Thredbo is about 500 kilometres south of Sydney, accessible by the
Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne. The village is built in
the valley of the Thredbo River, formerly known as the Crackenback
River, at the foot of the Ramshead Range.
The town has around 4150
beds but a permanent population of only about 477 people. When the
mountain is fully covered by snow, Thredbo has the longest ski runs in
Australia, and this attracts around 700,000 winter visitors annually. In
summer, Thredbo is a hiking and summer sport destination, including
rock climbing and abseiling, fishing and Cross-country cycling and hosts
a blues music festival, boasting approximately 300,000 summer visitors
(Figures are as of 2005).
Thredbo was developed by a syndicate of
people who were at the time working on the Snowy Mountains
Hydro-Electric Scheme. In 1957 the syndicate was granted a head-lease
over the area that Thredbo now occupies. Development occurred in
following years under Lend Lease Corporation. In January 1987,
Amalgamated Holdings Limited (AHL) purchased the head lease from Lend
Lease. AHL operates the Thredbo village, services, real estate, and
lease arrangements as a public company however a range of private
businesses as a part of the Thredbo Chamber of Commerce operate around
the year providing activities, shopping, restaurants, accommodation,
tours and nightlife
