Australia’s snowy escapades

NEW SOUTH WALES — Sometimes, when you want to get away from it all, you really want to get as far away as possible. And I do not necessarily mean only geographically. I, for one, had been hankering after a getaway that was the polar opposite of crowds, concrete, commuting and, most of all, Singapore’s relentless tropical heat.

I found exactly that getaway in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, where it is possible to inhale adventure, education and tranquillity all in the same breath. And, happily, it is only a direct seven-and-a-half hour flight to Canberra on Singapore Airlines.

Early June is the perfect time to go, because winter is just starting to unfold in earnest Down Under, harbingering not just seasonal activities such as snow sports and mountain chalet retreats but, above all, a blast of fresh air.

IN SEARCH OF BURIED TREASURE

My adventure started with some intrepid black-gold hunting at Turalla Truffles (www.turallatruffles.com.au), a farm just a 30-minute drive from Canberra Airport. On selected weekends, Damian Robinson and his charming family open their homestead to visitors eager to experience the truffle-hunting lifestyle.

Truffle season was just beginning and I was eager to go on the hunt because it combined two of my favourite things: Food and dogs. The chief player in this operation was Frisbee, an incomparably handsome and talented Jack Russell Terrier. In the hazel tree orchard, it was his job to sniff around the base of the trees and pinpoint the location of subterranean Black Perigord truffles with military precision. He did this by indicating with his paw, after which he delegated the menial task of digging up the spoils to Robinson.

Most farmers use Labradors, Robinson said, but the Jack Russell aficionado chose to work with the breed “because everybody said it couldn’t be done”. He has a family of them, including a puppy still in truffle training school. “My dogs are more important than my children,” he said in full hearing range of his teenage daughter, who scoffed, “Thanks, Dad.”

Back at the house after amassing a neat stockpile of fragrant, knobby lumps, Robinson cooked up an entire truffle meal, pottering about his cosy kitchen like a Masterchef pro as we snacked on bread with truffle cheese and truffle butter, with Jack Russells comfortably nestled at our feet. To start, we had a shot of truffle broth with truffle shavings mixed in; followed by scallops on rosti topped generously with sliced truffles. The main course was handmade pasta in truffle sauce with chicken, and still more intricately patterned petals of truffle. The piece de resistance was homemade truffle ice cream served with a little bit of hazelnut crumble and creme fraiche, so yummy that I asked for seconds, to Robinson’s chuffed satisfaction. In spite of the star ingredient coming onto the stage for so many bows, it was all so fresh, clean tasting and well thought out that there was no such thing as truffle overkill.

But more than an outdoorsy learning adventure and a delicious meal, it was the Robinson family’s warm hospitality that made this an afternoon to cherish — and lots of kisses from Frisbee, naturally.

ALTITUDE WITH ATTITUDE

For a restful retreat, I checked into Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa, a major resort in the Snowy Mountains region. The Novotel property is on the border of the Kosciusko National Park, in the Thredbo Valley. My cabin had an electric fireplace, a view of the mountains and an abundance of shy yet curious wild deer roaming around the trees just outside. On the first morning, I woke to a light smattering of snow on my porch. It was the perfect day to go on a snowshoe hike.

Driving to the Thredbo alpine complex, our party met Mike Edmondson, our guide from K7 Adventures (www.k7adventures.com), who got us kitted out with snowshoes and trekking poles. Unlike skiing or snowboarding, snowshoeing is an alpine activity you can undertake without prior training or skills, which was great for someone like me, who had never progressed past the bunny slopes. I had also never snowshoed before, so I was a little surprised when my illusions of wearing tennis rackets on my feet were shattered by the very modern plastic devices that I found myself strapping my shoes into.

After riding the chair lift to the top of Eagle’s Nest on the Crackenback ridge, we set out on our mountain trek. Plodding over snowdrifts in single file and steadying ourselves with our poles, we soon discovered that it was not an activity for the faint of heart, especially on a day when high winds were pelting sleet into our faces. With the wind-chill factor, it was an estimated -15 degrees on the ridge, and some of our party decided to turn back. But I was not giving up on my adventure — I followed Edmondson, an experienced trekker as well as photographer, and was rewarded with otherworldly mountain snowscapes strewn with tors (rocky peaks) and veined with frozen creeks.

Another popular location in the area for snow activities is Perisher, Australia’s largest ski and snowboard resort, and it was here that I came to indulge in the significantly less hardcore activity — sliding down a gentle slope on a colourful plastic toboggan.

TIME FOR QUIETER PURSUITS

After the adrenaline and exertion of snow sports, it was a welcome pleasure to return to my cabin and chill out by Lake Crackenback. I also went hiking and mountain biking on the resort grounds, where I had chance encounters with wild kangaroos as well as deer (there is also a resident wombat named Wally, but he was being a diva and did not put in an appearance).

Of the activities the resort offers, such as fishing, archery, trampolining and golf, the Segway Eco Tour is probably the most fun way to enjoy the surroundings. It is easy to learn to ride a Segway, and after about 10 minutes of gliding easily over off-road terrain, it is difficult to imagine going back to plain old walking.

After putting colour into my cheeks with all these outdoorsy activities, it was time to get warmed up, the old-fashioned way. One of the area’s proud accomplishments is the schnapps produced by the Wildbrumby distillery and cafe (www.wildbrumby.com). It makes a wide range of flavoured schnapps including butterscotch, Williams pear, raspberry and the Devil’s Tongue, a potent elixir of chili and herbs. Wildbrumby also distills a very good gin.

If wine is more your thing, there are many quality vineyards in the region, and we visited Lark Hill Winery (www.larkhillwinery.com), Poacher’s Pantry (www.poacherspantry.com.au) and Clonakilla (www.clonakilla.com.au), which, incidentally, supplies wine to Singapore Airlines.

After all, who could fault me for needing a little bit of liquid courage to face one more day in Snowy Mountain paradise?