Holiday houses in Tumbarumba

The town of Tumbarumba sits in the low foothills of the New South Wales Snowy Mountains. Located on the epic Hume and Hovell Track across the southeast of the state, it’s a great base for hiking the Snowy Valleys, and for forays into nearby Kosciuszko National Park. Tumbarumba is also an emerging cool-climate wine region, with the first commercial vineyards planted in 1981. One of the very first vineyards was established by a veteran Australian winemaker who identified the area as being similar in climate to the renowned French wine regions of Burgundy and Champagne. After a few hiccups, the first crop of wine grapes was harvested in 1986, and now the region is home to 19 vineyards. Eight of these estates produce wine under their own labels, while the rest supply fruit to wineries across the state. The basalt and granite soils of Tumbarumba produce excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Meunier grapes also grown here.

As befits its location in the Snowy Valleys, Tumbarumba gets the occasional dusting of snow amid the rain in the wet winter months, when nighttime temperatures dip below freezing. The town is two to three hours from the ski fields at Thredbo and Perisher Valley in Kosciuszko National Park, making it a handy diversion on the way up to the snow. With the first heat of spring the town gets busy, with events such as the Tumbarumba Spring Flower Festival drawing crowds. The warmer months are great for mountain biking, with a network of tracks close to town. Even in summer the nights can be crisp, especially in December. The Tumbafest music and wine festival in February signals the end of summer and the show of colours as the town’s trees start to shed their leaves.

The Food and Wine Trail

After you’ve checked out the cellar doors in Tumbarumba, head toward nearby Batlow, the apple (and cider) capital of Australia. On the 30-minute drive you’ll find plenty of foodie distractions, including chestnut and truffle farms and roadside farm stalls.

Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail

Running 21 kilometres from just outside Tumbarumba to the nearby town of Rosewood, this bike and walking track follows a disused rail line through some lovely countryside and across restored timber trestle rail bridges. If you aren’t bringing your own bike, you can hire conventional two-wheelers and e-bikes (and a chariot for up to two kids under the age of five) in town.

Bago State Forest

A 30-minute drive from Tumbarumba, the alpine ash trees of Bago State Forest extend all the way to Kosciuszko National Park. Take a picnic to Pilot Hill Arboretum, a leafy refuge with more than 50 species of conifer and hardwood trees, hike through woodlands, and cool off in Paddys River Dam.