Batlow

Roadside apple stalls leave no doubt about the staple produce in and around the NSW High Country town of Batlow. Thirty-five kilometres south-west of Tumut, Batlow shared in the gold rushes of the 1850s when a strike was made nearby in 1854, but now the area is prime apple growing territory.

A number of orchards and their packing sheds are open to the public and the Hume and Lovell Lookout, 6km east of the township, offers views over Blowering Dam and Reservoir, and a picnic area where the explorers camped in 1824.

Blowering, where speed king Ken Warby set the world water speed record in Spirit of Australia in November 1977, is 20km east of Batlow. A popular fishing location, Blowering is flanked by a foreshore drive that passes a number of lookout and picnic sites.

You can also take in views of the town and the Snowy Mountains from the lookout at the Weemala flora and fauna reserve off the Tumburumba road. Fuchsia lovers will be in heaven at the Cascade Nursery to the east of the town centre.