Tumut  New South Wales

Tumut, located in the beautiful Tumut Valley, is midway between Sydney and Melbourne and just two hours by road from Canberra. No matter whether you are into boating, fishing, water skiing or swimming, the sparkling waterways of Lake Blowering, Talbingo Dam and the Tumut and Goobragandra rivers beckon. To visit the valley is to experience the great outdoors - walking or riding the many established trails. The Hume and Hovell track offers half-day, one day or weekend family walks or, if you are a serious bushwalker, a three-week trek. Then there's the fine skiing on the nearby slopes. If that all sounds a bit taxing, then just sit back, put up the feet and enjoy Mother Nature’s beauty. In the early 1920s, pine plantations were established in the area and today, despite that specie's reputation for devastating natural ground cover, the stands of trees certainly add verdant serenity and grandeur to much of the landscape around this attractive town. In the late 1820s, a bloke by the name of Thomas McAlister introduced shorthorn cattle to the surrounding hills and these hardy beasts have been money-spinners for the district ever since.