The Monaro

The name Monaro originally referred to the rolling grassland plateau that stretches south from Cooma towards the border with Victoria. Bordered by the Snowy Mountains in the west and the steep escarpment dropping to the coast in the east. However, in more recent times, the name Monaro has been used for a much larger region stretching to Canberra in the north and the towns west of the Snowy Mountains. For more details see the Snowy Monaro Region map.

The region includes high mountain ranges, steep forested valleys, and open savanah like parkland, as well as the "treeless plains" of the Monaro. It includes the Kosciuszko National Park, and is the site for the huge Snowy Mountains hydro electric scheme with its big dams and power stations.

There are hundreds of kilometres of rivers and streams, ranging from high mountain torrents to quiet lowland rivers. There are large tailwater rivers below dams, some unspoilt mountain rivers in steep bushclad valleys, smaller rivers and streams, and lakes from wide expanses of water to small ponds.

All these waters contain trout for recreational fishing, and the Snowy Monaro region is often claimed to have the best trout fishing in mainland Australia.