Bullocks Flat (or Bullock's Flat) is a flat portion of the Thredbo Valley adjacent to the Thredbo River, in the

Snowy Mountains The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", is an IBRA subregion in southern New South Wales, Australia, and is the tallest mountain range in mainland Australia, being part of the continent's Great Dividing Range, a cordillera syste ...

region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia.

Skitube

The flat is the site of the lower terminus of the Skitube Alpine Railway a traction

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

that takes

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

ers from beside the

Alpine Way Alpine Way is a rural road located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The road connects in the east to the New South Wales- Victorian border in the west, crossing the Murray River near Bringenbrong and Upper Towong. ...

road (leading to the adjacent state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

) below

Thredbo Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately south of Sydney, accessible by the Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne. The village is built in the valley of the Th ...

, through a steeply inclined railway tunnel, into the

Kosciuszko National Park The Kosciuszko National Park ( ) is a national park and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, for which it is named, and Cabramurra, New South Wales, Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix o ...

at Perisher Valley and the associated

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

of Blue Cow Mountain. The resort complex is known commercially as

Perisher Ski Resort Perisher Ski Resort (known as Perisher Blue until 2009) is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere. Located in the Australian Snowy Mountains, the resort is an amalgamation of four villages (Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes, Guthega, an ...

History

Indigenous history

The

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

Ngarigo The Ngarigo people (also spelt Garego, Ngarego, Ngarago, Ngaragu, Ngarigu, Ngarrugu or Ngarroogoo) are Aboriginal Australian people of southeast New South Wales, whose traditional lands also extend around the present border with Victoria. They ...

people first inhabited this area.

European history

In the 1830s, Europeans began summer alpine grazing of sheep and cattle. In the 1850s, gold was discovered on the Thredbo River, although finds were not extensive. Early in the 1900s,

Eucalyptus delegatensis ''Eucalyptus delegatensis'', commonly known as alpine ash, gum-topped stringybark, white-top and in Victoria as woollybutt,Second paragraph of Boland, Douglas J. (1985). "Taxonomic revision of Eucalyptus delegatensis R.T.Baker (Myrtaceae)". Austr ...

(alpine ash) trees were logged in this area, the logs brought to a steam-powered mill on the western side of the river by

bullock Bullock may refer to: Animals * Bullock (in British English), a castrated male cattle, bovine animal of any age * Bullock (in American English), a young bull (an uncastrated male bovine animal) * Bullock (in Australia, India and New Zealand), an o ...

teams.

Trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

were introduced into the streams in the early 1900s for

sport fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

and this remains a popular pastime and tourist activity for the area.

Dr Howard Bullock

In the 1930s, Howard Bullock, a

medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

from Sydney, bought a small parcel of flat land in the Thredbo Valley at the confluence of the Thredbo River and the Little Thredbo River. At that time, Bullock and his family took two days to travel by car to this summer getaway where they enjoyed camping, fishing, bushwalking, and horse riding. In 1934, Charles Conway was contracted to build the one-room cottage. It features built-in bunk beds on either side of the main room that has a central fireplace opposite the one door and two small shuttered windows. A separate kitchen building was added in 1938, and the garage and stables in 1947. The cottage area is maintained by the National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Lake Crackenback Resort

An artificial lake was formed adjacent to the Skitube station around which has been built a holiday resort with chalets for accommodation in both winter and summer. The resort adjoins the Little Thredbo River but the lake is not fed by it. Located on the border of the Kosciuszko National Park, Lake Crackenback Resort is a natural playground nestled in the Thredbo Valley surrounded by the spectacular Snowy Mountains. Lake Crackenback is a perfect base to explore the region from sightseeing, local attractions, snowsports in winter and the many summer activities including walking trails, mountain bikes, canoeing or fishing.

Gallery

AU Bullocks-Flat.jpg, Bullock's Flat homestead and Skitube railway bridge, Thredbo River (right) and Little Thredbo (left).

References

External links

Ski TubePerisher BlueLake Crackenback resort
* {{Snowy River Shire , state=autocollapse Ski areas and resorts in New South Wales Snowy Mountains