New South Wales (Snowy Mountains)
Kiandra
KIANDRA itself is a ghost town, but the detailed interpretive boards of the Heritage Trail will help you find your way through the remaining ruins on this desolate, windswept spot – the extensive plains in the northern part of the park are too cold for any trees to survive. It’s hard to believe that fifteen thousand prospectors camped here during the goldrush of 1860; the short-term rush left behind a town of about three hundred people who eked out a living mining and grazing.

Kiandra was a boom goldmining town in the 19th century with an estimated 15 000 prospectors in 1859 and in 1860 yielded 67 000 oz of gold, the most of any Australian field. Being the highest goldfield in Australia (1414m), winter conditions were harsh and most miners found the going too rough with only 200 men left when the alluvial gold petered around 1861. A few gravestones, a dam and some ruins are all that is left of Kiandra now.

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Yarrangobilly Caves
The Yarrangobilly Caves, a system of about sixty limestone caves at the edge of a rocky plateau surrounded by unspoiled bushland, are one of the few specific sights in the park; they’re 6.5km off the Snowy Mountains Highway near Kiandra, 113km north of Cooma and 70km south of Tumut. There are several guided tours daily to the North Glory, Jersey and Jillabenan Caves (the last is wheelchair-accessible; $10; tel 02/6454 9597 for tour times). A fourth cave, the Glory Hole Cave (daily 10am–4pm; $6), can be explored on a self-guided tour. From walking trails along the edge of the rock plateau there are panoramic views of the Yarrangobilly Gorge, and a steep trail leads from the Glory Hole car park to a thermal pool at the bottom of the gorge near the Yarrangobilly River. The spring-fed pool, which you can swim in (for free), has a year-round constant temperature of 27°C.