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    Canberra → Cooma → Jindabyne → Thredbo → Khancoban → Corryong

    Alpine Way: the full drive guide

    The Alpine Way is the official name for the sealed 121 km road between Jindabyne and Khancoban, climbing through Kosciuszko National Park to Dead Horse Gap (1,580 m) near Thredbo — the highest point reached by a sealed public road on the Australian mainland. This guide extends the corridor from Canberra via Cooma, and continues past Khancoban to Corryong on the Victorian border, matching how most visitors actually drive it.

    Distance
    ~330 km, Canberra to Corryong via the Alpine Way
    Time needed
    2 days minimum; 3–4 days lets you properly spend time in Kosciuszko National Park
    Vehicle
    2WD suitable
    Surface
    Fully sealed the entire way, including the Alpine Way itself — though the Thredbo-to-Khancoban section is steep, narrow and winding, with no lane markings in places and a genuine rockfall risk after rain.
    Best months
    December–March for the most reliable driving conditions and access to summer walks. June–September is the declared NSW snow season, when the road stays open but demands chains and real winter-driving care.
    EV suitability
    EV: plan your charging
    Route style
    Point-to-point
    Alpine Way — New South Wales, Victoria

    Route map

    Stops shown in driving order with a straight line between them, for planning only — this is not a turn-by-turn route. Always check current road conditions before you travel.

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    3
    4
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    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Route stops in order: 1. Cooma, 2. Jindabyne, 3. Thredbo, 4. Khancoban, 5. Corryong.

    Seasonal gate & outback safety

    Check before you commit to dates
    1. JJanuary — Open — go
    2. FFebruary — Open — go
    3. MMarch — Open — go
    4. AApril — Open — go
    5. MMay — Open — go
    6. JJune — Caution
    7. JJuly — Caution
    8. AAugust — Caution
    9. SSeptember — Caution
    10. OOctober — Caution
    11. NNovember — Open — go
    12. DDecember — Open — go
    • Open — go
    • Caution
    • High risk / cut

    Open year-round — this is designed to stay open through winter — but the declared NSW snow season (King's Birthday long weekend in June to around early October) requires carrying chains on the signed Alpine Way sections, and severe weather can close the Thredbo-to-Khancoban section temporarily. The rest of the year is a straightforward sealed mountain drive.

    Wildlife warning: do not drive at night

    Kangaroos and wombats are active at dawn and dusk in the alpine grasslands either side of the road, and the Thredbo-to-Khancoban section is narrow with no shoulder to react on.

    Live road conditions

    NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service — Kosciuszko National ParkLive Traffic NSW

    This complements rather than duplicates our Canberra & Snowy Mountains itinerary, which covers much of the same corridor as a day-by-day holiday plan with Jindabyne as a two-night base. Use that itinerary to plan your days, and this guide for the road logistics, chain requirements and seasonal detail.

    The two halves of the Alpine Way are genuinely different driving. Jindabyne to Thredbo is a wide, well-used road serving the ski villages. Thredbo to Khancoban is narrower, has no lane markings in places, and carries a real rockfall risk after rain — not a road to drive tired or in the dark.

    The stops, in driving order

    1. 01

      Canberra → Cooma

      114 km in · 1h 20m

      Critical supply point — Full services before the drive into the mountains.

      The start, with full services before the drive into the mountains.

      Tip: Cooma is the last full-service town before Jindabyne — fuel and provision here.

    2. 02

      Jindabyne

      180 km in · 45m

      Critical supply point — The practical base for Kosciuszko National Park — most of the region's accommodation and services.

      The practical base for Kosciuszko National Park — most of the region's accommodation and services, on the shore of Lake Jindabyne.

      Tip: A Kosciuszko National Park vehicle pass is required from here on, priced higher in the snow season.

    3. 03

      Thredbo

      216 km in · 30m

      Critical supply point — Last reliable fuel before the steep, remote climb to Khancoban.

      The ski village at the base of mainland Australia's highest peak, and the start of the Alpine Way's steeper, more technical western half.

      Tip: Hire snow chains here if you don't own a set and are continuing on to Khancoban in the snow season.

    4. 04

      Khancoban

      301 km in · 1h 15m

      The western end of the Alpine Way proper, on the Murray River side of the range — a small town built for Snowy Mountains Scheme construction workers.

      Tip: The Khancoban side of the road is narrower and less used than the Jindabyne side; take it slowly, especially near Dead Horse Gap.

    5. 05

      Corryong

      331 km in · 25m

      A Victorian border town, and a natural place to end this route or continue on into Victoria's high country.

      Tip: Full services here if you're continuing further into Victoria.

    Drive planning: legs, fuel and conditions

    Three paces, same road: highway pace, a towing or 4WD rig, and what the day actually takes once fatigue and photo stops are in it.

    Alpine Way — honest timings by leg
    LegDistanceStandard vehicleHighway pace, no stopsTowing / 4WD rig90–100 km/h cruiseRealistic paceFatigue + photo stopsFuel
    Canberra → Cooma114 km1h 20m1h 35m1h 35mPlentiful
    Cooma → Jindabyne66 km45m55m55mJindabyne
    Jindabyne → Thredbo36 km30m35m35mThredbo
    Thredbo → Khancoban85 km1h 15m1h 30m1h 30mNone reliable — fill at Thredbo
    Khancoban → Corryong30 km25m30m30mCorryong
    Whole route4h 15m5h 5m5h

    How we get these: standard is moving time at signposted highway pace. Rig time assumes a 90–100 km/h cruise and slower acceleration — roughly 20% longer. Realistic pace adds a 15-minute fatigue stop every two hours (the national driver-fatigue guidance) plus about ten minutes an hour for photos, fuel and legs. Plan daylight around the realistic column, not the standard one.

    Alpine Way — leg conditions
    LegDistanceFuelNotes
    Canberra → Cooma114 kmPlentifulSealed, Monaro Highway
    Cooma → Jindabyne66 kmJindabyneSealed, Kosciuszko Road
    Jindabyne → Thredbo36 kmThredboSealed — the easier half of the Alpine Way
    Thredbo → Khancoban85 kmNone reliable — fill at ThredboSealed but steep, narrow and winding, over Dead Horse Gap (1,580 m) — the most demanding driving on this route
    Khancoban → Corryong30 kmCorryongSealed, crosses into Victoria

    What can go wrong

    • Carrying snow chains is a legal requirement on the signed sections of the Alpine Way during the declared NSW snow season, regardless of vehicle type, and it's enforced.
    • The Thredbo-to-Khancoban section is prone to rockfall after rain, narrow, unmarked in places, and not recommended for large caravans or rigs unfamiliar with mountain driving.
    • Kangaroos and wombats are active at dawn and dusk in the alpine grasslands either side of the road. Avoid driving that stretch in the hour around sunrise and sunset.
    • Fuel is not reliably available between Thredbo and Khancoban — fill up at Thredbo before you start the climb.
    • Fog and black ice are real risks in the shoulder seasons (autumn and spring) even without snow on the ground — the alpine sections sit well above the surrounding valleys.

    Conditions change seasonally and after storms. Check current conditions with the road authority before relying on any of this.

    Common questions

    Within the declared NSW snow season, yes — carrying chains is a legal requirement on the signed sections between Jindabyne and Khancoban for every vehicle, not just those without snow tyres, and it's checked. Outside the snow season, chains aren't required.

    Yes — the entire road from Jindabyne to Khancoban is sealed, as is the Canberra-Cooma-Jindabyne approach and the Khancoban-Corryong exit. The western side is simply narrower, more winding and less maintained-feeling than the Jindabyne side, not unsealed.

    That itinerary is a day-by-day holiday plan covering much of this same corridor, based from Jindabyne for two nights. This is a route guide focused on the driving itself — chain rules, fuel gaps and the Thredbo-to-Khancoban section's specific hazards — for travellers wanting that detail or continuing on to Corryong and Victoria.

    With planning, yes — Cooma and Jindabyne are realistic charging stops. The Thredbo-to-Khancoban climb is cold, remote and range-sapping, so cross it on a fuller charge than you'd normally plan for, and don't assume Khancoban or Corryong will have reliable charging waiting for you.

    Where this is researched from

    • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service — Kosciuszko National Park — Park entry, chain requirements and current alpine conditions
    • Live Traffic NSW — Live road conditions and closures
    • Bureau of Meteorology — Alpine weather and snow forecasts

    This is a researched guide, not a firsthand trip report. How we research.

    Spotted something we should update? Let us know.