Coordinates (East end)
(West end) Opened 1950s Major cities Khancoban | Type Road Length 126 km | |
 | ||
East end Kosciuszko Road
Jindabyne, New South Wales West end Murray Valley Highway (B400)
Upper Towong, NSW/VIC border Major suburbs Jindabyne, Thredbo,
Tom Groggin, Khancoban | ||
The Alpine Way is a 121-kilometre (75 mi) rural road located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The road connects Jindabyne in the east to the New South Wales/Victorian border in the west, crossing the Murray River, near Upper Towong. The route does not carry an official shield designation.
Contents
Map of Alpine Way, New South Wales, Australia
Route
The eastern terminus of the Alpine Way is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of Jindabyne on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains. The road winds its way south adjacent to the Thredbo River, before heading south-west past Thredbo and then crossing the crest of the Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap at an altitude of 1,580 metres (5,180 ft). Thereafter, it continues around the western side of the range along the upper reaches of the Murray River, past the Geehi River to Khancoban, before eventually crossing the Murray, and reaching its western terminus and connecting with the Murray Valley Highway (B400) on the river's southern bank, within Victoria.
The highway was initially built in the 1950s as part of the access for the Snowy Mountains Scheme. However, the paving of it was only completed approximately forty years later in the 1990s.
The majority of the road is contained within the Kosciuszko National Park and since 2004 has been maintained by Roads & Maritime Services.
Road restrictions
Road restrictions in the region require all two-wheel drive vehicles carry snow chains between Thredbo and Tom Groggin from the long weekends marking the Queen's Official Birthday in June and the Labour Day in October. It is also quite possible that snow chains may be needed to drive safely along other (more dangerous) parts of Alpine Way.