LAKE CRACKENBACK RESORT
Brad Harris enjoys the good life on the banks of the Thredbo River.
The Snowy Mountains region boasts one of Australia’s trout-fishing gems—the Thredbo River. Clear, bouldery, fast, picturesque, and home to some very large trout, it is surely one the country’s finest rivers. When you add the fact that you can stay in stunning luxury accommodation right next to it, my admiration climbs higher still.
Imagine waking-up in the upstairs bedroom of your beautiful studio apartment, showering, and collecting your breakfast tray from the front door. You then walk through the lavishly appointed kitchen and lounge area and out onto the deck, which quite literally overhangs a lake stocked with trout and salmon, where you eat breakfast and watch kids play in pedal-boats and canoes. A guy on the far shore lets out a “yee-ha” as he hooks up.
Still, it’s the Thredbo you came for, the lake can wait until tonight. You eagerly dress in fishing gear and waders, rig up your rod and wander down to the river following the walking track past the lake (keeping an eye out for fish of course, though don’t be distracted for too long), then along a small tributary, watching little trout scurry for cover, and before long you emerge at Bullocks Hut, right on the awesome Thredbo River.
From here you can enter the water and start wading upstream straight away or head off downstream along the fisherman’s path, a track cut through the bankside vegetation, allowing access to the river for about two kilometres. The valley walls are covered in rich green undergrowth and rise steeply on both sides. Dead trees left from the 2003 bushfires make the distant hills appear soft and furry.
You slip into the water at a gap in the tea-tree and are at once startled by the clarity of the water. You can feel the coolness through your waders. The sandy bottom is visible for metres down, and you can polaroid fish sitting behind the numerous boulders. They are all eager to rise to take a dry, or to grab a suspended nymph. Fly fishing just shouldn’t be this good!
Lake Crackenback Resort is situated on the Alpine Way between Jindabyne and Thredbo Village. There is a range of quality accommodation, including studio apartments overhanging the lake and large self-contained chalets nestled in the snowgums. If the rest of the family aren’t as passionate about fishing as you are, the resort has a gym and indoor heated pool and offers activities such as archery, horse-riding, canoeing, bushwalking and mountain biking. There is also a beautiful restaurant and full conference facilities.
Only 5 hours drive from Sydney, and about 6 from Melbourne, Lake Crackenback Resort is ideal for a long-weekend or week-long getaway. Check out the special fishing rates by calling 1800 020 524.