Jindabyne has an odd secret: the town you drive through is not the original one. The old Jindabyne lies underwater beneath Lake Jindabyne, drowned in the 1960s when the Snowy Mountains Scheme dammed the Snowy River, and the whole community was moved uphill to its present spot. On a very dry year when the lake falls, you can sometimes see the old bridge piers. The lake itself is now the town's centrepiece, a big, blue, cold sheet of water backed by the Snowy Mountains and used for trout fishing, sailing and sitting on a bench with a pie.
With a little over six thousand people, Jindabyne is the gateway town for Kosciuszko National Park, and in winter it swells with skiers heading for Thredbo and Perisher. In summer and shoulder seasons it is quieter and much more relaxed, and bikers arrive for the mountain roads. It has the full set of fuel stations, supermarkets and cafés, and it is the last place with any real choice before the Alpine Way, so fill the tank, buy water and a sandwich, and check the weather before you go.
The Alpine Way climbs out of the Thredbo valley, crosses the Great Dividing Range and descends to the upper Murray; it is a serious road with tight bends, steep grades and surfaces that vary from good to patched. The altitudes are not extreme by European standards, but the Australian high country can be cold and wet even in summer. There can be snow and ice from autumn through spring, so check for closures and carry warm layers. A park entry fee applies for vehicles, including motorcycles, so keep some money or a card ready.
The surrounding landscape is something else. Snow gums with their twisted, mottled bark grow on the ridgelines, wildflowers cover the alpine meadows in January, and the air is thin and clean with the sharp scent of eucalypt. Kangaroos often graze near the road at dusk, as do wombats, so watch your speed after sunset. Jindabyne is a pleasant, no-nonsense start: come for the lake, stay for a good meal, and be on the road early.