The Snowy Mountains Highway is a state highway in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 which traverses the Snowy Mountains

Snowy Mountains

The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....

.

The highway runs across the highland region in the southern part of the State. It starts at its junction with the Hume Highway

Hume Highway

The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...

 near Gundagai

Gundagai, New South Wales

Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town...

. From there, the highway runs generally south-east, through the town of Tumut

Tumut, New South Wales

Tumut is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut is at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is referred to as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains Scheme...

, then through Talbingo  and up onto the southern highland plateau past Yarrangobilly Caves

Yarrangobilly Caves

The Yarrangobilly Caves are located in a 12 km long karst region along the Yarrangobilly River valley in the north of Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, Australia....

 and the historic Kiandra

Kiandra, New South Wales

Kiandra is an abandoned gold mining town and the birthplace of Australian skiing. The town is situated in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire inside the Kosciuszko National Park. Its name is a corruption of Aboriginal 'Gianderra' for 'sharp stones for...

 Goldfields, then down through Adaminaby to Cooma

Cooma, New South Wales

-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....

. From Cooma the highway continues in a south easterly direction through Nimmitabel then descends down Brown Mountain to Bemboka then continues on to Bega

Bega, New South Wales

Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....

 and Tathra

Tathra, New South Wales

Tathra is a seaside town on the Sapphire Coast found on the South Coast, New South Wales, Australia in Bega Valley Shire. It has a population of 1,622....

 on the south coast of New South Wales.

In winter, much of the highway is subject to heavy snowfalls and the highway is the access route to Selwyn Snowfields

Selwyn snowfields

Selwyn Snowfields is a small ski resort in the northern part of the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire and Kosciuszko National Park...

 ski resort. Skiing in Australia

Skiing in Australia

Skiing in Australia takes place in the high country of the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as well as in the Australian Capital Territory, during the Southern Hemisphere winter....

began at the Kiandra goldfields (now located on the Snowy Mountains Highway) around 1861. The ski lifts were transferred to Selwyn Snowfields in 1978.