Snowy Mountains Historic Huts: We Visit 3 Historic Homesteads

We spent the day exploring remote back roads and Snowy Mountains historic huts between Jindabyne and the northern sections of the Snowy Mountains region. Travelling via Alpine Way, Middlingbank Road and Boboyan Road we visited several historic homesteads. Homesteads visited include Westermans Homestead, Brayshaws Homestead and Orroral Homestead. We drove through rough but manageable dirt roads in dry conditions.

This guide is based on our own first hand trip through the area in May 2026. We have included current access conditions, road observations and what each historic site is like today. If you’re planning a NSW High Country 4WD trip focused on historic huts, remote touring routes and Snowy Mountains history. This drive is well worth adding to your itinerary. Here’s day one of us exploring NSW high country huts.

Orroral Homestead One Of The Snowy Mountains Historic Huts We Visited ()

Road Conditions

Road conditions during our trip were mostly dry with some rough corrugated sections along Boboyan Road and nearby fire trails.

Dirt Road We Travelled While Visiting One Of The Snowy Mountains Historic Huts

Heading Inland From Jindabyne

After breakfast at a cafe we left Jindabyne early in the morning and headed north along Alpine Way before turning off near Berridale. Once we reached Middlingbank Road the scenery quickly changed from alpine tourist areas to quieter back roads and open grazing country.

After joining Boboyan Road the driving became rougher with long stretches of dirt road, potholes and corrugations. None of it was difficult in dry weather but it definitely felt more remote compared to the sealed roads around the Snowy Mountains tourist areas.

The further inland we travelled the fewer people we saw. Most of the day was spent driving through bushland, open plains and isolated mountain country while stopping at several historic sites along the way.

Westermans Homestead

The first stop for the day was Westermans Homestead. Unfortunately this one turned into a bit of a disappointment because access had been closed due to aerial pest control operations in the area.

The closure officially started from Monday 18.05.2026 but the gate to the fire trail had already been locked when we arrived on Sunday 17.05.2026. From the signs and information nearby it appeared the aerial shooting program was most likely targeting brumbies.

On the drive in we passed a fence lined with about 20 freshly shot foxes strung up along it. There were also the remains of many more that had clearly been there for quite a while. Years ago it was common to see foxes hanging from fences in rural areas as part of pest control programs. It is something you do not see very often anymore.

It was a shame that we could not actually reach Westermans Homestead itself. It was still an interesting reminder that access conditions can change quickly in remote national park areas. It is always worth checking road closures and park alerts before planning a trip into the NSW High Country.

The drive through this section was still worthwhile thanks to the scenery and remote feel of the area. It definitely felt like proper Snowy Mountains backcountry touring.

Dead Foxes On Fence Along Boboyan Road

Brayshaws Homestead

After leaving the Westermans area we continued on towards Brayshaws Homestead. This ended up being one of the more interesting Snowy Mountains historic huts we visited during the trip.

Brayshaws Homestead is a vertical slab hut built in 1903. Compared to some of the larger homesteads in the region, this one is very basic and simple. It gives a good idea of how tough life would have been for early settlers living in the high country.

The timber slab walls, small rooms and basic layout all show how practical these huts needed to be. Winters in this part of the country would have been extremely cold and isolated.

The owner reportedly lived there for around 28 years until his death. According to one of the information boards site he died from exposure after falling from his horse and suffering injuries.

Walking around the hut today it is easy to imagine how remote this country would have felt in the early 1900s. Even with modern vehicles and roads it still feels isolated.

Brayshaws Homestead is well worth visiting if you are interested in Snowy Mountains history, old grazing properties or historic huts in the NSW High Country.

Brayshaws Homestead Snowy Mountains Historic Hut

Orroral Homestead – One Of Our Favourite Snowy Mountains Historic Huts

Orroral Homestead was the final homestead of the day. It was another excellent stop and probably the most impressive building we visited during our two day trip.

Like Brayshaws, this homestead was also built using vertical slab construction, however it was much larger and clearly built to a higher standard. Inside there were still remnants of wallpaper attached to some walls along with signs of old plaster work.

Compared to the smaller huts we had seen over the previous few days, this place felt much more substantial and comfortable for its time. It would have been a major property in the area during its working years.

Amanda Near One Of The Fireplaces Inside Orroral Homestead

One of the highlights was the shearing shed which was still fully intact. The shed was built in 1930 and gave a good look at how sheep grazing operations would have been run in the Snowy Mountains region.

We spent quite a while walking through the old buildings and looking around the sheds before continuing on. These sorts of places are one of the best parts about exploring the NSW High Country because so much history is still sitting out there in the bush.

If you want the opportunity to get up close and personal with some Skippyroos then Orroral Homestead is just the thing for you. It’s about a 1.5km return walk from the parking area on Orroral Road to the homestead and shearing shed and there must have been around a 150 kangaroos in residence. They’re fine and pose no problem at all, if you leave them alone they ignore you and do what they do – which isn’t much.

Orroral Homestead Shearing Shed Sorting Table

Another Great Day Exploring Snowy Mountains Historic Huts

By the end of the day we had covered a lot of ground through the NSW High Country and visited several very different historic huts and homesteads. The combination of rough roads, mountain scenery and historic sites made this a interesting day.

Some were small and basic while others were larger and more developed, but all of them offered a look into what life would have been like for the early settlers, stockmen and graziers who lived and worked in this region.

The roads were rough in sections but overall it was an enjoyable touring route with plenty of variety. Between the dirt roads, mountain scenery and remote historic sites it felt like a proper Snowy Mountains adventure.

Amanda and I both had a great time exploring this part of the high country and we are already planning another trip back to discover more Snowy Mountains historic huts and remote touring routes.

We have now spent many trips exploring the Snowy Mountains and NSW High Country focusing on historic huts. We also enjoy the alpine touring routes and remote camping areas across the region.

View Down To Orroral Homestead

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