Road Travel › Drive weather

Sydney to Thredbo drive weather

492 km (306 miles), about 5 hours of driving via M31 and M23. The high point is Thredbo at 1,385 m (4,543 ft), about 5 h 14 min in.

Distance
492 km
Drive time
~5 hours
High point
1,385 m
States
NSW · ACT

Next 7 departures

Leaving Sydney at 7 AM each day · Updated · Forecast: MET Norway

  1. SunOct 4

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTFog14°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTSunny13°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTMostly sunny9°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTFog9°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTCloudy12°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTCloudy15°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTCloudy12°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTLight rain showers10°C
  2. MonOct 5

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTCloudy15°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTCloudy13°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTCloudy12°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTCloudy12°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTCloudy12°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTCloudy13°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTCloudy14°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTCloudy12°C
  3. TueOct 6

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–18°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTPartly sunny18°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTMostly sunny18°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTPartly sunny15°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTSunny14°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTSunny16°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTMostly sunny16°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTSunny17°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTRain showers9°C
  4. WedOct 7

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–16°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTCloudy16°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTPartly sunny15°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTPartly sunny9°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTCloudy11°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTSunny12°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTMostly sunny11°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTPartly sunny11°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTMostly sunny9°C
  5. ThuOct 8

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–16°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTPartly sunny15°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTMostly sunny13°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTCloudy9°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTCloudy10°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTSunny12°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTMostly sunny11°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTSunny11°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTSunny16°C
  6. FriOct 9

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 10–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTMostly sunny14°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTMostly sunny12°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTCloudy10°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTCloudy13°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTCloudy12°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTCloudy14°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTMostly sunny15°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTMostly sunny15°C
  7. SatOct 10

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 11–21°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Sydney7 AM AEDTCloudy17°C
    M31 near Campbelltown7:30 AM AEDTCloudy15°C
    Bowral8:15 AM AEDTCloudy18°C
    Goulburn9 AM AEDTCloudy20°C
    Canberra9:45 AM AEDTCloudy20°C
    Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales line10:15 AM AEDTCloudy20°C
    Cooma11 AM AEDTLight rain showers21°C
    Thredbo12:15 PM AEDTHeavy rain11°C

The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.

The route, stop by stop

Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Sydney (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.

Thredbo · 1,385 m 0 km 493 km
Elevation along the route (Terrain Tiles, sampled every 8 km).
  1. Sydney, NSWStart 68 melevation
  2. M31 near Campbelltown, NSWKm 51 · 36 min 62 melevation
  3. Bowral, NSWKm 114 · 1 h 11 min 681 melevation
  4. Goulburn, NSWKm 196 · 1 h 58 min 642 melevation
  5. Canberra, ACTKm 285 · 2 h 51 min 554 melevation
  6. Australian Capital Territory–New South Wales lineState line · Km 317 · 3 h 12 min 733 melevation
  7. Cooma, NSWKm 396 · 4 h 5 min 796 melevation
  8. Thredbo, NSWKm 492 · 5 h 14 min 1,385 melevation

Typical weather by month

Average daily highs and lows, and days with 2.5 cm (an inch) or more of snow, at Sydney, Cooma and Thredbo.

MonthSydney
39 m
Cooma
778 m
Thredbo
1,380 m
High / low °CHigh / low °CHigh / low °C
Jan27° / 20°28° / 11°22° / 8°
Feb27° / 20°26° / 11°21° / 7°
Mar26° / 18°24° / 8°18° / 5°
Apr24° / 15°20° / 4°14° / 2°
May21° / 12°15° / 0°10° / -1°
Jun18° / 10°12° / -1°7° / -2°
Jul18° / 9°11° / -3°6° / -3°
Aug19° / 10°13° / -2°7° / -2°
Sep22° / 12°16° / 1°10° / 0°
Oct23° / 15°20° / 4°14° / 2°
Nov24° / 17°23° / 7°17° / 4°
Dec26° / 18°25° / 9°20° / 6°

1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): SYDNEY OBSERVATORY HILL, AS (ASN00066062, 39 m); COOMA VISITORS CENTRE, AS (ASN00070278, 778 m); THREDBO VILLAGE, AS (ASN00071041, 1,380 m). Snow days are days with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.

Road conditions

Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory rather than repeat them.

Check the official forecast from Bureau of Meteorology and each road report before you leave.

Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there

Road Travel plans the drive from Sydney to Thredbo with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from Sydney to Thredbo?

492 km (306 miles), about 5 hours of driving without stops, by way of M31 and M23. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.

What is the highest point on the drive?

Thredbo, at 1,385 m (4,543 ft). It comes at km 492, about 5 h 14 min of driving after you leave Sydney.

How cold is Thredbo in July?

Thredbo averages a high of 6°C and a low of -3°C in July (1991–2020 averages).