16 weekends this winter, not a road to speed on ever![]()
Obviously not leaving at peak hour, sometimes it can take two hours in traffic from Manly to Campbelltown
16 weekends this winter, not a road to speed on ever![]()
Used to do Pyrmont to Jindy in 4.5 hrs regularly. Just leave Sydney after 7.30pm. Would imagine its even faster now with the new bit around Canberra.
I take it the fire lookout tower is no longer manned? Nowadays I think most jurisdictions use IR mapping and lightning strike tracking with aerial followup if needed. The US Forest Service has converted a fair few of its towers into accommodations for rent. Definitely rooms with a view. BC had no vision, just bulldozed or burned many of its towers.
I was up in Hampton State Forest last week. I took a few photos of the Thill Ridge Campground at the corner of the Tea Tree Ridge Road and Bindo Boundary Road as well as some photos of Mount Bindo itself. Look closely and you can see the fire tower on the summit. The photos were taken at approx. 1240m ASL.
The campground, looking back towards the Blue Mountains![]()
More of the campground, Mt Bindo in the background.![]()
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Mt Bindo at dusk. You can see the fire tower on the summit.
Love this thread. I think there's merit in it, but not as a ski resort the likes of Corin. If Corin is successful, maybe. but best to see how that plays out.
I think there would be more merit in marketing something as a hybrid dry slope / winter slope. ie when theres actually snow (for 1 or 2 days per year), bonus, but the rest of the time its set up like a dry slope, which are huge all over the Europe and the US.
Of course you can.I am a new user. Can I post in a thread this old?
You could have just started your post with this. Not that it has stopped any of us before. We'd all love to see something like you've suggested. Various hairbrained schemes come up regularly. Unfortunately they're all doomed. It's a money thing. Bugger.This might be more of a pipe dream
Lake Mountain ticks some of those boxes for melbourne people. Snow play is the main activity, with xc skiing too. It's only a couple of hours from Melbourne. In summer there is mountain biking.I am a new user. Can I post in a thread this old?
Increasing snow fall in Australia would be my greatest dream and fantasy, and I would be willing to invest money in it (even if it were a tiny ROI). I would absolutely love for this to happen.
I have some ideas to make this happen:
1. What if we were to build a large area resort where a small portion of it was dedicated to skiing and the rest was dedicated to snow play? Let the snow play business subsidise the skiing. I'm not really into skiing, but I do love my snow play. This would offer a cheap place close to Sydney for snow play, and an introductory place to Sydney. Also, many people who want to to play in the snow would get an introduction to skiing by visiting this area. If you advertise it specifically as an inferior ski resort, you could get the budget crowd and snow play crowd
2. This could be a dog friendly resort, which could be a big selling point. You can't take your dog to Kosciuszko National Park, but you can bring your dog. I didn't own a dog when I went to New York City, but I knew I would get one once returning to Australia. I saw a dog play in the snow in Central Park and wanted that for my future dog. A few years later and I still haven't had the opportunity to take my dog to the snow. If we advertise this as a dog-friendly snow resort, that'd be great. Dogs don't have to be allowed everywhere in the area, and not on the slopes, but the snow play areas could definitely be open to dogs, provided they're not in the national park. We could perhaps even have several off leash areas in the snow.
3. New tunnel under the Blue Mountains- the state government wants to build a new road under the Blue Mountains, increasing road traffic to the area
4. Increase snow. We could offer skiing and snow related sports at schools. If we get people excited about snow fall and snow related sports (e.g. skiing, etc). We could also allow schools to offer skiing as a sport, and perhaps even have skiing carnivals (the way that schools have swimming and athletics carnivals)
5. Advertise it as an introduction to skiing, whereby people can learn basic skiing here before moving on to the big slopes like Perisher and Thredbo. Do it well enough, and you might even have Perisher and Thredbo investing in it to build a future customer base
6. Look into creating new snow. If NZ North Island could have snow in summer, with similar elevation and latitude, surely we could do something about it in winter
7. (This might be more of a pipe dream) but if somehow manage to have the Winter Olympics in Canberra and Perisher/Thredbo, this could be considered infrastructure to align with that
8. Dig holes to store water. This is used for snow making and perhaps fishing. Play your cards right, and you could get the government to SUPPORT this as an additional water source for Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and perhaps other parts of the state (also, it might contribute to lake effect snow? Not big enough?)
9. Dig holes and build mountains taller. Get the government to support this by burying garbage under the new mountains
10. This could be a four-seasons resort. In summer, we offer fresh water swimming (perhaps even with waterfall swimming), as well as a place to escape from the hot summer heat of Sydney. If we plant deciduous trees to make it an autumn paradise (perhaps even hire a botanist to breed new types of deciduous trees which would be beneficial to the local flora and fauna, and have unique deciduous trees which can't trees which can't be found elsewhere, which could, in and of themselves, be draw cards). Also, dogs could play in the autumn leaves here
11. Free land to investors- people who help invest in this investment will be given free swarths of land which they could develop and sell off
12. Local councils could be located far away from this area to not be affected by it, but close enough to get the benefits of flow on tourists. Or tourists could add this resort as a stop on a road trip. Play your cards right, and local councils (BM, Oberon, Bathurst, Orange, etc.) would all support this to support their tourist industries. Get the state to want to invest if it helps the state's winter tourism industry, and advertise it as an excellent stopping point on road trips
13. Host events here, especially in the off season- concerts, sports events, etc.
14. Access to railways- the Oberon-Tarana railway historical association wishes to restore that rail line. Work with them to get this resort to be supported from there. In addition, building a rail line here could allow for freight trains to bypass Sydney when travelling from west of the BM to south of of Goulburn, and run passenger trains (including to this resort) as an ancillary benefit. Also, the government is looking into restoring the Mudgee Line. Run the Mudgee line to Oberon, extend it to this resort, and Bob's your uncle
15. City buses- run city buses to this resort from Katoomba, Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow, etc. Incorporate this route into existing routes, or create new routes. See if we can incorporate it into the OPAL network
And a few other things I have forgotten about
I'd give almost anything for this to be the case. Let's do it!
I love my dog.Lake Mountain ticks some of those boxes for melbourne people. Snow play is the main activity, with xc skiing too. It's only a couple of hours from Melbourne. In summer there is mountain biking.
No dogs though![]()
A lot of effort for your first post. A welcome also to the forum. Not knowing you it is hard to tell if you are serious or just having fun. I am going to go with the later. My first ever Jackaroo job was out past Oberon and it was winter when I arrived. Snowed every day for a week. Sometimes it was just sago hail. At the time I thought it had to be the coldest place on earth and I looked like the Michelin Man trying to keep warm and dry. The property was around 1100m altitude in parts and many steep hills. I recall looking down on a RAAF Hercules doing a tactical run through the valley. Another 800m altitude and it would be a great place for a ski resort. That is a lot of garbage to pile on it.I am a new user. Can I post in a thread this old?
Increasing snow fall in Australia would be my greatest dream and fantasy, and I would be willing to invest money in it (even if it were a tiny ROI). I would absolutely love for this to happen.
I have some ideas to make this happen:
1. What if we were to build a large area resort where a small portion of it was dedicated to skiing and the rest was dedicated to snow play? Let the snow play business subsidise the skiing. I'm not really into skiing, but I do love my snow play. This would offer a cheap place close to Sydney for snow play, and an introductory place to Sydney. Also, many people who want to to play in the snow would get an introduction to skiing by visiting this area. If you advertise it specifically as an inferior ski resort, you could get the budget crowd and snow play crowd
2. This could be a dog friendly resort, which could be a big selling point. You can't take your dog to Kosciuszko National Park, but you can bring your dog. I didn't own a dog when I went to New York City, but I knew I would get one once returning to Australia. I saw a dog play in the snow in Central Park and wanted that for my future dog. A few years later and I still haven't had the opportunity to take my dog to the snow. If we advertise this as a dog-friendly snow resort, that'd be great. Dogs don't have to be allowed everywhere in the area, and not on the slopes, but the snow play areas could definitely be open to dogs, provided they're not in the national park. We could perhaps even have several off leash areas in the snow.
3. New tunnel under the Blue Mountains- the state government wants to build a new road under the Blue Mountains, increasing road traffic to the area
4. Increase snow. We could offer skiing and snow related sports at schools. If we get people excited about snow fall and snow related sports (e.g. skiing, etc). We could also allow schools to offer skiing as a sport, and perhaps even have skiing carnivals (the way that schools have swimming and athletics carnivals)
5. Advertise it as an introduction to skiing, whereby people can learn basic skiing here before moving on to the big slopes like Perisher and Thredbo. Do it well enough, and you might even have Perisher and Thredbo investing in it to build a future customer base
6. Look into creating new snow. If NZ North Island could have snow in summer, with similar elevation and latitude, surely we could do something about it in winter
7. (This might be more of a pipe dream) but if somehow manage to have the Winter Olympics in Canberra and Perisher/Thredbo, this could be considered infrastructure to align with that
8. Dig holes to store water. This is used for snow making and perhaps fishing. Play your cards right, and you could get the government to SUPPORT this as an additional water source for Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and perhaps other parts of the state (also, it might contribute to lake effect snow? Not big enough?)
9. Dig holes and build mountains taller. Get the government to support this by burying garbage under the new mountains
10. This could be a four-seasons resort. In summer, we offer fresh water swimming (perhaps even with waterfall swimming), as well as a place to escape from the hot summer heat of Sydney. If we plant deciduous trees to make it an autumn paradise (perhaps even hire a botanist to breed new types of deciduous trees which would be beneficial to the local flora and fauna, and have unique deciduous trees which can't trees which can't be found elsewhere, which could, in and of themselves, be draw cards). Also, dogs could play in the autumn leaves here
11. Free land to investors- people who help invest in this investment will be given free swarths of land which they could develop and sell off
12. Local councils could be located far away from this area to not be affected by it, but close enough to get the benefits of flow on tourists. Or tourists could add this resort as a stop on a road trip. Play your cards right, and local councils (BM, Oberon, Bathurst, Orange, etc.) would all support this to support their tourist industries. Get the state to want to invest if it helps the state's winter tourism industry, and advertise it as an excellent stopping point on road trips
13. Host events here, especially in the off season- concerts, sports events, etc.
14. Access to railways- the Oberon-Tarana railway historical association wishes to restore that rail line. Work with them to get this resort to be supported from there. In addition, building a rail line here could allow for freight trains to bypass Sydney when travelling from west of the BM to south of of Goulburn, and run passenger trains (including to this resort) as an ancillary benefit. Also, the government is looking into restoring the Mudgee Line. Run the Mudgee line to Oberon, extend it to this resort, and Bob's your uncle
15. City buses- run city buses to this resort from Katoomba, Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow, etc. Incorporate this route into existing routes, or create new routes. See if we can incorporate it into the OPAL network
And a few other things I have forgotten about
I'd give almost anything for this to be the case. Let's do it!
Thanks!Lake Mountain ticks some of those boxes for melbourne people. Snow play is the main activity, with xc skiing too. It's only a couple of hours from Melbourne. In summer there is mountain biking.
No dogs though![]()
I am dead serious. Repeat, dead serious. To make this work is slightly colder and slighter wetter wind. After all, NZ's north island has similar elevation and similar latitude to our highest mountains, and they get comparatively decent snowfalls in summer. Further, places significantly further north in New England, NSW, have snowfall too, despite similar, if not slightly higher elevation. Therefore, I don't think that elevation is the issue, but rather, other factors ensuring that the wind is slightly too warm and slightly too dry. The good thing about that is that whilst the east side of the mountains is effected by the East Australia Current, the west side is affected by different winds which are colder. Not sure how to achieve slightly colder and slightly wetter winds, but nonetheless, if we could find a way to make it happen, why not? Keep in mind, skiing would only be a small part of what this proposal could have to offer. It could also increase snow play in other parts near the proposed resort. In summer, it could be a fresh water skiing haven, and in autumn, it deciduous playground with falling leaves. Perhaps we could even breed new species unique to the area. It could be a dog-friendly introductory to skiing place which would please the ski resorts who would have new skiers. People may be reluctant to visit the ski resorts if they've never tried skiing, having to worry about the national park entry fees, don't know if it's safe to do, or a whole bunch of other factors. If we could figure out how to make the wind slightly colder and slightly wetter, we could have multiple hills for skiing, and the areas surrounding them for snow play. It would be difficult, but if we could get enough people to encourage a infrastructure company to do that (I don't know how, promising to buy shares?) then it could work. Also, if we get other advocacy groups behind it, for unrelated reasons, then even more reason to sway investors (e.g. there is an advocacy group who wants to re-open the Oberon rail line, if we could encourage them that the rail line would extend to this precinct as a key to getting it re-operate. Also, freight rail operators might be interested in seeing the Oberon Rail Line extended to the Southern Highlands, as they could bypass the Sydney area, tell them that if such a project were to go ahead, it would be easier for freight trains to bypass Sydney. You could get the government on board by promising to invest in affordable housing close to Sydney and by helping the tourism industry. (Imagine people embracing NSW's winter, rather than trying to escape it). Or even other industries, such as manufacturing or farming (how would this specific proposal help either of those industries). I have studied tourism and events at university, and I have an interest in railways and a tiny interest in urban planning. And if we were to host events there, even better. If we could get enough advocacy, I believe that this may be possible to at least some extent. Incidentally, this forum is the best place to not only drum up advocacy, but also figure out the logistics. The forum members here are a lot better when it comes to the logistics of skiing and ski resorts, specifically, so I'd leave that up to you to determine, but I'd be willing to chime in on discussions of the logistics of the non-skiing elements. If we could figure out the barebone logistics and make enough people vouch for this idea, all we'd need is an investor (or multiple investors), and we're good to go. (obviously, we would need professionals to figure out the specifics of the logistics, but the barebone aspects of the logistics could be figured out by enough amateurs). Sago and hail could be a bit more difficult, but if you play your cards right, you could use them as unique drawing cards. After, there might be people who would willing to drive there just to see sago. The Northern Hemisphere has a significant snow industry, imagine Australia having a considerable sago industry. You'd have to make compromises, but I'm sure it could workA lot of effort for your first post. A welcome also to the forum. Not knowing you it is hard to tell if you are serious or just having fun. I am going to go with the later. My first ever Jackaroo job was out past Oberon and it was winter when I arrived. Snowed every day for a week. Sometimes it was just sago hail. At the time I thought it had to be the coldest place on earth and I looked like the Michelin Man trying to keep warm and dry. The property was around 1100m altitude in parts and many steep hills. I recall looking down on a RAAF Hercules doing a tactical run through the valley. Another 800m altitude and it would be a great place for a ski resort. That is a lot of garbage to pile on it.
Anyway, procrastination is a wonderful thing and not constrained by anything other than your own imagination. Keep dreaming, just don't get serious with the idea and put money into it.
That place saved me one winter. Broke down late one Friday night in the state forest coming from Burraga to Oberon (and then on to Sydney).Limped the car to Oberon servo who arranged a lift to the Jenolan Caves Road and I walked from there to Hampton to call home from the pay phone just to say I would be late and then a local gave me a lift to the pub. He felt sorry for me out in the cold. Bought me a beer then arranged a lift with someone going to Lithgow who in turn arranged a lift for me at a Servo that got me home. This is back in the 70's. Maybe the locals are different now.the Halfway Hotel
Nice to hear. The Halfway has changed hands since then, but there's still plenty of the long time local families in the district; we've had our place there in the same family for around 100yrs. A little slice of paradiseThat place saved me one winter. Broke down late one Friday night in the state forest coming from Burraga to Oberon (and then on to Sydney).Limped the car to Oberon servo who arranged a lift to the Jenolan Caves Road and I walked from there to Hampton to call home from the pay phone just to say I would be late and then a local gave me a lift to the pub. He felt sorry for me out in the cold. Bought me a beer then arranged a lift with someone going to Lithgow who in turn arranged a lift for me at a Servo that got me home. This is back in the 70's. Maybe the locals are different now.
Koala population there? Oh geez. Well, that'll make it harderI think my username gives it away a bit, but a big fat no from me. Others have already put up pretty good reasons as to why it would not work, but pretty sure that it would not have the support of locals either (apart from the Halfway Hotel!). State Forests are desperate for more land in the area so I doubt whether they would be happy to lease Mt Bindo and surrounding area, and it is all surrounded by private properties. Jenolan Caves Rd is still not open from Five Mile to the Caves (over 2 years now) and it is still one way traffic from Hampton to the Oberon turn off, due to slope instability.
And plant more deciduous tress to make it look pretty?!! Don't think the recently discovered koala population in the area would enjoy that at all. If nothing else, this should be the final nail in the coffin.![]()
Indeed, here's one of the locals and her joey.Koala population there? Oh geez. Well, that'll make it harder
Simples, we just lower global temps by 5°c. Problemo solvered.But then again, there may be ways to make it viable. Let me look this over and I'll come back with more crackpot ideas
Well, like I said, North Island NZ (North Island, NOT South Island, NORTH Island), North Island NZ has similar altitude and latitude to Australia's peaks. So if they can have consistent summer snow...Simples, we just lower global temps by 5°c. Problemo solvered.
Unfortunately it doesn't work like that.Well, like I said, North Island NZ (North Island, NOT South Island, NORTH Island), North Island NZ has similar altitude and latitude to Australia's peaks. So if they can have consistent summer snow...