Kiandra to Kosciuszko Bikepacking

12 Apr

Dates: 3-6 April 2026

Length: 4 Days

Start: Three Mile Dam

Finish: Jindabyne

Total Distance: 176.6km

Total Elevation Gain: 3390m

Bikepacking from Kiandra to Kosciuszko (often called K2K) is a rugged alpine adventure through the heart of Australia’s Snowy Mountains. This four-day route links the remote high country around Three Mile Dam with the alpine core of K2K before finishing in Jindabyne. It’s a ride that builds steadily—starting with long, exposed climbs, moving through historic huts and open plains, and peaking with the ascent of Mount Kosciuszko before a steep descent down to Thredbo and the flowy Thredbo Valley Track into Jindabyne.

K2K has been a long-time goal of mine—to experience it on foot, on skis, and now by bike. After hiking in 2021 and ski touring in 2022, I finally had the opportunity to bikepack it during Easter Long Weekend 2026 and to complete the whole experience.

Itinerary

Day 1: Three Mile Dam → O’Keefes Hut
49km · 1375m · 8:00–17:00

I camped at Three Mile Dam in Kiandra the night before. After passing Selwyn Ski Resort, the terrian turns into rolling high plains and endless sky, with gravel roads stretching out ahead like thin lines across the landscape with Mount Jagungal is in the distance. The area affected by the bushfires a few years ago is slowing coming back to life. The lumpy snow grass made the progress slow going. There were some rivers crossings, but nothing was difficult. I had lunch on route and stopped at Mackays Hut briefly. I met a group of 3 AAWT hikers and 2 bikepackers. I camped at O’Keefes Hut on Day 1 with around 15 hikers and bikepackers there.

Day 2: O’Keefes Hut → Guthega Power Station (via Derschkos Hut, Grey Mare Hut, Valentine Hut & Schlink Hilton Hut)
43km · 1000m · 8:30–17:45
The riding flows between historic alpine huts and wide open plains, with a mix of double track riding, hike-a-bike up steep hills, and a long faster descent down to Guthega Powder station at the end of the day. I made detours to visit two huts whichI had never been before - Derschkos Hut and Grey Mare Hut. It was worth the effort and thought about coming here on skis next time. I found the section between Grey Mare Hut and Valentine Hut the most challenging part of the whole trip as I hiked with my bike for quite a bit. The views were constant with a strong sense of isolation. I stopped at Valentines Hut for lunch and the riding became easier once I reached the Schlink Road. I had my first puncture near Schlink Hilton (couldn’t believe that I never had a puncture before). My back tyre lost a fair amount of sealant and with a bit of pumping and spinning, it somehow stopped the leak. The weather was coming in as well as having a punctured tyre, I didn’t make a stop at White River Hut or Horse Camp Hut this time (previously visited). I made it down to Guthega Power Station, hoping the sealant will do its magic overnight. The Guthega Power Station carpark was full, but no one was there. It was nice to camp on my own.

Day 3: Guthega Power Station → Thredbo Diggings (via Smiggin Holes, Charlotte Pass, Mount Kosciuszko, & Thredbo)
53km · 1350m · 8:20–16:50
The sealant settled down overnight and I didn’t need to put an inner tube in. Day 3 had the longest ascend and descent, and was the most rewarding day of the trip. Climbing through Smiggin Holes and Charlotte Pass into the alpine zone before the final uphill to Rawson Pass. It was steady long climb. I parked my bike and walked up to Mount Kosciuszko (my 5th time here) to join a hundred of other people on the top, just for a quick photo before continuing my journey. From Rawson Pass, I walked my bike on the boardwalk to the top of Thredbo chairlift. Bikes are normally not allowed on this section, but no one had an issue with me walking my bike the whole way. It was easy walking without stairs. There were many mountain bikers with full suspension bikes and full face helmet at the top of Thredbo which made me slightly nervous about the steep descent. As I had a loaded hardtail mountain bike with a freshly sealed puncture, I picked the least steep way down to the village. I walked the steepest parts and rode on the management road (again there was a sign saying no bikes on the road, but it was the safest for me). I quickly joined the Thredbo Valley Track which was a very flowing and fun trail, all the way to Thredbo Digging Campground.

Day 4: Thredbo Diggings → Jindabyne
32km · 260m · 7:45–12:00

The Thredbo Valley Track became more technical downstream of Thredbo Digging Campground. I walked the short steep sections and rocky sections as I was unable to ride up or not wanting to risk another puncture descending on rocks. It was beautiful along the Thredbo River. Overall it was going downhill, but It still took me 2.5 hours for the first 16km. There were switch backs going up and down. The last few kms before Gaden Trout Hatchery were easier and the single track along the lake in Jindaybne was fun and fast. I arrived at my car in Jindabyne around midday. I loaded my car and visited the Jindy Op Shop (one of my favourite op shops) before driving 7 hours back to Melbourne.

Logistics

Dave came with me to the start and camped with at Three Mile Dam the night before. He drove my car to Jindaybne and took buses and trains back to Melbourne. I contacted Snowlink Shuttle for a quote on shuttle before Kiandra and Jindaybne, it was $545.00 for 1-3 passengers. So thank you Dave!

I had a flexible itinerary plan before heading out. I carried 4 days of food and I wanted to have enough time to drive back to Melbourne on day 4. There were many huts and campsites along the way. I chose those places according to how I was travelling that day and the desire to camp at a lower elevation for a less chilly night.

Gear

My bike is Liv Tempt 1 (2018) - a hardtail mountain bike with 2.4’’ and 2.35’’ tyres. I used the same bikepacking bags as on previous trips: 1 × 12 L handlebar bag, 1 × 16L saddle bag, 1 × 2L frame/top tube bag, 1 × 1.5L Nalgene and 1 × 1L Nalgene which kept my snacks in the whole trip (only needed to carry 1.5L of water).

  
        Wearing/On Bike
        Ortlieb Saddle Bag 16L
        Handlebar drybag 12L
        Toptube Bag
    
        Helmet
        EE sleeping quilt 30F
        Rain jacket
        First aid
    
        Gloves
        Naturehike sleeping liner
        Fleece jacket
        Epipens
    
        Shoes 
        Exped 3R sleeping mat
        Neck warmer
        Multitool
    
        Socks
        Exped Pillow
        Beanie
        Biketool
    
        Shirt
        Merino thermal top 
        Waterproof socks
        Tube
    
        Bike shorts
        Merino thermal pants
        Maps
        Tyre lever
    
        Light pants
        Bedtime socks
        Towel
        Lube and rug
    
        Bra
        Merino boxer
        Journal and Pen
        Tape
    
        Quadlock
        Down jacket
        EarPods
        Cable ties
    
        Phone
        Tie down strap
        Power bank x 2
        Sunscreen
    
        Case
        Long Volie strap
        Cables
        Driver license
    
        Sunglasses
        Dinners and Breakfasts
        Headtorch
        Airtag
    
        1.5L Nalgene
        
        Tent
        Hand sanitizer 
    
        1L Nalgene
        
        Carkey
        Inreach
    
        Volie Straps
        
        Handpump
        
        Cargo rack x2
        
        Toiletries
        
        Liv Tempt 1 MTB
        
        Toilet paper
        
        Spork
        
        Mug
        
        Befree filter 0.6L
        
        Stove
        
        Gas with cosy
        
        Pot with cosy
        
        Canister Stand
        
        230g Gas Canister
        
        Tea Towel
        
        Lunch

Food

This is all the food I took with me on this trip, plus 1 OSM bar, 2 wraps, 2 pieces of chesee, 1 sachet of tuna and 1 avocado which I ate earlier on day 1 before I took this photo. Oats for breakfast, wraps for lunch and FD meals for dinner. I would like to bring fresh food as the weight didn’t matter, but the space was limited on my bike. The FD meals were leftovers from previous trips.

I put avocados in my mug on hikes to prevent them getting squished. It didn’t work on a bike as it got ‘liquidised’ after bumping around inside the mug. In the end I had 4 wraps left, 4 pieces of cheese, 2 sachets of tuna, 1 avocado and 3 OSM bars left. I wasn’t hungry on day 3 and day 4, so I skipped lunch. An OSM bar during the ride was enough to keep me going all day.

GPX Routes

I planned this ride with Komoot and here are the links.

Summary

A rugged four-day bikepacking journey across Australia’s alpine heart, the K2K route links the remote high plains of Kiandra with the summit of Mount Kosciuszko before descending to Jindabyne. Covering 176 km of double tracks, gravel roads, hike-a-bike sections, and flowing single tracks, the trip was as demanding as it was rewarding. After experiencing the route on foot and skis in previous years, this ride completed the trilogy—offering a new perspective on a familiar landscape. And YES, I would do it again!

Siyuan Hong