post includes everything you need to know before you plan your trip to the Australian Ski Resorts NSW. The answer to your first question is yes, it does snow in Australia. We didn’t believe it either, but we assure you there are a few ski fields among all the kangaroos in Australia. The Australian ski fields are also known as the Snowy Mountains. They are home to five of the highest peaks on the mainland. 

This guide will cover when the ski seasons start, a breakdown of each resort, how to get to each resort and also accommodation. Additionally, we have dedicated a whole section to finding a job within an Australian ski resort in NSW. 

 

Where are the Australian Ski Resorts NSW?

The ‘Snowies’ form part of the Great Diving Range where it straddles the NSW-Victorian border and also the Australian Alps stretching north to the ACT  border and south Victorian Alps. The main Australian Ski Resorts are in NSW. More specifically they are located in the Snowy Mountain region, deep inside the Kosciusko National Park. This can be found in the Southern area of NSW. 

The biggest city closest to the mountains is Canberra, the capital of Australia. The next town along the route is Cooma, which is a small town filled with lovely little places to grab a bite to eat. Continuing along the road is a smaller town called Jindabyne. This is the closest town to buy essentials for your trip to the mountains. 

 

The travel distance by car to the Snowy Mountains is:

Jindabyne – 30 Minutes 

Cooma – 1 hour 

Canberra – 2 hours

Sydney – 5 hours

Melbourne – 7 hours.

 

 

When is the Australian Ski Season?

First of all, you need to know when the Australian ski season starts and finishes. Officially the ski resorts open on the long weekend in June. This is the Queen’s Birthday which is the second Monday in June.

All through the bigger resorts open on the long weekend, there isn’t always a lot of skiing to be had. Usually, there is only one or two-run open. This is due to the resort making the snow with snow cannons at this time. At the end of June, the temperatures start to fall and the snowfall is more frequent.

To make sure you get those amazing powder days we recommend hitting the slopes midseason (the first two weeks in August). This is when there is the most consistent snowfall. All though we cannot guarantee fresh falling snow and cold temperatures, this is usually the best time to ski. 

School holidays

New South Wales School holidays times will affect the prices and availability of accommodation in the Snowy Mountains. The rough dates for school holidays are around the:  

 

23rd September – 15th October 

 

Australian Ski Resorts NSW

There are three main resorts within NSW with a number of smaller resorts which lead to the main resort such as Blue Cow and Smiggins Hole. These smaller resorts are accessed through Perisher Resort but really they make up one big ski field.

There are also a couple and smaller independent resorts to the north Such as Selwyn Ski Fields and Corin Forest. These slopes are very flat and also have no accommodation. Therefore they are more suited for a day trip experience from the closest city, which is Canberra.

The three main Australian Ski Resorts NSW are listed below. Each resort is totally different and has its own unique features. 

 

Thredbo

Thredbo boasts a huge amount of snow terrain for all abilities and ages, a range of amazing lessons and programs to help you get your snow feet, tons of events and activities to enjoy, and a beautiful vibrant village right at the base of the mountain with a range accommodation, restaurants, bars, cafes and retail shops to entertain you when you’re off the mountain.

What is the Vibe/Atmosphere like here: Thredbo is a small ski village. In the centre of the village, there are activities such as swimming, shopping, pubs and bars. Imagine a European Ski village but a lot smaller. We would say Thredbo is the Party town out of all three ski resorts.

What type of skier is suited here? Around 65% of Thredbo is suited to intermediates. With long and wide tree-lined runs all over the mountain, it’s the perfect place to cruise.

Entrance Fee: $17 National Park Entrance fee for 24 hours.

How much is a Season Ski Pass? $1000+ 

What are rental prices? Roughly $120 per day

What there is to do at night? There are over 30 places to relax, sip and dine in Thredbo Village. With cosy bars, late and lively nightspots, live music venues and dining options ranging from à la carte, càfe style, casual bistro and tapas.

 

Perisher

Perisher is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere. The resort is an amalgamation of four villages (Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes, Guthega, and Blue Cow) and their associated ski fields, covering approximately 12 square kilometres.

What is the Vibe/Atmosphere like here: Perisher is similar to Thredbo, it is great for family holidays for older children. It offers more challenging runs for people with a wide range of runs and terrain parks.

 What type of skier is suited here? Intermediate – Advance. 

Entrance Fee: $17 National Park Entrance fee for 24 hours.

How much is a Season Ski Pass? $1500

What are rental prices? $211 per week

What there is to do at night? 22 Bars/Restaurants and events weekly such as night skiing and flare runs.

A more detailed map of Perisher Village can be found here

 

Charlotte Pass

Charlotte Pass is the highest ski resort in Australia, sitting at 1,837 metres.  This small resort has the unique feature of having no cars and no queues. The only way into this resort is via over-snow transport from Perisher. The lift line is no more than 2 minutes in busy periods. The resort is located in the Kosciuszko National Park where the Kosciuszko Road crosses Kangaroo Ridge. Charlotte Pass is the closest village to Mount Kosciuszko.

What is the Vibe/Atmosphere like here: This is a very small resort offering day-trippers the chance to hike out backcountry to the top of various mountains. 

 What type of skier is suited here? Beginner – Intermediate, cross country.

Entrance Fee: $17 National Park Entrance fee for 24 hours.

How much is a Season Ski Pass? $1500. A one-day pass is $109, and a 7-day pass is $631.

What are rental prices? $200+ per week

What there is to do at night? 1 restaurant/bar. Weekly events such as night skiing and flare run.

 

How to get to the NSW ski fields 

Jindabyne

The backpacker in us will tell you to hitchhike. There are so many people going in that direction that you won’t be waiting too long. Daily buses to both Perisher and Skitube departing Jindabyne and surrounds 7.45-8 am each morning. Private transport in premium 7 and 8-seat 4WD vehicles direct to your destination. Available to connect with every flight from all airports and can cater for all group sizes.

Fully licensed and insured. More information here.

Parking

You can park your car at Bullocks Flat for free. This car park is located on the way to Thredbo Resort. At Bullocks Flats, you’ll find a free day and overnight parking and because it is located below the snowfall levels, you generally won’t require chains.

We left our car here for 4 months while we worked at Charlotte Pass. From here you can get the ski tube to Perisher Valley. Please note if you are leaving your car here for a long period of time you will need to have antifreeze in.

It is also smart to leave your window wipers up and bear in mind you might need to jump-start your battery. The Ski tube has a portable battery pack so don’t worry too much if you don’t own one. You also don’t need to purchase the National Parks entry fee. 

Ski Tube

Perisher’s Skitube is a Swiss-designed rack-rail train that takes passengers from Bullocks Flat Terminal on the Alpine Way through a tunnel in the Ramshead Range to the Perisher Resort. The first stop is the underground station at Perisher Valley and then continues on to Blue Cow through another tunnel through the Perisher Range. The ski tube timetable can be found here.

Over Snow to Charlotte Pass

You can find the Over snow office at Guest Services Office in Perisher Valley. The Charlotte Pass Guest Services Office is located in the Perisher Valley Skitube Terminal, at the far end of the ground floor of the terminal building.

This is where the Charlotte Pass Oversnow Transport departs from. From there you board the art over-snow vehicle and take a scenic trip through the main range to Charlotte Pass. The Charlotte Pass fleet of over-snow transport has been purpose-built for the unique environment found in the Australian main range.

One way is $70

Return $105

 

Australian ski resort accommodation

There are plenty of choices when it comes to accommodation at all three resorts. With ski out of lodges as Charlotte Pass to luxury hotels nestled in the heart of Thredbo Village.  We have provided our two top picks from check resort. One caters for the more budget traveller, whilst the other is for the people who want to splash the cash. 

Thredbo ski resort

Our budget option

This is the only hostel within these three resorts. This is one of the reasons why Thredbo is so popular with backpackers.

YHA Thredbo

 

 

Our Luxury accommodation choice is the highly-rated Thredbo Alpine Hotel. This hotel is at the base of the ski slopes and has a complete set of facilities including a pool, spa and bar/club.

Thredbo Alpine Hotel

 

Perisher ski resort

The Perisher Valley is made up of three sections. Blue Cow, Smidgens Hole and the Perisher Valley. Each location provides different accommodation types from large fancy hotels to small unique lodges.

As there are no hostels within the Perisher Valley we would recommend staying at the Snowy Mountain backpackers which is in Jindabyne. This way you can catch a bus and ski tube in the morning straight onto the mountain and keep the cost of your accommodation down.

Budget Snowy Mountain Backpackers

 

Luxury Perisher Valley Hotel

The hotel is located near the ski tube and is only a short walk to the first set of lifts in Perisher Valley. The hotel is complete with a spa and a beautiful restaurant.

 

Charlotte Pass ski resort

Due to Charlotte Pass being so remote and the hardest ski resort to get to. There is only a limited amount of accommodation in the village. Having said that Charlotte Pass is able to boast that all of its accommodation is ski in and out due to the village being located on the side of the mountain. Charlotte Pass is also very unique due to the fact the resort owns all of the accommodation within the village. The only way to book accommodation is through the resort website HERE.

If the accommodation prices are too expensive here we would highly recommend heading to Groupon here you will find a voucher for a day’s ski pass along with a return over snow and lunch all included for $59. Seeing that a day’s ski pass would normally cost you $120 this is a very good deal!

 

 

Finding a job within an Australian Ski Resorts NSW

When looking for a job within the ski resorts you have two options. You can either work for the resort directly and take on roles such as lift attendant or ticket sales. The other option is you work for a hotel or restaurant within the village but these roles are not directly linked to the resort.

We have split these two job roles into a few Pro and Con’s so you can quickly decide which role would suit your situation the best.

Working for the resort directly

Pro’s 

1. You are entitled to a free ski pass for the season, this will easily save you over $1000.
2. As long as there is snow you are guaranteed regular hours and pay.
3. Most of the roles are between 8 am-5 pm. This means plenty of time to socialise in the evenings or extra work if you need the cash.
4. The resort will help you find accommodation with other resort staff normally doing the same job.

Con’s

1. You have to apply early. The job listing will be put on the resort website in the last week of January. Bear in mind the season won’t start until June.
2. The resort cannot guarantee you accommodation within the village. This means you might have to commute from Jindabyne on a daily basis. Don’t forget it is a 30-minute drive in the summer with no snow on the roads. This can easily double in the winter.
3. If there is no snow, then there is no work.

 

Here is a shortlist of jobs that the resorts normally need each season.

 

Not working for the resort directly

Pro’s

1. A lot of these roles will be advertised around 1-2 months before the season starts. This means your travel plans can be a bit more flexible.
2. The rate of pay for these job roles is normally slightly higher than the resorts will pay.
3. There are normally plenty of shifts going and you can always transfer your skills to other employers around the village.
4. A lot of these roles are split shifts. So there is plenty of time to hit up the slopes in between.
5. Your employer will normally provide you with accommodation within your place of work which means cheap rent and commuting. 

Con’s

1. Your ski pass will not be included. This means you need to fork out $1000 before you have even started work so you can hit the slopes.
2. With a lot of the roles being split shifts you will be working most evenings which means a limited nightlife.
3. Many of these roles are cleaning or kitchen hand jobs. Whilst this might suit some people it is not the most glamorous job on the mountain and can get boring pretty quickly.

 

Once you have decided who you would like to work for it’s time to apply.

The resorts recruit directly through their websites. You will need to complete their application forms and provide a number of documents which you will upload to your application before submitting it. The job listings are normally posted in the last week of January and fill up quickly. Take your time with these applications as they can be quite long and time-consuming. The websites for each resort are below.

Thredbo Employment

Perisher Employment

Charlotte Pass Employment

 

Applying for Australian Ski Resort jobs

When applying for employment that is not directly linked to the resort there are a number of ways to go about securing your job.

First is finding a hotel or restaurant you like the look of and would want to work in and apply through their website. If they do not have this option 50% of them don’t. Then the next best thing is to email them directly. You want to do this around a month or two before the opening weekend in June. Most positions are filled 3 to 4 weeks before this date. 

Another option is to visit each village before the start of the season when it is open for the summer months. Walk around and speak to the hotel owners and hand out your CV’s the old fashion way. Note that all the resorts basically shut down around a month before the season starts. Everyone takes a few weeks’ holidays before the mayhem starts.

Next is through websites such as Seek or Indeed. Most jobs in the resorts are posted here. Make sure your profile is complete and you send off all the relevant paperwork your employer wants to see.

Finally, probably the best way to find jobs or anything for that matter around the ski resorts is on the Jindabyne Job Guide, Facebook Page. I’m not sure who runs this page, but it has everything on there. A lot of the local employers use this site first to try and find locals around the area who will stay for the whole season rather than using backpackers who are not always that reliable.

 

We wish you luck finding a job in the Australian Ski Resorts NSW. If you have any questions about the three resorts or about getting a job. Please feel free to send us a message through Instagram or Facebook. We love hearing your stories and trying to help where we can.

 

To read more about our Australian Ski Resorts NSW Journey, CLICK HERE

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