When the ground evened out a little, we left the track entirely and tramped over the heath, through the Rams Head range – a collection of giant granite boulders and tors.

With the wind blowing at a steady 25km/h, there was certainly a bit of Wuthering Heights going on. The landscape was treeless, consisting of the boulders and tors, a smattering of pure white wildflowers, criss-crossing streams, and heath that was spongy underfoot.

The only trace of snow were the grubby snow drifts (grubby due to the dust storms of recent months).

I loved walking through this landscape, especially the boulders; its weathered, mottled surface warmed by the sun so that little ferns can grow at its base.

There was a beauty in this starkness, and a certain romance too, when you think that this was Man From Snowy River country.

The highlight of my trip was the overnight alpine trek. Except for walking from the top chairlift at Thredbo to Mount Kosciuszko and back, I’d never walked in the Aussie Alps before. This trek was fully guided, and we didn’t have to carry more than a day pack because everything else was done for us! My favourite way to camp…

Anyway, the journey started from Dead Horse Gap, a couple of kilometres west of Thredbo. Ours was a small group of three, led by a great guide in Nick. The gap he said has probably been used as a gateway to the high country by animals and people since who knows when, including brumbies (wild horses), hence the name.

It’s a bit of an uphill trek as we climb through the strands of snowgums, with views all the way to the Victorian border.