March to May

Jindabyne presents a truly memorable Autumn experience. The spectacular golden yellow tones dance in the Autumn light around the region and contrast strikingly with the shimmering blue of our lake. During Autumn you can surely saturate your senses in the awe of this season.

Autumn’s arrival in a blaze of yellow makes it the most striking of seasons. It's drama brings life to the excitement of this time of year, with Easter activities abundant in the mountains. The Lake Light Sculpture Festival brings thousands to the town to view by day and night the wonderful exhibits mounted along the foreshore of Lake Jindabyne in Banjo Paterson Park. Photographers lap up the displays with brilliant pictorial tributes all over local social media pages.

The entertaining line-up of local events and holiday deals make Jindabyne an excellent place to visit in autumn. There are activities to suit any type of holiday break you're looking for, whether it's adventure, chill-time, lap it up luxury or family time.

You will find an endless array of thrilling and adrenaline seeking activities ranging from mountain bike riding, scenic joy flights, horse riding, river sledding and for a more relaxed pace, tee up a round of golf, take a boat cruise, sample award-winning schnapps and gin and superb local cuisine, enjoy a treatment at a luxury spa or explore the town’s many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Autumn temperatures are cooler at sunrise and sunset but the warm sunny days are ideal for exploring the region and enjoying the activities and attractions that make Jindabyne famous. Discover the backcountry on foot or bike or make the most of the huge network of trails around the region.

The Thredbo Valley Track follows the amazing Thredbo River most of the way, and crosses it 5 times over very sturdy steel suspension bridges. The scenery is spectacular, and there are many spots offering especially wonderful displays of autumn colour. The track demands some concentration, as there are many tight turns, narrow sections, and tight squeezes between boulders. Thrilling and invigorating to say the least.

Jindabyne is fast becoming renowned as one of Australia's best mountain biking destinations and early Autumn is a great time to come and experience the rush.

Local chefs are passionate about using local ingredients and cooler temperatures bring a change in menus to reflect the season’s fresh produce. There are a multitude of innovative and award-winning restaurants and eateries to cater for any occasion from fine dining to fun dining.

In Jindy town there’s stylish cafe food, celebrity chef restaurants, traditional pub meals, designer burgers and a variety of ethnic cuisine, while the outskirts of town herald a variety of quaint and quirky restaurants with lots of character. Daytime al fresco dining is a perfect way to soak in some autumn sunshine and scenery while colder evenings are just the treat for wetting your lips with a glass of award-winning local schnapps beside the fire.

A trip to Jindabyne in Autumn isn’t complete without a visit to the Gaden Trout Hatchery, and not even to see the fish! It has a welcoming, family-friendly environment, with a quiet, peaceful atmosphere where the poplar trees are golden and shed their leaves in the brisk autumn wind. You may feel that you are standing in the midst of a golden storm, it's a surreal experience. The picturesque beauty of this part of Jindabyne is especially strong as the poplars here are tall, old and stunning. Not to be missed at this time of year.

There are undercover picnic tables near the river where a lovely afternoon of R&R beckons to you. Of course, the Hatchery itself is quite worth the visit, the guides here are passionate about their role in trout hatching education, plus you'll be amazed at the sheer size of some of the older male trout and the shear numbers their breeding program is responsible for.