For our winter vacation we wanted to take Venice to see the snow. She had never seen it before and being British we thought that was pretty ridiculous! So off we packed and did the 6 hour drive to Thredbo.
Now being British I should have pre-empt that going back to cold wasn't going to be my ideal holiday but it was definitely an experience.
My hot tips for anyone else contemplating this with a 4 year old is, either don't go, or take a Friend so they can both go into the kids snow club.
After 2 hours of sledging down snow hills, it gets pretty boring! Unless you obviously take to snowboarding or skiing, all of which don't really work with small kids. Thats not to say I would recommend Thredbo, it was lovely, really quaint and some nice little restaurants. I just wouldn't go with a small child!
We collaborated with Macarthur Mercedes on this trip and borrowed the X Class. If planning a trip to the snow mountains, a 4 wheel drive is absolutely necessary. With the massive back loading tray we had no problem getting all our clothing and equipment in the back, and Venice loved the "monster Truck"!
We stayed at Alpine Lodge, pretty much the only decent hotel in Thredbo and it has a real Scandinavian charm about it. Wood everywhere, burning fires, and a great pub attached to it.
Highlights to the trip - take the ski lift to the top of the mountain and have drinks and dinner at the Eagles Nest - Australia's highest restaurant! The views are insane and the Espresso Martinis and too bad either!
If you want to plan any excursions, a trip to Perisher is ideal because its much flatter than Thredbo. This is where we did the majority of our sledging. However I wouldn't stay here, it doesn't have the same village charm about it, and doesn't have any decent places to eat!
The Schnapps distillery is also a must! Incredible Schnapps and deserts there. Actually all the food there looked epic. I highly recommend their Schnapps take on a Negroni! Probably the best I've ever had.
On the way back we stopped via Canberra mainly to break the journey up and also to stay our favourite QT Hotel. As it turns out there's nothing much to see in Canberra.