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

Thredbo River The Thredbo River, a perennial river of the Snowy River catchment, is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Thredbo River rises below South Rams Head, near Mount Leo within the Kosciuszko ...

, 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 cordillera system ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia.

Skitube

The flat is the site of the lower terminus of the

Skitube Alpine Railway The Skitube Alpine Railway is an Australian standard gauge electric rack railway in the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It provides access to the snowfields at Blue Cow Mountain and the Perisher Valley. History In the 1980s, deve ...

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 A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

ers from beside the

Alpine Way The 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 / Upper . ...

road (leading to the adjacent state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

) below

Thredbo Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, situated in a part of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and has been operated by Event Hospitality and Entertainment since 1987. It is approximately s ...

, 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, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wildern ...

Perisher Valley Perisher Valley, commonly called Perisher, is a valley formed below Mount Perisher, a mountain that is located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Located in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, the valley is the site of one ...

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 ...

Blue Cow Mountain Blue Cow is a ski resort that is part of Perisher located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, within the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. The resort is situated within the Kosciuszko National Park and is administered by the NSW ...

. 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, ...

History

Indigenous history

The

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

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. Langu ...

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'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

(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 bovine animal of any age * Bullock (in North America), a young bull (an uncastrated male bovine animal) * Bullock (in Australia, India and New Zealand), an ox, an adu ...

teams.

Trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

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 professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is 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 (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

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